Does reading an
article about commas bore you? Yeah, us too. We’ll keep it brief to keep you
from going comma-tose. You’re welcome for the horrible joke.
By definition, a comma is a soft pause
in a sentence. This is because there is no other good way to show taking a
breath in written language. So, a comma is used to separate ideas and action to
help readers better understand what is being written. A good way to think about
this is, if you are reading a sentence and need to breathe, put a comma there.
Of course, this should be done within reason. The last thing, you want,
is a sentence, with too many commas, that makes it sound like, you have asthma…
See what I mean? Just use common sense—or rather, comma sense.
Rule of thumb? Read a sentence aloud and
add a comma whenever you take a breath. You really don’t need any more commas
than that. This also goes for phrases at the beginning and end of sentences.
Example 1:
Jacob wanted to fight too.
Jacob wanted to fight, too.
Example 2:
Yet the girl had already jumped over
the cliff.
Yet, the girl had already jumped over
the cliff.
In both cases, using or not using commas
is completely up to you. We prefer to not use commas in either instance, but arguments
can be made for a dramatic pause with yet. As with anything related to a
writer’s style, you get to choose. Just be consistent.
Of course, this is the idea at a basic
level. There are more rules regarding commas that you should learn just to have
a better grasp of the norms, even if you decide to ignore them for your own
style in fiction. However, these advanced comma rules won’t be discussed here.
If you need a refresher on commas, then review the Chicago Manual of Style or
William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White’s The Elements of Style. Both are
great, but The Elements of Style is far smaller and more
concentrated—start there first.
Moving on. The oxford comma is the last
comma in a list or series, which is used in conjunction with and or or.
For some unknown reason, the oxford comma has become a divisive topic in
literary circles. Opponents argue that an oxford comma is unnecessary because and
or or is already being used to connect the penultimate and last
items in a list. We’ll use the title of this article as an example:
The oxford comma debate is dumb, stupid
and idiotic. (without oxford comma)
The oxford comma debate is dumb, stupid,
and idiotic. (with oxford comma)
Here, it’s pretty easy to interpret the
meaning of the sentence without the oxford comma, as with simpler lists.
However, the readability of a sentence changes based on multiple factors: one,
that the list is at the end of a sentence; two, that there is only a single
word per item in the list; and three, that the list has no subcategories.
Case 1, lists at the beginning of the
sentence:
The garden, shed and barn were in the
tornado’s path.
Let’s reread it with the comma:
The garden, shed, and barn were in the
tornado’s path.
Case 2:
Troy had everything he needed for the
party: pizza and snacks, sodas and alcohol and plenty of games.
Let’s reread it with the comma:
Troy had everything he needed for the
party: pizza and snacks, sodas and alcohol, and plenty of games.
Case 3:
The bins were full: red stuffed animals
and rubber ducks, yellow action figures and dolls and blue toy cars and trains.
Let’s reread it with the comma:
The bins were full: red stuffed animals
and rubber ducks, yellow action figures and dolls, and blue toy cars and
trains.
See? Using the comma helps separate the sentence,
which makes it easier for the reader to read.
Remember, the entire point of using
commas—as well as all forms of punctuation—is to help the reader better
understand the sentence by segmenting it into more digestible pieces. By using
the oxford comma, your reader can better understand the sentence structure of
your story, allowing them to focus on the story instead of being distracted by
the sentence itself.
