Dreamland Guide Book

▪︎▪︎▪︎Commas: Conjunctions

We would like to give a gigantic thank you to TakiZyn for writing up this help chapter for us. She did an amazing job, and it is about time this book got updated! So sorry I (Cross) have been failing at it ;-;

Commas and Conjunctions

...and a metaphor taken probably too far.

Commas are a lot like stock character palace guards. They have their proper positions. They serve a purpose. They're to be seen but not noticed.

Yes, this is the metaphor I'm going with, and in this metaphor, we'll view conjunctions such as and, or, and but as various royals living in this palace. Some need a guard with them at all times. Some don't. So, let's get down to figuring out which one is which.

The Epic Warrior Queen

Her country (sentence) would not be complete without her, she can take care of herself, and guards (commas) would just get in her way. She is most often seen in simple lists of only two items.

Examples:

She is talented and beautiful.

Jewels and daggers adorn her hips.

Her crown is simple but elegant.

Do words of praise or rebuke wait upon her lips?

I didn't actually mean for that to rhyme, but okay.

She is not limited to standing between adjectives or nouns, however. Actions can also form simple lists.

Examples:

The queen stood atop the parapet and fixed her gaze upon the invading army below.

She pardoned the thief but banished the murderer.

In the evenings, she reads by the fire or runs with the hounds.

Note how in each example, removing the conjunction and splitting the sentence into two will result in at least one incomplete sentence. So, try that if you think your conjunction may be an Epic Warrior Queen. Remove her and separate the two halves of the sentence she bridged. If one remains incomplete, you've likely found her, and that means she doesn't need a comma to guard her.

What if both sentences are complete when separated?

The Newborn Princeling Conjunction

Under his rule, two countries (sentences) become one. He has many political enemies, assassins abound, and he is a helpless baby. He definitely needs a guard. He is most often seen between two clauses that would be two sentences without him.

Examples:

His eyes are brown, and they shine with tears.

He accepted the milk, but he refused to drink the orange juice.

Does he like his nurse, or does she scare him?

Note how in each example, the conjunction can be removed to split the sentence into two complete thoughts. If this is the case, you've found your Newborn Princeling. However, in some cases, our princeling may have a blood-bonded mage sworn to protect him at all costs, and in this instance, he doesn't need a puny comma palace guard. This mage can take several forms, including as, while, and if.

Example:

As the baby cried and the nurse frantically rocked him, guards burst through the doors.

Though "the baby cried" and "the nurse frantically rocked him" would both be complete sentences on their own, the "as" indicates that they took place at the same time. The comma is omitted so as not to separate this one thought.

This one is easy to see because "as" appears close to the conjunction, so let's switch it up.

As guards burst through the doors, the baby cried and the nurse frantically rocked him.

This sentence has the same meaning as the one before: all at the same time, guards burst in, the baby cries, and the nurse rocks the baby. However, it would not be incorrect to add a comma after cried. It would just slightly change the meaning of the sentence.

As guards burst through the doors, the baby cried, and the nurse frantically rocked him.

With the comma before and, this sentence tells us that the guards burst through the doors as the baby cried, and in response (likely a beat later), the nurse rocked the baby.

What if we took away that blood mage as to get a list of three actions?

The King of Everything

He has a lot on his plate and often deals with long lists. He's reasonable and listens to both sides of controversies, and he understands that sometimes citizens get grouped in ways they did not mean. In these cases, he values consistency. As the king of everything, sometimes he needs a comma guard, sometimes he needs a stronger semi-colon knight, and sometimes he just likes to wing it all on his own.

Example:

The king enjoys riding, jousting, and archery.

Would the king rather wear purple, gold, or black today?

You'll find this kind of conjunction just before the last item in a list of at least three. Think back to the Warrior Queen's first example sentence. She stood between two adjectives, but if we add a third, note how the punctuation changes.

She is talented, beautiful, and wise.

This type of comma has been called by many names: the serial comma, the series comma, the Oxford comma, the Harvard Comma, etc., and it is considered controversial. The list of American style guides in favor of using this comma includes The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, The Chicago Manual of Style, and the MLA Manual of Style. The Canadian Press' stylebook advises against using a comma here. British style guides don't tend to mandate the use of this comma, though The Oxford Manual of Style certainly does.

Point being, whether you choose to use a comma here or not, there is likely always going to be someone who tells you to do the opposite. In these situations, it's best to pick a side and stick to it. Consistency is your friend.

Now, I mentioned above some instances where this king would opt for the presence of a semi-colon knight. These occasions would be in complex lists or lists within lists that might already contain several commas.

Examples:

For breakfast, the king had bacon, eggs, and cheese on toast; fresh-squeezed, iced orange juice; and fluffy, blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup.

At the front of the parade, lithe dancers twirled ribbons of green, blue, and gold; round and jolly bakers waved trays of sweet and savory pastries; and tigers, panthers, and leopards strained against their leashes.

Note that sentences like these are most often needlessly complicated, and their usage in your writing should be rare. I only mentioned it because I didn't want to leave out my semi-colon in shining armor.

Okay, I've gone on about these types of commas for long enough, but hopefully this look into the subject either helped you or at least brought a smile to your face today. If you have questions on specific examples, I'd be happy to answer those. Just leave a comment here and be sure to tag me (TakiZyn) so I see it.