Newbie having comma issues

Some grammar rules (and embarrassing mistakes!) transcend the uniqueness of different regions and style guides. This new International Grammar section by OnlineBookClub.org ultimately identifies those rules thus providing a simple, flexible rule-set, respecting the differences between regions and style guides. You can feel free to ask general questions about spelling and grammar. You can also provide example sentences for other members to proofread and inform you of any grammar mistakes.

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Re: Newbie having comma issues

Post by Alice Heritage »

Grammarly and Scribens aren't foolproof. They're more of a checking tool (IMO).
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

ButterscotchCherrie wrote: 31 May 2018, 07:46 Grammarly and Scribens aren't foolproof. They're more of a checking tool (IMO).
:ditto:
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Post by FictionLover »

As a newbie, I'm jumping on Bianka's thread because I also had a "Problem with a Comma". - - It's like that movie, Trouble with the Curve. Only this isn't baseball, and I'm not falling in love with some hot guy. But I digress.

I did an online grammar course recently, and thought I understood comma placement much better.

Why would I need a comma after "It is my opinion" in the sentence: "It is my opinion that this whole book is an anomaly."

I would understand the need for the comma, if the line did not use the conjunction, such as: "In my opinion, this whole book . . ."

And to verify, which sources are used on this site? I've never used grammerly but I guess I will have to, if I want to continue on here.

And this may be the wrong place to ask this, but is there a way that you can see your editor's comments and your review side by side?

I have to admit, I spent way longer writing my review than I thought I would, so getting banged for a comma and a misspelling hurts!!
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

FictionLover wrote: 02 Jun 2018, 08:40 As a newbie, I'm jumping on Bianka's thread because I also had a "Problem with a Comma". - - It's like that movie, Trouble with the Curve. Only this isn't baseball, and I'm not falling in love with some hot guy. But I digress.

I did an online grammar course recently, and thought I understood comma placement much better.

Why would I need a comma after "It is my opinion" in the sentence: "It is my opinion that this whole book is an anomaly."

I would understand the need for the comma, if the line did not use the conjunction, such as: "In my opinion, this whole book . . ."

And to verify, which sources are used on this site? I've never used grammerly but I guess I will have to, if I want to continue on here.

And this may be the wrong place to ask this, but is there a way that you can see your editor's comments and your review side by side?

I have to admit, I spent way longer writing my review than I thought I would, so getting banged for a comma and a misspelling hurts!!
I wouldn't use a comma in your example. I always save my reviews in Word so I can have the editors comments screen open and the Word doc open. Then I just put those two things side-by-side on my screen to look at them together.
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Post by FictionLover »

Oh, thanks.

I wrote the review in Word (and got dinged for a formatting error I missed!), so that makes sense.
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Post by MThompson0605 »

Bianka Walter wrote: 31 Mar 2018, 12:18 Hi everyone,

So I see that I'm not the only one that has issues when it comes to commas. The last review I wrote was particularly dismal. There was a sentence that I questioned a few times, but in the end, decided it was right. I was wrong.
I would like to ask opinions on this sentence and get some feedback. It reads as follows:
"Ultimately, those things are swept under the rug as they are introduced to demons, telepathy and possession, and of course… monsters."
I understand that when listing things, commas are needed to separate the list items, however, in this case, I wanted to group telepathy and possession into one item.
Should I have chosen instead to use semi-colons?
Should I have separated the two, even though they went hand in hand in the book?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I personally like the way you punctuated the sentence, and would've done exactly the same way. By inserting commas in the chosen locations, you eliminated confusion and ensured smooth understanding.
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Post by Mary WhiteFace »

jgraney8 wrote: 18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.

Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
  • The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
  • Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.

I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.

Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?

Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
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Post by Alice Heritage »

Tiny_Turtle wrote: 22 Jul 2018, 13:22
jgraney8 wrote: 18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.

Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
  • The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
  • Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.

I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.

Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?

Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
Off the top of my head, "which I bought yesterday" is defining because the emphasis is on the fact that the computer has broken down *already* despite being so new. If this is still not clear I will check the Chicago Manual of Style. You should leave the period in the quoted sentence because it is there in the original.
This post was brought to you by the word "specifically".
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Post by Mary WhiteFace »

ButterscotchCherrie wrote: 22 Jul 2018, 13:45
Tiny_Turtle wrote: 22 Jul 2018, 13:22
jgraney8 wrote: 18 May 2018, 18:00 No, Mildred, you should not assume that you should put a comma before which every time. Read the explanation on Grammarly about using commas with which. When the which clause is necessary for understanding the sentence, you shouldn't use a comma, but you usually will use that in those cases.

Here are a couple of examples from StackExchange where the comma is not used to set off the relative clause.
  • The computer which I bought yesterday has broken down already.
  • Do you have the screwdriver which you borrowed last week?
In each sentence, the which-clause provides defining or essential information for understanding the sentence.
When the clause is defining, essential, or restrictive (it depends on which grammar book you use), no comma is used.
I would have written the first sentence as: The computer, which I bought yesterday, has broken down already.

I don't see how "which I bought yesterday" is necessary for the sentence. "The computer has broken down already." is understandable without it.

Can you please help me to understand how the phrase is necessary?

Side question: Should I have removed the period at the end of the quoted sentence? Why, or why not?
Off the top of my head, "which I bought yesterday" is defining because the emphasis is on the fact that the computer has broken down *already* despite being so new. If this is still not clear I will check the Chicago Manual of Style. You should leave the period in the quoted sentence because it is there in the original.
Thank you on both counts. Your answers make sense. 💕
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Post by taffylee81 »

I’ve been having issues with commas as well so I’ll check out grammarly and brush up on my grammar. Thanks for the tips.
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Post by Amanda Deck »

I still don't know how to group two items to indicate that they should be seen as a single unit. I chose to use the ampersand, which is apparently not acceptable. Also, I couldn't figure out how to punctuate "By that I mean, he used examples to..." I couldn't decide if it should be "By that, I mean he used examples to..." Neither seemed right and I didn't feel any more sure after looking at several grammar sites. After changing it several times, I left it out altogether! THAT I knew wasn't right but I didn't feel comfortable no matter where I put it. :roll2:
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Post by Alice Heritage »

"By that, I mean ..." is correct as a comma should be placed after an adverbial phrase at the beginning of a sentence.
This post was brought to you by the word "specifically".
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Post by Yssimnar »

trajoe1206 wrote: 30 May 2018, 15:57 I too have had some issues with commas and always use grammarly and scribens before submitting, but still managed to get errors - very confused
Post your errors at topics in this forum so we all can discuss it! Your grammar will likely improve and your questions will be answered.
:wink:
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