The Comma: Abused and Misused
written by Alice Jansing
Ah, the comma. Of all the punctuation marks in English, this one is perhaps the most abused and misused. And it’s no wonder. There are lots of rules about comma usage, and often the factors that determine whether you should use one are quite subtle. But fear not! In this book, you’ll find guidance for the trickiest comma questions.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
8
Reads
386
Commas with Interrupters or Parenthetical Elements
Chapter 8
Interrupters are little thoughts that pop up in the middle of a sentence to show emotion, tone, or emphasis. A parenthetical element is a phrase that adds extra information to the sentence but could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Both interrupters and parenthetical elements should be set off with commas.
Incorrect: The weather I was happy to see was beginning to clear.
Correct: The weather, I was happy to see, was beginning to clear.
Incorrect: Geoff’s cooking skills if you can call them skills left something to be desired.
Correct: Geoff’s cooking skills, if you can call them skills, left something to be desired.
Incorrect: It was sadly the last day of camp.
Correct: It was, sadly, the last day of camp.
Incorrect: Mary unlike Anne is very organized.
Correct: Mary, unlike Anne, is very organized.
Incorrect: The weather I was happy to see was beginning to clear.
Correct: The weather, I was happy to see, was beginning to clear.
Incorrect: Geoff’s cooking skills if you can call them skills left something to be desired.
Correct: Geoff’s cooking skills, if you can call them skills, left something to be desired.
Incorrect: It was sadly the last day of camp.
Correct: It was, sadly, the last day of camp.
Incorrect: Mary unlike Anne is very organized.
Correct: Mary, unlike Anne, is very organized.
