The Most Common Comma Mistakes

The Most Common Comma Mistakes

(taken from this New York Times article)

Today in English class, my teacher gave out this article on common comma mistakes. Some are surprising while others are to be expected.

Commas used with Identification

This is the issue of when people use commas excessively after title's and people's names. The way to avoid the mistake is to think in terms of essential vs. nonessential. If a sentence can be completed without the name or title, it should have a comma before it. If the name is essential to the sentence, no comma.

Essential

Wrong: I went to the theater with my friend, Jack.

Right: I went to the theater with my friend Jack.

Nonessential

Wrong: We saw Samuel Beckett's most renowned play Waiting for Godot.

Right: We saw Samuel Beckett's most renowned play, Waiting for Godot.

(Disclaimer: I don't know if that's his most renowned play. The point is, if it were his most renowned play, the name itself would be unnecessary to give).

If a title begins with "a," "an" or "some," it falls into the nonessential category.

Missing Commas

The trick this article gives is to pay attention to I.C.E. phrases.

Identification

Clarification

Explanation

If there is a comma before an I.C.E., it must go afterwards as well.

Wrong: Samuel Beckett, who wrote Waiting for Godot is a good writer.

Right: Samuel Beckett, who wrote Waiting for Godot, is a good writer.

Comma Splices

If two grammatical units of a sentence could stand alone as separate sentences, using a comma isn't good enough. The two phrases have to be separated. This can be done by using a period, a semi-colon, a conjunction, or a dash.

Wrong: He used to write plays, now he sells books.

Right: He used to write plays. Now he sells books.

Right: He used to write plays; now he sells books.

Right: He used to write plays, but now he sells books.

Right: He used to write plays - now he sells books.

Which one is right for which sentence? Pretty much which one sounds the best.