The Comma

1
The Comma

• A few things to think about. . .

2
What is it?

• In 1582, Richard Mulcaster defined it as a small
  crooked point, which in writing followeth some
  small branch of the sentence, in reading
  warneth vs to rest there, to help our breth a
  little.

3
Functions

• A separator
• It tears about on the hillside of language,
  endlessly organizing words into sensible groups
  and making them stay put sorting and dividing
  circling and herding and of course darting off
  with a peremptory woof to round up any wayward
  subordinate clause that makes a futile bolt for
  semantic freedom.

4

• 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.

5

• 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.

6
Comma power!

• What is this thing called love?

What is this thing called, love?
7

• Go, get him Surgeons!
• Go get him, Surgeons!

8

• Now I must go and get on, my lover.
• Now I must go and get on my lover.

9
Which love letter would you rather receive?

• Dear John,
• 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
  inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I
  yearn for you. I have no feelings when were
  apart. I can be forever happywill you let me be
  yours?
• Jill

• Dear John,
• 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 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

10
It can even change doctrine. . .

• Verily I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be
  with me in Paradise.

• Verily I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be
  with me in Paradise.

11
Commas. . .

• A courtesy designed to help readers to understand
  a story without stumbling.
• On the page, punctuation performs its grammatical
  function, but in the mind of the reader it does
  more than that. It tells the reader how to hum
  the tune.