Writing Tips

Using Commas

Hi, there!  In this section, we'll be learning about commas. We all know how evil those commas can be, right?  Sometimes it seems it might be easier to survive a gator bite than it would be to know how to use commas correctly.  That's why I decided I might include this post.  When I learned this in college, I wanted to smack my own forehead with a book.  "How obvious!" I thought.  Now you will learn some of this as well.

Example One (without commas): A red fur coat.

Why does "a red fur coat" not have commas? Because fur describes the coat, and red describes the fur coat. Each one is linked because each adjective to the left modifies the item, or compound item, to the right. (There are not three or more adjectives being serialized.) They can reach up to three adjectives for a single noun before it requires a comma. 

You might be pushing it with more than four, because at that point, you're making a list. And lists require commas. 

The example sentence fragment "a red fur coat"  can be rewritten thusly: A fur coat that is red.  Rearranging the sentence again might not make sense: A red coat that is fur?  That makes no sense, except, maybe to a three-year old.

Example Two (again without commas): A velvety blue pant suit.

Why does this not have commas?  Same reason as above.  This sentence can be written as thus: A pant suit that is velvety blue.  It cannot be rewritten as thus: A velvety blue suit that is pant.

There is an added element here, though, which helps remove the need for commas. "Velvety" is an adverb with an -ly ending. Technically, the only two adjectives are blue and pant. Didn't reach the three that turns it into a list.

(A note on hyphens for this phrase: if you want to treat velvety blue as a single adjectival phrase so that velvety describes the blue and not the suit, hyphenate it if it occurs before your noun. This is called an adjective phrase. If it occurs after your noun, hyphenation is not needed. BUT. If exact meaning is not quite important and wouldn't turn out to be very awkward if misread, then you don't have to worry. Omitting the hyphen would be fine. Chicago Manual of Style prefers a spare hyphenation style. Just write it in your own style guide so you can remain consistent throughout your writing.)

Example Three (with commas): A smelly, dirty, rotten house.

Why does this one have commas? The simplest way to put it is this: if you can add the word "and" between them because they all modify the word "house" and not each other, then use the commas. If they modify each other on the way to modifying the house as a unit, then no comma is needed unless there are too many -- in which case just rewrite the sentence.

In this example, smelly does not modify rotten. And rotten does not modify dirty.  You could rearrange all of them, and it would mean the same thing. 

Also consider whether or not you're using a serial, or Oxford comma, which is the comma that goes before "and." If you choose to use it, stay consistent and always do so. If you choose not to, same. Remain consistent. Put it in your own style sheet. 

Style sheets are your personal grammar, spelling, and mechanics reference documents. Publishing houses have their own In-House style sheets. I have my own. They refer to a specific style guide, like Chicago Manual of Style, and they select a particular dictionary to work from because major dictionaries have slightly different spellings and usage rules for the words in them...Think of British spelling and usage versus United States spelling and usage. Choosing one and staying with it will keep your work consistent.

My In-House style guide is part of a 740-page reference document, and I title it RGSS ("Reference Guide, Style Sheet") whenever I discuss it.

The style guide will have everything from capitalization rules specific to this particular book you are working on, to overall style guidelines you are to work with across multiple written works. It's a copyeditor's tool, but they appreciate it (and you get your works back sooner) if you have your own and can submit it to them with the book.

Example Four (again with commas): A red, blue, orange, and black hat.

This one was another, clearer example of a list requiring commas.  The colors can be in any order, and they do not modify one another.  All of them are modifying the hat itself.  As such a short list, the final comma may be removed.

But to further complicate this, you may need to reword it to avoid meaning a hat that is red, a hat that is blue, a hat that is orange, and a hat that is black.

If your sentence can ever be misconstrued, rewrite it.

At this point, you might want to scratch your head and tell me Spanish is easier.  They put the noun before the modifier.  "A car red..."

When in doubt, always look at the example sentences and ask: To be a List, or Not to be a List?

Remember: To be a List is to be a Comma.

Now you can hate and love me for a giving such a solid punctuation tip.  But you're not going to be done with commas for a long time, not if you're wanting to get into the nitty gritty of the editing skillz.  And if you're one who wants to go professional, you'll eventually have to go there anyway.  You'll need books and lessons on English grammar. I highly recommend that Chicago Manual of Style. It's hefty and beefy and very difficult to read, but it's solid. It's consistent. And it makes your writing better.