EICCD - grammar

1. Mr. Scott our meter reader has been bitten.

2. When we finished eating the cigars were passed around.

3. He sold his car and his girlfriend was mad.

4. He broke his leg and his doctor bill was outrageous.

5. Swimming dancing and jogging are my favorite activities.

6. John passed Ed bet two dollars and Fred called.

The obvious problems in the sentences above come from the lack of use of the most common punctuation mark, the comma. Although it is a mark that signals only a brief pause, you can see in these examples how important the comma is to clear writing.

In sentence No. 1, for instance, we can't tell without the comma whether Mr. Scott is being spoken to or spoken about. We clarify meaning by appropriate use of the comma.

1. Mr. Scott, our meter reader, has been bitten. (Mr. Scott is being spoken about.)

1. Mr. Scott, our meter reader has been bitten. (Mr. Scott is being spoken to.)

We use commas to prevent confused, ambiguous, or awkward readings. The same is true for sentence No. 2. Since we probably didn't eat the cigars, we need to clarify that with a comma.

2. When we finished eating, the cigars were passed around.

In sentences No. 3 and No. 4, the rule is that we use a comma to separate two main clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor). Notice that the lack of a comma in such cases leads to a possible misinterpretation. In No. 3, the implication is that he sold his car and his girlfriend. For clarity, we need the separating comma.

3. He sold his car, and his girlfriend was angry.

In No. 4, we may think he broke both his leg and his doctor bill, so again we need the separating comma.

4. He broke his leg, and his doctor bill was outrageous.

The last pair of examples, Nos. 5 and 6, also call for commas. Their purpose here is to separate elements in a series.

5. Swimming, dancing, and jogging are my favorite activities.

6. John passed, Ed bet two dollars, and Fred called.

While there are many more specific uses for the comma (a partial list follows the exercises), these three rules cover the majority of cases in essay writing. Review them, then correct the following sentences by placing commas in the appropriate places.

1. Below the city sparkled with thousands of lights.

2. I'll have milk ham and eggs and coffee.

3. He married Helen and her sister served as bridesmaid

4. Dad went fishing in Canada with Jim and I and Mother went to New Jersey.

5. I praised the food and the waitress seemed pleased.

6. The room was cluttered with dirty clothes overflowing ashtrays and beer cans.

A few other uses of the comma

To separate direct quotations from constructions such as "He said," "She answered," "We replied," etc.

"This," I said "is the end of our friendship."

To separate elements in dates, addresses, and place flames.

On January 1, 1984, we moved to 12 Beacon Lane, Chicago, Illinois.

To set off an appositive. (An appositive is a word or phrase that further identifies or renames the person or thing preceding it.)

Dr. Cross, the math professor, is resigning.

His uncle, the president of the company, is going to expand the business.

Comma

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A few other uses of the comma