The Comma: Man or Myth

1
The Comma Man or Myth
2
Why has comma placement made this humorous?

• A panda walks into a café. He orders a
  sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two
  shots in the air.
• Why? asks the confused waiter, as the panda
  makes towards the exit. The panda produces a
  badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it
  over his shoulder.
• Im a panda, he says, at the door. Look it
  up.
• The waiter turns to the relevant entry and,
  sure enough, finds an explanation.
• Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like
  mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.

3
Examine the following

• Dear Jack,
• I want a man who knows what love is all about.
  You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who
  are not like you admit being useless and
  inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I
  yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever
  when were apart. I can be forever happy will
  you let me be yours?
• Jill

4
If you change comma location, can you change its
meaning?
5

• Dear Jack,
• I want a man who knows what love is. All about
  you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who
  are not like you. Admit to being useless and
  inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I
  yearn! For you I have no feeling whatsoever.
  When were apart I can be forever happy. Will
  you let me be?
• Yours,
• Jill

6
Whats the difference?

• No dogs please.
• No dogs, please.

7
Here?

• What is this thing called love?
• What is this thing called, love?

8
Jobs of the comma

• To illuminate the grammar of a sentence
• To point up rather in the manner of musical
  notation such literary qualities of rhythm,
  direction, pitch, tone, and flow.

9
Lists

• When writing lists, items should be separated by
  a comma.
• Include the comma after the second-to-last item
  and the and
• He brought cats, French fries, and Frosties.
• Style exception
• When you dont want that large of a pause you may
  omit the and before the last item.
• He escaped from a piano case, a giant football, a
  galvanized iron boiler, a roll top desk, a
  sausage skin. (Ragtime)

10
Whats the difference?

• I went to the chemist, Marks Spencer, and First
  Bank.
• I went to First Bank, the chemist, and Marks
  Spencer.

11
With direct address

• When speaking directly to someone (in writing),
  set off the addressed with commas.
• Mr. Smith, what do you think?
• What do you, Mr. Smith, think?
• What do you think, Mr. Smith?

12
Replaces and with 2 adjectives.

• The comma can take the place of an and
• Spot is a quick and brown dog.
• Spot is a quick, brown dog.
• This works if both quick and brown both describe
  the word dog!
• It was a dark, stormy night.

13
To set up a further description of a noun (Great
style points!)

• Rather than write two sentences that are
  redundant, you can make one flow into the other
  by linking the second to the first by restating
  the noun to be described in the adjoining clause

14

• Tommy needs a job. That job must pay a lot of
  money.
• Tommy needs a job, a job that pays a lot of
  money.
• Tommy needs a job, some employment that pay a lot
  of money.
• Tommy needs a job, one that pays a lot of money.

15
Setting off mild interjections!

• Blimy, what are we going to do now?
• Damn, were in a tight spot!
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?

16
For interrupters

• John, of course, was the star of the show.
• Even though he was tardy, Franklin still turned
  his homework in.
• What are you doing, by the way?
• Kids are tough, though, when you begin to think
  about it.

17
For introductory elements (phrases, clauses,
transitions)

• Despite the fact that his pants were on fire,
  Little Tommy still finished the race.
• Please go to the fish tank however, do not eat
  any angelfish.
• In addition, the story of the convict told a
  story of hope.