Comments on Word-wise: Commas and headaches

Congrats on that exciting project--can't wait ...

2011-08-23T22:49:39.534-04:00

Congrats on that exciting project--can't wait to hear more!

Which is why I'll pay you to edit my first boo...

2011-08-06T22:43:35.317-04:00

Which is why I'll pay you to edit my first book. :)

Thanks for your comments, Jerry and Pastor Ben! I ...

2011-08-05T14:57:31.534-04:00

Thanks for your comments, Jerry and Pastor Ben! I especially like that you have opposite positions, one right after the other. Together, your words perfectly summarize the major pro/con points of the serial comma debate.

@Jerry: AP is indeed the more efficient style, not just in terms of commas, but in other conventions as well. And while AP's not my personal favorite style book, that efficiency is exactly why it's the perfect handbook for media and related fields--immediacy and simple, Everyman appeal go hand-in-hand with efficiency.

Whether an "of course" or similar phrase falls at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence is a purely subjective style matter, not a question of right or wrong. There ARE good reasons for preferring one placement over the other in certain situations (one of which I'll address in an upcoming post), but I can't see saving a single comma as a "good reason." I have to disagree with your critics on that one!

@Ben: I'm with you, I wouldn't opt to leave out a serial comma either. Or, to borrow your words, "Love it!"

Now, are you prepared for a shock? You and I are probably of the last generation that was taught the two-spaces-after-a-period typing rule, which most publishers had dropped by a couple decades ago. From the normally very conservative Chicago Manual: "Like most publishers, Chicago advises leaving a single character space, not two spaces, between sentences and after colons used within a sentence...,and the recommendation applies to both the manuscript and the published work."

I'm with you, there's a certain pleasure in smacking that space bar--and again!--when a sentence ends. I admit, it took me a good two years to break that double-thumping habit.

I LOVE the serial comma! Love it! It's proba...

2011-08-01T14:37:47.483-04:00

I LOVE the serial comma! Love it! It's probably because I write the way I talk; and when I talk, I put a brief pause (almost like a comma) before the last item in a list.

To leave out the comma is probably more space efficient, and therefore the AP format loves it. The AP also only does one space after periods as well, which I find to be drastically less satisfying than a hard double space bar tap. Try it. Yeah, it's fun.

As far as my own minefield? It has to be typing/writing the way I talk. Because I don't talk with rules of written grammar built in. So when I wordify all my oral ramblings, something gets lost in dictation.

Personally, I find the AP style more efficient and...

2011-07-31T09:52:37.886-04:00

Personally, I find the AP style more efficient and easier to read. If I see a comma before a conjunction in a series of elements my eye wants to scan ahead looking for more elements even though there is only one more. Reading shouldn't be frustrating on any level.

Another comma usage that frequently causes me derision is my tendency to use parenthetical expressions which many people find superfluous. My intention, of course, is to reveal my perspective when writing the statement.

That last sentence is a good example. I feel my intention should be obvious but I find it important to qualify why the point of my statement has relevance.

I am particularly guilty of frequently using parenthetical expressions such as 'I believe', 'however', 'for example', 'therefor', etc. Many of my critics scold that I should begin the statement with the parenthetical expression so that only one comma is needed but I prefer to embed the parenthetical in middle so as to get the point of the statement started right away then qualifying with the expression to illustrate my perspective. Embedding the parenthetical expression in the middle, 'of course', requires a pair of commas to lift the perspective out of the main idea.