http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088 The little symbol -- , -- in sentences usually means yield or pause. I am referring to the punctuation mark, the comma, when I say "yield" or "pause." About a million rules apply to commas, but there is one basic rule (several points to it, however) that can lead you to learn all the rest. Well, maybe a "million rules" is over exaggerating, but it seems that way, doesn’t it? I bet many of you have problems with where to place a comma. Correct?   Here's a list of related topics to get the basics of comma usage:   1. Know that there are only seven coordinating conjunctions: A mnemonic to remember these conjunctions is FAN BOYS, which stands for the following: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. So what does coordinating conjunctions have to do with comma usage?   2. Coordinating conjunctions separate two or more independent clauses (an independent clause is a fancy name for a complete sentence). For example, Mary was a teacher, and Sam was her student. Notice the comma in front of the coordinating conjunction in the example sentence.   3. All coordinating conjunctions take a comma in front of them if they are separating two or more independent clauses.   4. On the other hand, lots of words that are subordinating conjunctions can confuse writers. For example, "because" and "when" are subordinating conjunctions and take no comma in front of them. So let's not broach the topic of subordinating conjunctions and commas (there are numerous subordinating conjunctions, hence no mnemonic for them although that would be interesting if someone could think of one or maybe several).   Here's a few examples: * Eighteen letters were submitted to the representative, but none reached the state official (two independent clauses separated by a coordinating conjunction).   * The letters didn't make it because the representative had a new address ("because the representative had a new address" is a subordinate clause led by a subordinating conjunction, so no comma is needed).   One more thing: The definition of a "mnemonic" is a tool to help you remember. More on commas in blogs to come.   Get it? Got it! Good! The little symbol -- , -- in sentences usually means yield or pause. I am referring to the punctuation mark, the comma, when I say "yield" or "pause." About a million rules apply to commas, but there is one basic rule (several points to it, however) that can lead you to learn all the rest. Well, maybe a "million rules" is over exaggerating, but it seems that way, doesn’t it? I bet many of you have problems with where to place a comma. Correct?   Here's a list of related topics to get the basics of comma usage:   1. Know that there are only seven coordinating conjunctions: A mnemonic to remember these conjunctions is FAN BOYS, which stands for the following: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. So what does coordinating conjunctions have to do with comma usage?   2. Coordinating conjunctions separate two or more independent clauses (an independent clause is a fancy name for a complete sentence). For example, Mary was a teacher, and Sam was her student. Notice the comma in front of the coordinating conjunction in the example sentence.   3. All coordinating conjunctions take a comma in front of them if they are separating two or more independent clauses.   4. On the other hand, lots of words that are subordinating conjunctions can confuse writers. For example, "because" and "when" are subordinating conjunctions and take no comma in front of them. So let's not broach the topic of subordinating conjunctions and commas (there are numerous subordinating conjunctions, hence no mnemonic for them although that would be interesting if someone could think of one or maybe several).   Here's a few examples: * Eighteen letters were submitted to the representative, but none reached the state official (two independent clauses separated by a coordinating conjunction).   * The letters didn't make it because the representative had a new address ("because the representative had a new address" is a subordinate clause led by a subordinating conjunction, so no comma is needed).   One more thing: The definition of a "mnemonic" is a tool to help you remember. More on commas in blogs to come.   Get it? Got it! Good! en-us Do you think it affects students when a member of the staff of UHV writes a letter to the editor, and misuses the word "effect"? What effect do you think this creates when the same staff member doesn't have a good grasp of punctuation etiquette?       http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_44943 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_44943 Do you think it affects students when a member of the staff of UHV writes a letter to the editor, and misuses the word "effect"? What effect do you think this creates when the same staff member doesn't have a good grasp of punctuation etiquette?       Hi ThisnThat -- You make a good point. However, through the history of mankind I think it has been proven that none of us is perfect. Although I profess good grammar, punctuation, usage and mechanics, I don't claim to be perfect. Often times I find myself using "and" when I meant to simply write "an."   I am not sure which letter you are referring to pertaining to the staff member, but typos and such errors abound. We can only strive to edit these pieces so they are without error. And a big part of being able to write and edit better is being aware of what the rules are in English. Still, that is not a guarantee we will err at some point. We are merely human. I hope this explanation helps. I guess we sometimes must excuse bad punctuation etiquette just as we sometimes excuse bad table manners. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45013 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45013 Hi ThisnThat -- You make a good point. However, through the history of mankind I think it has been proven that none of us is perfect. Although I profess good grammar, punctuation, usage and mechanics, I don't claim to be perfect. Often times I find myself using "and" when I meant to simply write "an."   I am not sure which letter you are referring to pertaining to the staff member, but typos and such errors abound. We can only strive to edit these pieces so they are without error. And a big part of being able to write and edit better is being aware of what the rules are in English. Still, that is not a guarantee we will err at some point. We are merely human. I hope this explanation helps. I guess we sometimes must excuse bad punctuation etiquette just as we sometimes excuse bad table manners. Thanks for the very clear description of use of the comma. I am currently involved in some technical writing and your concise treatise has made a large impact on my style. I would be grateful if you would produce something similar on the use of the hyphen - used like this. I probably tend to overuse it in an attempt to maintain a continuity  of a subject. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45077 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45077 Thanks for the very clear description of use of the comma. I am currently involved in some technical writing and your concise treatise has made a large impact on my style. I would be grateful if you would produce something similar on the use of the hyphen - used like this. I probably tend to overuse it in an attempt to maintain a continuity  of a subject. UHV provides a wonderful tool called "Grammar Tip of the Week".  You may access it here http://www.uhv.edu/ac/student/grammartip.asp.  You can subscribe on the same page. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45259 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45259 UHV provides a wonderful tool called "Grammar Tip of the Week".  You may access it here http://www.uhv.edu/ac/student/grammartip.asp.  You can subscribe on the same page. Hello quiensabe -- Your request is noted. I will work up a piece on hyphens, and post it soon. You might be referring to the dash, however. Dashes set aside additional thoughts in a sentence. I'll do one on both hyphens and dashes. -- td http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45317 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/TDelaney/7088/#c_45317 Hello quiensabe -- Your request is noted. I will work up a piece on hyphens, and post it soon. You might be referring to the dash, however. Dashes set aside additional thoughts in a sentence. I'll do one on both hyphens and dashes. -- td