Let's punctuate it right

By Ranjana S.

   §  The Comma:-

Commas are the workhorses of English pronunciation and are the punctuation marks used more frequently within sentences. One of the commas'  feature is to keep the meaning of a sentence clear by indicating which of its parts are essential for the basic sense and which parts aren't as necessary. Another function of the comma is to show the reader which parts of a sentence belong together, and which should be read as separate, though closely related, elements of the sentence.

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§  Can we recapitulate its uses:

(a) It may be used to separate the components of a date, of an address, of a large number, or of a series of three or more items, words, or groups of words.

§  July 28, 2014

§  Monday, July 28

§  Vadodara, Gujarat

§  Atlanta, Georgia

§  10 Pankson Ave, Tulsa, Oklahoma

§  5, 687

§  8,365,487

§  She won the bingo game by covering B3, 18, N2, G1, and O5.

§  On our vacation we visited friends in Cleveland, Indianpolis,and Denver.

§  Mr. and Mrs. Andrew, Dr. and Mrs. Claive, and Mrs. Green were at the concert.

»»»»Kindly note: 

In the series such as those illustrated in the last three sentences above, many writers omit the last comma (the one that immediately precedes and). Both ways of punctuating series are acceptable. Just be sure that you are consistent. Do not include the final comma in one instance and drop it in another.

(b) A comma may be used after the salutation (greeting) and after the conventional closing phrase of a letter. A colon (:) is preferred for the salutations in business or other formal letters.

§  Dear Jerry,

§  Dear Mom, (but Dear Sir:)

§  Best regards,

§  Sincerely yours,

(c) A comma is always used to set off the name or title of a person you address directly in writing, or to set off a person's name from his title, academic degree, or the like.

§  Well, Chris, that's about the end of the story.

§  I'm very happy to tell you this news, Uncle Tim.

§  The project chief was Rachael Mathew, Ph. D.

(d) A comma is used to separate the two parts of any sentence that begins with a statement but ends as a question.

§  She is an angel, isn't she?

§  That wasn't too much to spend on the frivolous party, was it?

(e) Expressions such as she said, he wrote, etc., that either introduce or follow quoted dialogue are usually set off by commas.

§  Mika said, "We should study now."

§  "We should study now", said Mika.

§  "By tomorrow," Cynthia wrote, "I'll be in Mysore again."

(f) A comma is used between each of the two or more adjectives that modify the same noun.

§  We kept up a brisk, steady pace on the hike.

§  Queechy Lake is a deep, blue, calm body of water.

»»»»Kindly note:

To test whether the modifiers all modify the same noun, substitute the word 'and' for the commas: "brisk and steady pace"; deep and blue and calm body of water."

If the word 'and' cannot be meaningfully inserted, commas should not be used. Consider, for instance, the sentence “She wore brown leather gloves." Here the gloves are not really brown and leather; the two words brown leather are a unit that cannot be meaningfully separated. Therefore, no commas please.

Similarly, if you write "Queechy Lake is a deep blue color." you do not mean that the color of the water is deep and blue; it is deep blue, without a comma.

(g) Commas are always used to set off appositives-- that is, words or phrases that rename, identify, or explain the preceding word or phrase.

§  I, Ranjana Shrivastava, do make this last will and testament.

§  The captain of the football team, a senior from Memphis, scored the first touchdown.

§  Why should this have happened to her, honest lady that she is?

»»»Kindly note:

Except at the end of a sentence(as in the last preceding examples) a pair of commas is always used in such situations, one before and one after the appositive word or words.

(h). Commas may be used to set off an introductory phrase or clause that tells how, when, where, why, etc., the following statement has happened, is happening, or will happen.

§  When the war was over, Jerromy returned to England.

§  In Puerto Rico, it never gets this cold.

§  Even if rains cats and dogs tomorrow, we won't call off our picnic.

»»»»Kindly note:

If the introductory group of words is very short, many writers feel that a comma is not needed. It would not be incorrect, for example, to write-  "In Puerto Rico it never gets this cold." Note, too, that a comma is not generally used to set off a clause or phrase that follows the main statement instead of preceding it:

§  Jerromy returned to England when the war was over.

§  We will not call off our picnic even if it rains cats and dogs tomorrow.

(I) Commas are often used to separate almost unnecessary words or group of words (parenthetical expressions) from the rest of the sentence.

§  I appreciate your offer but cannot, however, accept the position.

§  You are, therefore, the only person who can do the job.

§  He is, unfortunately, a rather a poor sport.

§  Nina knew, of course, that the party started at eight.

§  Yes, I was absolutely right.

§  You look a little pale, to tell the truth.

In the aforementioned illustrations, the words set off by commas serve mainly as personal emphasis, personal asides, word bridges, or nonessential introductions or conclusions to the major statement. Note that except at the beginning or the end of a sentence, the commas are always paired around the parenthetical expression so that it is entirely separated from the essential parts of the sentence.

(j) A comma usually precedes the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. A compound sentence is a sentence that is really composed of two or more sentences joined together( that is, coordinated) by a conjunction such as 'and', 'but', 'for', or 'or'.

§  The lady gave us directions, but they were so complicated we couldn't follow them.

§  I returned the book to Joe, and he took it right back to the library.

§  We could hardly hear the soulful renditions by the Sufi singer, for we sat in the last row of the auditorium.

If the compound sentence is very brief, you may safely omit the comma before the conjunction.

§  Harry thought he knew his way but he didn't.

§  At night the kids play checkers or I read to them.

(k) Commas should always be used to set off nonrestrictive clauses.

A nonrestrictive clause is a group of words that describes something or someone without being absolutely necessary for identifying the thing or person. In other words, you can drop a nonrestrictive clause from the sentence without changing its meaning.

Robert's new fishing rod, which is an eleven-footer, cost him a small fortune. (The clause 'which is an eleven-footer' is nonrestrictive and must be set off by commas because it merely adds some information about the rod; the rod has already been clearly identified as Robert's new fishing rod.

 Compare this with the following sentence: The fishing rod which Robert just bought cost him a fortune. Here the clause 'which Robert just bought' is restrictive: It is essential to the meaning of the sentence because it tells the reader which one of Robert's rods the writer is referring to, and so it should not be enclosed in commas.)

Some more illustrations:

     § My favourite friend, whom I hardly meet, stays in London.

     § The friend whom I hardly meet lives in London.

     § Our house, where three generations have been born and died, stands on a high hill.

     § Our house stands on a high hill where three generations have been born and died.

»»»»Kindly note:

Some writers pepper their sentences too heavily with commas, and others use too few. Remember that the comma is not just embellishment on the page; its use is imperative to sort out, separate and combine the various parts of the sentence. When you are in doubt about whether or not you need a comma at a certain place, try saying the sentence aloud. If it seems natural for you to pause, no matter how briefly, at that spot, a comma may well be in order. If, on the other hand, a pause seems to break into the middle of a tight cluster of words and make you sound as if you are gasping for breath, do not insert a comma.

Hence, for example, you would not normally say “Helen and Tom (pause) have gone out for a walk." But you would pause for at least an instant at the places where commas are inserted in the following sentence: Helen and Tom, who can't stand each other, have gone out for a walk.

This is not, of course, a sure-fire way to test your use of commas, however, it may help you to resolve your doubts.