Punctuation Bonanza: Part 1: Commas, Semicolons, & Colons
Well, hello! Are you ready...to learn about commas, semicolons, colons, emdashes, hyphens, and ellipses‽ (That's an interrobang, right there!) Today we're going to start exploring punctuation marks, so mute Firefly and grab your extra stylish reading glasses--it's grammar time!
Up first is commas, semicolons, and colons.
COMMAS
I know what I know, but what I didn't know is commas are everywhere.
Commas are multi-talented and are, indeed, everywhere. More than any other punctuation mark, commas provide crucial, but subtle clarity that can make or break a sentence.
Check out this famous example:
Let's eat Grandma. (A bit cannibalistic for the everyday sentence.)
Let's eat, Grandma. (Much nicer.)
Keith ran, but slowly. Both RAN and SLOWLY are describing the same subject, Keith, but they're contrary. We don't expect running to be slow, so we include the comma.
If the ideas are continuous for the SAME subject, then we DON'T use the conjunction comma.: Eloise sprinted and jumped the fence. Jumping is not contradicting sprinted, so no comma.
Non-Essential Element Commas--the content splicer!
When a phrase within a sentence gets bracketed off, it's using the Non-essential element comma.
Up first is commas, semicolons, and colons.
COMMAS
I know what I know, but what I didn't know is commas are everywhere.
Commas are multi-talented and are, indeed, everywhere. More than any other punctuation mark, commas provide crucial, but subtle clarity that can make or break a sentence.
Check out this famous example:
Let's eat Grandma. (A bit cannibalistic for the everyday sentence.)
Let's eat, Grandma. (Much nicer.)
They're also great at conveying voice, like the fabled Walken Comma ("You know, Bob, Sue, and Greg, they came, to my house?") or Shatner Comma ("You, know, Bob, Sue, and Greg? They, came, to my house."). You want to be careful of "voice" commas in academic writing. Formal papers should only include grammatically correct commas.
Serial Comma--the All-Around Organizer
The serial comma is the one grammar nerds, like myself, love to debate. It covers to kinds of commas: the Standard Comma and the Oxford Comma. The serial comma is for lists and is the comma most folks know best.
Standard commas go after each item of a list, except for the last one (the one before the coordinating conjunction): ​Elizabeth nabbed a speeder, outran the Storm Troopers, called Han Solo and flew away in the Millennium Falcon.(There's no comma before AND, which makes it a standard serial comma.)
The Oxford comma, which I like because I think it adds clarity, includes a comma before the coordinating conjunction: Mark fought Vader, escaped the Death Star, and became a Jedi. (Comma before AND = Oxford serial comma.)
Adjective Commas--it's all in the details.
Adjective commas separate strings of adjectives. That's easy! If you have more than one descriptor for your noun, add commas between the adjectives to keep things clear.
The serial comma is the one grammar nerds, like myself, love to debate. It covers to kinds of commas: the Standard Comma and the Oxford Comma. The serial comma is for lists and is the comma most folks know best.
Standard commas go after each item of a list, except for the last one (the one before the coordinating conjunction): ​Elizabeth nabbed a speeder, outran the Storm Troopers, called Han Solo and flew away in the Millennium Falcon.(There's no comma before AND, which makes it a standard serial comma.)
The Oxford comma, which I like because I think it adds clarity, includes a comma before the coordinating conjunction: Mark fought Vader, escaped the Death Star, and became a Jedi. (Comma before AND = Oxford serial comma.)
Both the standard and Oxford comma are correct. The arguments get quite complex (to learn more see Mignon Fogarty's Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, pages 100-102), but the important part here is to make sure the pieces of your list are divided, either by a comma or by the coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
When using the serial comma, Turabian 8th edition (your friendly, Wartburg preferred citation style) says to use the Oxford comma for lists. (Yes!) This means always use a comma before the coordinating conjunction of the list’s final item:
While, yes, both the standard comma and Oxford comma are grammatically correct, WTS follows the Turabian style for all academic papers, so Oxford comma wins! (Plus, it’s the best comma, so there’s that.)
When using the serial comma, Turabian 8th edition (your friendly, Wartburg preferred citation style) says to use the Oxford comma for lists. (Yes!) This means always use a comma before the coordinating conjunction of the list’s final item:
Adjective Commas--it's all in the details.
Adjective commas separate strings of adjectives. That's easy! If you have more than one descriptor for your noun, add commas between the adjectives to keep things clear.
Gina's small, blue backpack is perfect for carrying her lightsaber! ​
Peter loves going to Comic-Con so he can wear his awesome, plastic Storm Trooper costume.
Conjunction Commas--bring those sentences together.
This is trickier. The conjunction comma links 2 independent clauses (a.k.a. complete sentences) together with the help of a coordinating conjunction. Always remember the coordinating conjunction part! If you don't, then you've got a comma splice and the grammar gurus will riot.
Here's the tricky part: Conjunction commas are only used when linking 2 contrasting ideas together for the SAME subject.
Conjunction Commas--bring those sentences together.
This is trickier. The conjunction comma links 2 independent clauses (a.k.a. complete sentences) together with the help of a coordinating conjunction. Always remember the coordinating conjunction part! If you don't, then you've got a comma splice and the grammar gurus will riot.
Here's the tricky part: Conjunction commas are only used when linking 2 contrasting ideas together for the SAME subject.
Non-Essential Element Commas--the content splicer!
When a phrase within a sentence gets bracketed off, it's using the Non-essential element comma.
My sister, Audrey, doesn't know who Princess Leia is.
George, my dad's friend, gave me my first Star Wars box set when I was eight.
This poor comma is often misused and with terrible consequences. (Maybe not super terrible, but there are consequences.)
Observe:
Ellen, who was marathoning Star Wars, didn't want to go grocery shopping.
This sentence still makes sense if you write, "Ellen didn't want to go grocery shopping." It's clear; it's happy. My work here is done.
If we wanted to punch up the details, though, we explain why Ellen didn't want to go: She was marathoning Star Wars. Adding this information to the sentence is non-essential, but it's helpful.
That's why we add commas on BOTH sides of the phrase "who was marathoning Star Wars."
It's important to include non-essential element commas on either side of your phrase. You don't want this to happen:
Robbie who had never watched Star Wars didn't want to go to Comic-Con. (Wrong!)
Without the commas around "who had never watched Star Wars" this sentence runs subject risks. It may be telling us that Robbie doesn't want to go to Comic-Con (What‽) OR it could be saying the Star Wars didn't want to go. That would be terrible if Star Wars didn't appear at Comic-Con!
The commas tell us which parts belong to the complete idea and which parts are added flavor: Robbie, who had never watched Star Wars, didn't want to go to Comic-Con.
Anything that ends up between non-essential element commas suggests that it can be spliced out and the sentence will still make sense. Don't parse a phrase out with commas unless this is true:
Zeke was hunting, for his Han Solo blaster replica, when Julie showed up dressed as Boba Fett. (Wrong!)
This sentence tells us grammatically that Zeke was hunting--but what? Was he hunting pheasants, zombies, or for a new sweater with hot pink polka dots? We need to know that Zeke was looking for his blaster replica, otherwise the idea is incomplete. Don't splice out necessary stuff with commas!
Zeke was hunting for his Han Solo blaster replica when Julie showed up dressed as Boba Fett. (Go, Julie!)
SEMICOLONS AND COLONS
Semicolons are the cool kids on the block.
Semicolons combine two complete sentences that are dependent on one another for meaning. They're my favorite punctuation mark and I can't stress this next point enough: They should be used sparingly.
Respect the semicolon.
Rule 1: You must have two complete sentences to use a semicolon.
Janet laughed through the entire movie; Macy got irritated.
Both Janet's and Macy's sentences are complete, but we need Janet's part to understand why Macy was annoyed, so we use the semicolon.
Allen ran with scissors; cutting his foot when he fell. (Wrong!) Part 2 is an incomplete sentence. Fix it with a period (full-stop) or a coordinating conjunction: Allen ran with scissors. He cut his foot when he fell.
Rule 2: Sentences combined with a semicolon represent deeper meaning for one or both parts.
Having sentences next to each other already implies that they're related in some way. If there's something vital between the two though, then use a semicolon.
Macy was irritated with Janet for laughing; Return of the Jedi is her favorite movie of all time.
Colons are all about the big picture, but only half way.
Colons are a lot like semicolons, but with 1/2 the rules. To use a colon, you need to have a complete sentence before it. After the colon, it doesn't matter if it's complete or not.
Bob fist pumped enthusiastically when I told him which movies we were watching: A New Hope,
Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Is there a complete sentence before the colon? Yes! Sweet.
Marley came over with: popcorn, tuna, and a hot pocket.
How are we doing here? Not so great. Aside from strange dietary choices, Marley's sentence is incomplete before the colon, so no dice, Marley.
Marley came over with popcorn, tuna, and a hot pocket: the snacks of champions. (Odd, but grammatically correct.)
It's up to you if the first word after the colon is capitalized or not. It's all down to style.
My rule of thumb is to see if the part after the colon is a complete sentence or not. If it is, then I capitalize the first word. If it's not, like Marley and Bob's examples, then I don't capitalize.
Star Wars is the best: It makes grammar lessons awesome. (It does!)
George, my dad's friend, gave me my first Star Wars box set when I was eight.
This poor comma is often misused and with terrible consequences. (Maybe not super terrible, but there are consequences.)
Observe:
Ellen, who was marathoning Star Wars, didn't want to go grocery shopping.
This sentence still makes sense if you write, "Ellen didn't want to go grocery shopping." It's clear; it's happy. My work here is done.
If we wanted to punch up the details, though, we explain why Ellen didn't want to go: She was marathoning Star Wars. Adding this information to the sentence is non-essential, but it's helpful.
That's why we add commas on BOTH sides of the phrase "who was marathoning Star Wars."
It's important to include non-essential element commas on either side of your phrase. You don't want this to happen:
Robbie who had never watched Star Wars didn't want to go to Comic-Con. (Wrong!)
Without the commas around "who had never watched Star Wars" this sentence runs subject risks. It may be telling us that Robbie doesn't want to go to Comic-Con (What‽) OR it could be saying the Star Wars didn't want to go. That would be terrible if Star Wars didn't appear at Comic-Con!
The commas tell us which parts belong to the complete idea and which parts are added flavor: Robbie, who had never watched Star Wars, didn't want to go to Comic-Con.
Anything that ends up between non-essential element commas suggests that it can be spliced out and the sentence will still make sense. Don't parse a phrase out with commas unless this is true:
Zeke was hunting, for his Han Solo blaster replica, when Julie showed up dressed as Boba Fett. (Wrong!)
This sentence tells us grammatically that Zeke was hunting--but what? Was he hunting pheasants, zombies, or for a new sweater with hot pink polka dots? We need to know that Zeke was looking for his blaster replica, otherwise the idea is incomplete. Don't splice out necessary stuff with commas!
Zeke was hunting for his Han Solo blaster replica when Julie showed up dressed as Boba Fett. (Go, Julie!)
SEMICOLONS AND COLONS
Semicolons are the cool kids on the block.
Semicolons combine two complete sentences that are dependent on one another for meaning. They're my favorite punctuation mark and I can't stress this next point enough: They should be used sparingly.
Respect the semicolon.
Rule 1: You must have two complete sentences to use a semicolon.
Janet laughed through the entire movie; Macy got irritated.
Both Janet's and Macy's sentences are complete, but we need Janet's part to understand why Macy was annoyed, so we use the semicolon.
Allen ran with scissors; cutting his foot when he fell. (Wrong!) Part 2 is an incomplete sentence. Fix it with a period (full-stop) or a coordinating conjunction: Allen ran with scissors. He cut his foot when he fell.
Rule 2: Sentences combined with a semicolon represent deeper meaning for one or both parts.
Having sentences next to each other already implies that they're related in some way. If there's something vital between the two though, then use a semicolon.
Macy was irritated with Janet for laughing; Return of the Jedi is her favorite movie of all time.
Knowing that Return of the Jedi is Macy's favorite move--of all time--is crucial to helping us understand why she was bugged by Janet's laughter. Linking them with a semicolon signals to us that
Part 2 has a direct and immediate effect on Part 1. We now understand Macy's reaction better (and we understand her pain).
Colons are all about the big picture, but only half way.
Colons are a lot like semicolons, but with 1/2 the rules. To use a colon, you need to have a complete sentence before it. After the colon, it doesn't matter if it's complete or not.
Bob fist pumped enthusiastically when I told him which movies we were watching: A New Hope,
Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Is there a complete sentence before the colon? Yes! Sweet.
Marley came over with: popcorn, tuna, and a hot pocket.
How are we doing here? Not so great. Aside from strange dietary choices, Marley's sentence is incomplete before the colon, so no dice, Marley.
Marley came over with popcorn, tuna, and a hot pocket: the snacks of champions. (Odd, but grammatically correct.)
It's up to you if the first word after the colon is capitalized or not. It's all down to style.
My rule of thumb is to see if the part after the colon is a complete sentence or not. If it is, then I capitalize the first word. If it's not, like Marley and Bob's examples, then I don't capitalize.
Star Wars is the best: It makes grammar lessons awesome. (It does!)
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