Ramblings-n-Writings

Archive for November 19th, 2007

This post is a little late since my target day for posting Words of Advice is Saturday. But I have a good reason! I started a new medication on Friday, and it put me flat on my back for the rest of the day. Being out of commission for just one day put me severely behind on a lot of things, so what wasn’t necessary was put on hold. Now, I’m playing catch up!

I’m sitting here wondering what advice I can give this week. My editing WIP hasn’t seen the light of day for a week so no ideas from that source. Another possible source is my tutoring. I spend about 15-20 hours a week tutoring kids online in English and writing. It’s a totally awesome job and helps keep my mind sharp.

A recurring problem that I am aware of is the correct use of commas. Over the years, as a teacher, editor, proofreader, and tutor, I’ve found that people either know how to use commas or don’t have a clue. Well, maybe it’s not quite that bad, but close to it!

So, for the next couple of weeks, I think we’ll review use of commas. We’ll start out simple and progress to some more complex uses of the comma.

1. Commas in a series

First, what is a series? A series is a list of three or more things. The ‘things’ can be words, phrases, sentences etc.

Example: We have a dog, a lot of cats, and some fish.

In the above example the words in the series are dog, cats, and fish. Notice that they are separated from each other by a comma.

The questionable, and sometimes confusing, element to this rule is whether or not the final comma should be there (the one that comes after ‘cats’ in the example). Book publishing standards state the comma should be present. Journalism rules state no comma is necessary. Why the difference? Newspaper and magazine articles are published based on space. In an effort to include more information, journalists decided that by not having that comma they would gain a few extra characters in their article. Not a bad idea other than it tends to confuse people about what is the correct use of the rule!

My advice: Unless you are writing for a specific genre (books, newspapers, magazines), practice using the comma. Also, if you are planning on submitting your writing to a specific publication, study previous materials published by the publication. Do they use the comma? If so, use it. If not, don’t use it in what you submit.

2. Commas after long introductory prepositional phrases

Prepositional phrase? Come on! It’s been years since I was in English class. What’s that?

Prepositions are words like about, for, with, in, above, across, after, to, before etc. For a more complete list, do a Google search for prepositions. A preposition is followed by a noun creating a prepositional phrase made up of the preposition and the noun plus any words modifying or describing the noun.

Example: During the halftime of the football game, high school cheerleaders along with band members performed an amazing routine.

Our example actually has three phrases – during the halftime, of the football game, and along with band members. However, our rule focuses on the first two.

‘Of the football game’ describes ‘halftime’ in the first phrase making the complete prepositional phrase ‘during the halftime of the football game’ (remember a prep phrase is the preposition, the noun and any words that modify the noun).

Now that we know what a prepositional phrase is, let’s focus on our rule. The rule says a comma goes after long introductory prepositional phrases. How is ‘long’ defined? The rule of thumb is six words or more. So, if your prepositional phrase is in the beginning of the sentence and there are six or more words in it, you need a comma (just like our example).

Example 2: In the winter no one plows our road.

In Example 2 the comma isn’t necessary. However, there is no rule saying that you can’t put one there. In fact, I happen to like it better with the comma.

Example 3: In the winter, no one plows our road.

While a comma is tiny, it can be intimidating to many people. My advice to you if you are intimidated by commas is to take one of these rules and practice it this week. Make a deliberate effort to check your writing for the rule and to attempt to use the comma correctly.

If you have questions about the usage of commas, feel free to write a comment and I’ll address your question in my next Words of Advice!

Another week is here! Sorry I’m a little late posting this week’s menu! Actually, as you can tell, I’ve been in a blogging slump the past few days and this is my effort to get back on track.

A lot of this week’s menu is dependent on whether or not my parents come to visit for a few days. So, this one is definitely subject to change if they come.

Monday: Chicken broccoli alfredo (this is a meal from last week that was never made)

Tuesday: Clean out the fridge (a.k.a. leftovers)

Wednesday: Ravioli

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday: Turkey surprise (I really have no idea because it is dependent on how much food is left from Thursday.)