Do You Use a Comma After Once Again

The Optional Comma

May 1, 2018 by ProofreadingPal in Writing Fiction

English grammar ain't like shooting fish in a barrel, and ultimately, after you lot've studied and swallowed grammar books until you just tin can't have information technology anymore, the terminal insult may be that sometimes it simply comes downwardly to personal preference.

Such is the case with the optional comma. That's a comma that can go or not go somewhere depending on what you think works best. It sounds great, just actually, it's grammar's version of giving you enough rope to hang yourself.

Sigh.

Grammar Matters

Ultimately, the bespeak of all grammer is to help the reader understand what'south going on. Take the post-obit famous example:

The panda eats, shoots, and leaves.

As opposed to the intended statement:

The panda eats shoots and leaves.

So the first thing to know well-nigh optional commas is that they announced only occasionally. The bulk of commas are mandatory. You can't simply stick a comma anywhere and claim the sentence looks improve that fashion.

Grammar Rules Tin't Embrace Everything

Space is large. Really big. Yous but won't believe how vastly, hugely, heed-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may retrieve it's a long mode down the route to the chemist, simply that'south just peanuts to—

Oh wait. I meant, language is big. Really large. You may think yous've read a lot of books, but that'due south just peanuts to seeing the number of ways and means that people can put words together.

By their nature, grammar rules are anticipatory. Want to put extra info in that phrase? In that location'south a dominion for that. Want to imply that some information is more important than other information? There'south a rule for that. Want to advise some data, and so deny it, and offering some other information instead? There'south a rule for that.

But sometimes the rules just have to requite way to bones readability. Commas frequently become optional when sentences are complex, or simply plain long, and the reader could utilize a picayune interruption.

Conjunctions

A classic optional comma shows up with conjunctive structures. The rule is that when yous have two consummate sentences joined past a conjunction, the comma goes before the conjunction:

I accept several things to buy, just I don't take plenty money.

When what comes afterward the conjunction is not a consummate sentence, yous don't put a comma earlier the conjunction.

I take several things to buy just not plenty money.

However, when what comes before or afterwards the conjunction is complicated by length or emphasis or change in idea, that comma becomes optional. So both of the following are correct:

I have several things to buy on the shopping list my mother wrote out for me yesterday just only a few things on the list my sis and I wrote together the day earlier when I had more than money.

and

I have several things to buy on the shopping list my female parent wrote out for me yesterday, but just a few things on the listing my sister and I wrote together the day earlier when I had more money.

Personally, I like the second version improve.

"Not only only also" has an optional comma when you actually want to stress that contrast, and sometimes "neither . . . nor" can utilise a boost as well.

Interjections

Commas go around "of form" and "in fact," and other mild interjections, and this used to be 100 percent mandatory. These days, you don't have to put a comma in front of the interjection if it direct follows a conjunction.

Geraldine asked a lot of people, and in fact, she got results.

Information technology's truthful that "and, in fact," is fine, but it'south also a bit cluttered for today's tastes.

Adjectives

When we put a lot of adjectives in front of a noun, we use commas to separate them.

She has the cheaper, faster, smarter version of that software.

The optional comma comes in when the describing word-noun pairing tin as well be seen equally a two-word substantive. Is "baby" an adjective in "baby buggy," or is "infant" part of the noun, as in "tooth disuse" and "activeness figure"?

So, here we have an optional comma where, again, both are correct:

It'due south stupid to fight in a dangerous, burning building.

and

It's stupid to fight in a unsafe called-for building.

Introductory Phrases

I'm planning to devote a whole post to this one (oh, the excitement!) considering putting a comma after an introductory phrase relies on a host of factors. For this mail, we'll deal with length.

One time again, these are both correct:

While sunbathing with friends, nosotros all forgot to reapply our sunblock.

and

While sunbathing with friends we all forgot to reapply our sunblock.

Readability is once over again key, which means that people more often than not put a comma subsequently a long introductory phrase only not after a short one. There is no existent rule about that length, even so.

Repetitive Emphasis

Sometimes we want to stress something strictly for the drama of it, and one manner to do that is past repetition. Separating that repetition with commas is, once once more, optional. (And did you notice that in that final sentence I separated out "once again" with commas, whereas I didn't do it in the sentence above? Readability, baby!)

And then anyhow, both of these are correct:

Frodo just walked, and walked, through that whole motion-picture show.

and

Frodo just walked and walked through that whole movie.

And and then are:

The dead dragon cruel from the sky, and fell with a smash.

and

The dead dragon fell from the heaven and fell with a boom.

So, (optional comma) as you tin meet, (not optional comma) there are many instances in which the writer's, (optional comma) and the editor'due south, (optional comma) personal judgments come up into play, (not optional comma) and if you lot find yourself unsure sometimes, (optional comma) just ask us here at ProofreadingPal! (optional exclamation point)

Julia H.

jonesfoor1950.blogspot.com

Source: https://proofreadingpal.com/proofreading-pulse/writing-fiction/the-optional-comma/#:~:text=Once%20again%2C%20these%20are%20both,forgot%20to%20reapply%20our%20sunblock.&text=While%20sunbathing%20with%20friends%20we,not%20after%20a%20short%20one.

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