A Compelling Case for the Comma
Have you all seen this Newsweek article: The Sad Fate of the Comma? If you haven't, I think it's worth the read.
As a multitasker and someone who works far more than the 1,804 hours the average American puts in each year, I find its argument extremely thought-provoking. You see, despite my own rushed pace of life, I'm a comma girl. When it comes to language rules, I'm not keen on breaking the long-established ones. In fact, if I'd been Samuelson's copyeditor, I wouldn't have removed a single one from the article. And if I'd written the article myself, I would have inserted commas in every single place he did.
So what about you? Have you said "Screw You!" to the comma, or are you like me and think that if one thing in life should remain sacredly unhurried it's the written word?
Labels: discussions
posted by Irreverent Freelancer @ 9:34 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Hear hear!! I'm not a fan of the serial comma, having been trained on AP Style, but I'm all for effective pauses in prose.
I agree with you on commas! And I've noticed too how people are getting rid of them more and more. I even differ from AP in my comma usage: I write lists of three or more items as "A, B, and C," the way I was taught growing up, rather than "A, B and C" as AP prefers.
I don't think I necessarily think about grammar rules when I'm writing, though. I tend to insert commas when it seems appropriate, such as when I "hear" a pause or when two clauses need separating.
I was often referred to as the "comma queen" by my English Teachers.
I always took it as a compliment..
;)
You are not alone, my sarcastic freelance friend!
Sylvia C.
No I haven't said "screw you" to the comma because it's very important to separate the ideas of a sentence so that people can easily absorb them making for good writing that's easily understandable.
Whew! See what I mean?
Speaking of commas... I ran across a very interesting story an NPR, which (naturally) led me to another headline and a new blog to follow. It's worth checking out:
Kate McCulley and the Mystery of the Missing Comma
Well, you already know my stance on commas, fellow comma-lover. And I must say, awesome graphic!
Off to check out the article.
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