Do You Use a Comma After Once Again
The Optional Comma
May 1, 2018 by ProofreadingPal in Writing Fiction
English grammer ain't easy, and ultimately, after yous've studied and swallowed grammar books until you just can't take it anymore, the last insult may exist that sometimes it but comes down to personal preference.
Such is the case with the optional comma. That'due south a comma that tin go or not go somewhere depending on what y'all think works best. It sounds great, simply actually, it's grammar'southward version of giving you enough rope to hang yourself.
Sigh.
Grammar Matters
Ultimately, the point of all grammer is to help the reader understand what'south going on. Take the post-obit famous example:
The panda eats, shoots, and leaves.
As opposed to the intended argument:
The panda eats shoots and leaves.
So the first matter to know about optional commas is that they announced but occasionally. The majority of commas are mandatory. Yous can't just stick a comma anywhere and claim the sentence looks better that style.
Grammar Rules Can't Encompass Everything
Space is big. Really large. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I hateful, you may think it's a long way downward the road to the chemist, merely that'southward just peanuts to—
Oh wait. I meant, language is big. Really big. Yous may retrieve you've read a lot of books, but that'due south just peanuts to seeing the number of ways and means that people tin put words together.
By their nature, grammar rules are anticipatory. Want to put extra info in that phrase? There's a dominion for that. Want to imply that some data is more of import than other information? At that place's a rule for that. Desire to propose some information, then deny it, and offer another information instead? At that place'due south a rule for that.
But sometimes the rules just accept to give way to basic readability. Commas frequently get optional when sentences are complex, or simply plain long, and the reader could use a niggling break.
Conjunctions
A archetype optional comma shows upward with conjunctive structures. The rule is that when you have 2 complete sentences joined by a conjunction, the comma goes before the conjunction:
I accept several things to buy, but I don't have enough money.
When what comes afterwards the conjunction is not a consummate judgement, y'all don't put a comma earlier the conjunction.
I take several things to buy but not enough money.
However, when what comes earlier or after the conjunction is complicated by length or accent or change in thought, that comma becomes optional. So both of the following are correct:
I have several things to buy on the shopping listing my mother wrote out for me yesterday but merely a few things on the list my sis and I wrote together the twenty-four hour period before when I had more money.
and
I have several things to buy on the shopping listing my mother wrote out for me yesterday, but but a few things on the list my sister and I wrote together the solar day before when I had more money.
Personally, I like the 2d version better.
"Not merely but as well" has an optional comma when you really want to stress that contrast, and sometimes "neither . . . nor" can use a boost every bit well.
Interjections
Commas become effectually "of class" and "in fact," and other mild interjections, and this used to be 100 percent mandatory. These days, you lot don't have to put a comma in front of the interjection if it directly follows a conjunction.
Geraldine asked a lot of people, and in fact, she got results.
It'due south true that "and, in fact," is fine, only it's also a bit cluttered for today'south tastes.
Adjectives
When we put a lot of adjectives in front of a noun, we apply commas to dissever them.
She has the cheaper, faster, smarter version of that software.
The optional comma comes in when the adjective-noun pairing tin can also be seen as a two-give-and-take noun. Is "babe" an adjective in "infant buggy," or is "baby" office of the noun, equally in "tooth decay" and "activity effigy"?
And so, hither we accept an optional comma where, once more, both are correct:
It's stupid to fight in a unsafe, burning building.
and
It's stupid to fight in a dangerous called-for edifice.
Introductory Phrases
I'yard planning to devote a whole postal service to this one (oh, the excitement!) because putting a comma afterwards an introductory phrase relies on a host of factors. For this post, we'll deal with length.
Once once more, these are both correct:
While sunbathing with friends, we all forgot to reapply our sunblock.
and
While sunbathing with friends we all forgot to reapply our sunblock.
Readability is in one case once again key, which means that people generally put a comma after a long introductory phrase but not after a brusk one. There is no real rule about that length, however.
Repetitive Emphasis
Sometimes we want to stress something strictly for the drama of information technology, and one way to practice that is by repetition. Separating that repetition with commas is, once again, optional. (And did you notice that in that last sentence I separated out "once once more" with commas, whereas I didn't practice it in the sentence above? Readability, baby!)
So anyway, both of these are correct:
Frodo just walked, and walked, through that whole movie.
and
Frodo but walked and walked through that whole film.
And so are:
The dead dragon fell from the heaven, and savage with a nail.
and
The dead dragon barbarous from the sky and fell with a blast.
So, (optional comma) every bit y'all can see, (not optional comma) there are many instances in which the writer's, (optional comma) and the editor's, (optional comma) personal judgments come up into play, (not optional comma) and if you lot find yourself unsure sometimes, (optional comma) just ask us here at ProofreadingPal! (optional exclamation betoken)
Julia H.
Source: https://proofreadingpal.com/proofreading-pulse/writing-fiction/the-optional-comma/
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