The comma seems like a simple little guy. He’s small and easy to use. So easy to use that the careless writer often begins to use him in places he’s not needed. In time, the over-used comma can become a plague. One that transforms an otherwise stellar piece of work into one fraught with unnecessary pauses and odd sentence structures.
I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve tried to inoculate my writing against comma plague. It creeps back every once in a while to disable a sentence or place a hiccup between my words. So what is the vaccine against it? Let’s see what Dr. Grammar has in his bag of tricks.
Commas are used to separate compound sentences connected by a conjunction. What is a conjunction? Remember “Conjunction Function” (please tell me you do)? Conjunction examples are and, but, and or. A compound sentence contains two phrases that could stand alone were they not joined.
Rick has a nasty habit of using commas too much, but he is trying hard to cease this practice.
See? If the sentence was smaller I could probably omit the comma as long as it sounded right to do so.
Commas are used to separate items in a list.
Frankenstein’s monster is scary, sympathetic, and a statement about our own humanity.
Commas are used with introductory phrases or words.
Yes, commas are my friends.
Even if he could write, Frankenstein’s monster would dislike commas.
Commas are used between adjectives that describe the same noun. This can be a tricky one. They are meant to be a substitution for the word “and”.
I stared at the sentence with bright, bloodshot eyes while contemplating comma use.
This is when it can get tricky (and the plague begins to set in). If the first adjective modified the second adjective you do not need a comma.
Frankenstein’s monster has crazy long fingers.
In the above sentence crazy is describing long. Get it?
Commas separate transitional phrases in a sentence.
There was a time, after all, when I thought commas were the easiest things to master.
Commas are used with dialogue. They appear in place of a period is some instances but not all. If you’re not used to this it can be confusing. It’s easier to show this then to explain it…
“When I attach this electrode,” Dr. Frankenstein beamed, “electricity will bring my creation to life.”
“Your creature is like a comma,” Igor said. ”He’s sort of cute.”
I hope these examples have helped you on your way. They are handy, helpful, and overused. They are also a writers best friend when understood.
Happy writing!
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