Apparently, I've developed a chip on my shoulder to consider myself "writer-in-resident" at YD. I didn't know it until yesterday when a coworker proofread the corporate newsletter and said there were too many commas. This is how the conversation went:
Coworker: "There are too many commas."
Me: "No, there aren't."
Coworker: "Yes there are."
Me: "No, there aren't.
Coworker: "Yes there are."
Me: "I have a degree in this."
Coworker: "Me too."
Me: "Oh. Hmm."
Suddenly--I felt very young and stupid, because I was using my degree (not my skills) to establish my authority. Eww. When he said, "Me too," it became apparent that something in the comma world is awry. How can we both be defending completely oppositional comma rules? Apparently he and I learned completely different comma rules--me as a literary writer and he as a technical writer. While I had been taught that a comma always goes before a coordinating conjuction between two clauses, he had been taught to never put a comma before a conjunction. Oh...conundrum.
I returned home and Heidi had loads to say about the ambiguity in proper comma useage. During her hefty comma research, it's apparent that no one agrees.
So, I ate some humble pie and admitted that I have not mastered the comma because apparently that's equivalent to saying that you've mastered cat-herding...does anyone know the real ways to use a comma? (What I'm inferring is that even if you think you do, you might not.)
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Does anyone know how to use a comma?
Posted by hmb at 3:52 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
No idea what's correct, but I have an idea I'd err on your side, HMB. And I'm even technical.
Heather,
I, wish, I, could, help, you, but I'm ,not ,sure, I'm, an, expert, either,.
D,A,D
Perhaps someone with a degree in comatology could help??
I know how I use commas, and I know that at times I am guilty of imposing my comma rules on those with either opposing comma rules or no apparent concern for the proper use of commas, but I willingly concede that comma use is a sticky subject on which to claim absolute knowledge and authority. If I remember right, Truss' Eats, Shoots, and Leaves has an informative and amusing overview of the various camps within the comma kingdom.
In a culture where English rules are generally ignored (have you seen Mark Ostreicher's blog?), the fact that you use any rules for commas, or anything else for that matter, is a relief to me. I would tend to err on the side of using one or two too many, personally. All I can say is that I aced AP and University English, as well as my Psych. papers. Sorry, no degree here.
Is it:
The panda eats, shoots and leaves.
or
The panda eats shoots and leaves.
You decide.
(or go read the book. it's great.)
Post a Comment