Growing Grammar: COMMAndments

People generally approach grammar and liver the same way. They either dive in with gusto or grow pale, start sweating, and look for the nearest exit.

Okay, perhaps not the most appealing way to start a column that will feature grammar issues, but food analogies seem to work for me.(Food works for me, but that’s another story.)

Grammar is not what inspires us to write. To date, I’ve not heard one writer say, “My use of adverbial subordinate phrases is almost as riveting as my flair with pronouns in elliptical constructions.” If I did hear that remark, I would hope that s/he writes textbooks.

We write to create meaning, but grammar shapes meaning. I tell my students that they wouldn’t spend gobs of money on prom to arrive wearing their cummerbunds around their necks or their corsages pinned to their hems. So why write a compelling story without attention to the details of grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and usage? Maybe you pay someone to edit your work. This column isn’t going to replace any editor’s task, but if your editor isn’t plowing through fields of comma splices, maybe more time could be spent on style or voice or structure.
Commas. Very important. So important that writers expect to see them on their advance checks. When they’re missing, watch what happens:

A woman without her man is nothing

Show it to a person of the opposite sex; the response may surprise you.

Commas can be pesky, but there are a few tricks that I can offer. St. Lawrence University Writing Center is one among a gazillion web sites offering punctuation advice. I just happen to like that they’re called TEN COMMA-ndments.

Trick #1: FAN BOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
When you use one of these to join two complete sentences, use a comma BEFORE the word. Note: two complete sentences.
My favorite dessert is ice cream, but I also enjoy cheesecake.
My favorite dessert is ice cream but not vanilla. (no comma)

Trick #2: BUS WAITS: because, before, until, unless, since, when, where, while, after, as, if, than, though, since, so that
Generally, subordinate (think: co-dependent) phrases or clauses follow these conjunctions at the beginning of a sentence:
Because Fred owned the coffee shop, he could serve himself as many lattes as he wanted.
Now, watch what happens when we place the beginning of the sentence after the independent clause:
Fred could serve himself as many lattes as he wanted because he owned the coffee shop. (no comma)

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I hope these two tricks served as appetizers.

March 2007