That Pesky Comma: Part 2 by Erika M Szabo

Where does it belong?

By Erika M Szabo

https://www.authorerikamszabo.com

I learned English as an adult and the comma became my worst nightmare when I started writing.
Where it's needed and don't need it?

I rely on the editors to catch my mistakes, but I really should use my cheat-sheet more often. I bet my editor would have fewer headaches.

Read the first part of my cheat-sheet here:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2019/03/that-pesky-comma-by-erika-m-szabo.html


My cheat-sheet continued:

Use a comma to separate each element in an address. Also use a comma after a city-state combination within a sentence.
I work at 234 South Street, New York, 10045.

Also use a comma to separate the elements in a full date (weekday, month and day, and year). Also separate a combination of those elements from the rest of the sentence with commas.
March 15, 2019, was a strange day.
Friday, March 15, 2019, was a strange day.

You don't need to add a comma when the sentence mentions only the month and year.
March 2019 was a strange month.

Use a comma when the first word of the sentence is freestanding "yes" or "no."
Yes, I saw a fox when I went running.
No, the fox didn't bite me.

Use a comma when directly addressing someone or something in a sentence.
My boss often asks, "Cathy, did you read the new policy yet?"

Incorrect placement of the comma leads to confusion and misunderstanding.
Stop clubbing baby seals!
It looks like an order to desist harming baby seals.
Stop clubbing, baby seals!
Now it prompts baby seals to stop clubbing.

Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun.
I saw the big, mean fox when I went running.

Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.
I saw a fox, not a baby seal, when I went running.

Also use commas when any distinct shift occurs in the sentence or thought process.
The cloud looked like an animal, perhaps a baby elephant.

Use commas before every sequence of three numbers when writing a number larger than 999. (Two exceptions are writing years and house numbers.)
10,000 or 1,304,687.

Read the first part of article about the Pesky Rules:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-pesky-rules-1.html

Next week we'll talk about "its versus it's", "then versus than", "nor versus or" and many other pesky rules. Don't miss the post!

Yesterday was a great day, my book trailer video was chosen to be on of the winners in the Bookish Video Contest:

 Cursed Bloodline 

https://books2read.com/u/meAdZ9

  

See the winners here:
https://asmallgangofauthors.blogspot.com/2019/04/winners-of-bookish-video-contest.html

That Pesky Comma by Erika M Szabo

Where does it belong?

By Erika M Szabo

I learned English as an adult and the comma became my worst nightmare when I started writing.

Where it's needed and don't need it?

I read a book recently and found a lot of sentences where the comma was used incorrectly. I'm no expert, and I still rely on editors to correct my mistakes, but this book gave me the impression that it had never seen a good editor.

I rely on the editors to catch my mistakes, but I really should use my cheat-sheet more often. I bet my editor would have fewer headaches.

Here is my cheat-sheet:

Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction

"I walked by the lake, and I saw a fox."

"I walked by the lake" and "I saw a fox" are both independent clauses, therefore, we need a comma.

However, if I eliminate the second "I" the second clause would lack a subject, making it not a clause at all. In that case, it would no longer need a comma: 

"I walked by the lake and saw a fox."

Use a comma after a dependent clause that starts a sentence.

"When I walked by the lake, I saw a fox."

I had trouble to grasp this rule: "Commas always follow these clauses at the start of a sentence. If a dependent clause ends the sentence, however, it no longer requires a comma. Only use a comma to separate a dependent clause at the end of a sentence for added emphasis, usually when negation occurs."

Use commas to offset appositives from the rest of the sentence.

Appositives act as synonyms for a juxtaposed word or phrase.

"While walking, I saw a fox, a kind of mammal." "A kind of mammal" is the appositive, which gives more information about "a fox."

If the appositive occurs in the middle of the sentence, both sides of the phrase need a comma. As in, "A fox, a kind of mammal, attacked me."

Now this scared me until I understood the logic in it. "As long as the phrase somehow gives more information about its predecessor, you usually need a comma."

"A fox, the kind of mammal I saw when I went walking, attacked me."

There's one exception to this rule. Don't offset a phrase that gives necessary information to the sentence. Usually, commas surround a non-essential clause or phrase.

"The fox that attacked me scared my friend" doesn't require any commas. Even though the phrase "that attacked me" describes "the fox," it provides essential information to the sentence. Otherwise, no one would know why the fox scared your friend. Clauses that begin with "that" are usually essential to the sentence and do not require commas.

Use commas to separate items in a series. 

"I saw a fox, a mammal, and a liquor store when I went running."

That last comma, known as the serial comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma, causes serious controversy. Although many consider it unnecessary, others, including Business Insider, insist on its use to reduce ambiguity.

Use a comma after introductory adverbs.

"Finally, I went running."

"Surprisingly, I saw a fox when I went running."

Use a comma when attributing quotes.

The runner said, "I saw a fox."

"I saw a fox," said the runner.

Enjoy the introduction of my urban fantasy trilogy

Trilogy box set

books2read.com/The-Ancestors-Secrets-Trilogy

Books in the series

books2read.com/Prelude-The-Ancestors-Secrets-Trilogy-Book-1

books2read.com/Turmoil-The-Ancestors-Secrets-Trilogy-Book-2

books2read.com/Destiny-The-Ancestors-Secrets-Trilogy-Book-3