The Commarama

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The Comma-rama

• A Simplified Approach to Using (or not using)
  Commas

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Never punctuate

• unless you know a rule.
• unless you can defend your punctuation.
• when in doubt.
• (When in doubt, leave it out!)
• (When in doubt, look it up!)
  

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KISS Keep it Simple, Stupid!

• Journalists punctuate sparsely.
• Short sentences need less punctuation.
• Short sentences speed readers along.
• Less punctuation speeds reading also.
• Less punctuation speeds writing.
• Caution Too little punctuation makes writing
  choppy.

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Nine Simple Comma Rules

• Distilled by Mrs. Mary Penny from hundreds of
  guidelines, these rules address most comma needs.

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Rule 1

• Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are
  separated by a conjunction such as and, but, for,
  or, nor, or yet.

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Some compound sentences
- She managed the restaurant,
but he did the cooking. - The boy was always lo
nely,
for his mother rarely was at home.
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Rule 2

• Use Commas to separate elements in a series.
• Such elements usually are adjectives, verbs or
  nouns.
  
• Note Journalism departs from traditional
  punctuation by leaving out the comma before a
  conjunction in a series of elements.

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The tall, dark, handsome man hailed, lauded and
applauded Ben, George, Maude and Rebecca
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Rule 3

• Use commas when attributing from quoted material.
  The comma separates the words of attribution from
  the quoted material.
  
• He said, Hello.
• Hello, he said.

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Rule 4

• Commas follow introductory clauses and phrases
• such as.

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after an introductory adverbial clause.

• When the team was forced to kick, the coach
  sent in his best players.
  

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after two or more introductory prepositional
phrases.

• In the spring of 1991, she returned to College
  Park.

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after an introductory phrase containing a verbal.

• Singing as she worked, Mary annoyed her
  co-workers.
  
• Kicked by a horse, Don never recovered his sense
  of balance.
  
• To cure hiccups, swallow a spoonful of sugar.

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Rule 5

• Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter
  and the complimentary close of any letter.
  
• Dear Reese,
• Very truly yours,

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Rule 6

• Commas follow all items in a date or full
  address.
  
• July 16, 1982, is his date of birth.
• She has lived at 709 Front St., Elkton, Md., all
  her life.

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Rule 7

• Commas surround nonessential words or phrases
  within a sentence, such as

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interjections and asides.

• Well, we will just have to walk home.
• She was, like, so depressed.

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appositives, which are words or phrases that
rename a noun.

• Betty Brown, his mother-in-law, has been married
  four times.
  
• A distinguished scholar, Dr. Ira Berlin, is the
  keynote speaker at commencement.
  
• La Plata, the only air-conditioned residence hall
  on North Campus, was once for women only.
  

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and all other nonessential modifying clauses and
phrases.

• The president-elect, suffering from laryngitis,
  canceled his speech.
  
• The College of Journalism, named in honor of
  publisher Philip Merrill, sponsors the campus
  chapter of SPJ.

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Rule 8

• Commas surround words of direct address.
• -Maria, please pass the butter.
• -I can see, Fred, that you are lazy.

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Rule 9

• (an archaic and rarely used rule)
• A comma may indicate an omitted verb that is
  usually expressed in some other part of the
  sentence.
  
• -Talent often is inherited genius, never.
• -Boggs struck out in the fifth Davis, in the
  ninth.

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So thats the Comma-rama.

• Show what you know by punctuating the sentences
  in the class exercises. For each sentence, be
  able to defend your punctuation. Give at least
  one rule number used with each sentence.
• Look for comma errors. They are all around you!
• See you next week for other punctuation!