Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma

I apologize if I’ve just given you an earworm. I tried to resist that title, but really, who couldn’t use a little more Culture Club in their life? Besides, you might want a little happy music around after dissecting commas with me.

OK, back to punctuation, or more specifically, comma usage. Where to begin? A lot can be said about commas, so here I’ll keep the talk relevant to fiction and creative nonfiction.

(*Yes, that's a chameleon in the photo below. I'm just going with the whole “Karma Chameleon” thing. Besides, chameleons are cuter than punctuation marks, and their tails might as well be commas.)

First, the easier stuff: dialogue

If you’re writing a novel in US English and you’re using dialogue tags (like said, asked, shouted, etc.), you’ll place related commas as shown below. (Side note: dialogue tags aren’t always needed or desirable, but more on that in a later post.)

• Dialogue tag before the dialogue:
  • She asked, “Did you see that lone, dark storm cloud?”

• Dialogue tag following the dialogue:
  • “It’s shaped like a little round bear,” she added.

• Dialogue tag in the middle of a single sentence of dialogue:
  • “I think,” she said, “I’ll take my umbrella.”

• Indirect questions. Since these aren’t direct quotes, they’re not enclosed in quotation marks. They are, however, introduced by a comma. It’s recommended that they’re capitalized, too, though there’s flexibility in fiction.
  • He thought, Tut-tut, does it really look like rain?

Second, the debatable stuff: the Oxford Comma

To clarify, the Oxford comma (or serial or Harvard comma) comes just before the coordinating conjunction (included in the term review, below) at the end of a series of three or more elements. It has been the subject of not only surprisingly heated debates but also songs (any Vampire Weekend fans?), clothing, memes, and more. I won’t get into the comma drama here, other than to say some love it, some don’t, and some (like me) fall in the middle.

The Oxford comma is the final one in the following sentence:

• The bunnies tasted the lettuce, carrots, basil, and strawberries in our garden.

So, should you use the Oxford comma in your fiction? If you’re following the Chicago Manual of Style as your style guide, the answer is most likely yes. If your style guide leaves it up to you, then there’s your answer: use it or don’t use it—unless it’s important for clarity. (But as in pretty much all things writing and editing, try to be consistent.)

There’s a line that’s often quoted in support of the Oxford comma:

“This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.”

I can’t find its source, but the quote more or less proves the point: either the author has some seriously impressive lineage, or a clarifying comma has been left out. Sure, readers may be able to figure out what’s being said here, but do you really want your readers tripping over meaning, pausing, and going back to figure things out? Probably not.

Third, the dry but important stuff: commas in sentences (aka narrative)

Some writers prefer more punctuation in their sentences; others, less. Either is fine, but there are times when commas are recommended. Listed below are a bunch of those times. (Just remember there’s flexibility in creative writing, especially when it comes to dialogue.)

Term review:

• Clauses – these are groups of words that contain a subject and a predicate (which contains a verb and states something about the subject). There are two main kinds:
  • Dependent clauses (or subordinate clauses) – they’re not complete thoughts, so they can’t stand alone
  • Independent clauses (or main clauses) – they’re complete sentences.
• Coordinating conjunctions – For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (the mnemonic acronym “FANBOYS” can help you remember them).
• Phrases – these are groups of words containing no subject or predicate.
• Subordinating conjunctions – there are several of these, but some of the most common are after, although, because, before, if, since, though, until, when, and whether.

Commas with groups of words (clauses and phrases)

• Clauses and phrases.
  • (I’ll share an abbreviated version of this part of the discussion, but for specifics, I’d recommend consulting a style guide or grammar book, such as the ones I’ve shared in my post on resources for editors and self-editing writers.)
  • If you have two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, a comma usually comes before the conjunction. (Note: if the clauses are short and their connection is a close one, it’s okay to skip the comma.)
    • My daughter sneezed, and our cat pounced on her. (The independent clauses are underlined; they’re joined by the coordinating conjunction and.)
  • You could also have an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses or phrases.
    • If the dependent clause or phrase is introductory, occurring at the beginning of a sentence, a comma typically follows it.
      • If he hadn’t taken four wrong turns, his hike would have been much shorter. (The introductory dependent clause is underlined; it is introduced by the subordinating conjunction if.)
    • If a dependent clause or phrase occurs in the middle or at the end of a sentence, you should begin by asking whether it’s needed to understand the sentence’s meaning. If it is needed (or “restrictive”), no comma is used; if it’s not needed (or “nonrestrictive”), a comma (or pair of commas) is recommended.
      • She was ready to seek her friends, whether they were finished hiding or not. (The dependent clause is underlined; whether is a subordinating conjunction.)
      • The artist, having run out of oil pastels, had to switch to crayons. (The participial phrase is underlined.)

Commas with certain purposes

• To enclose asides (or parenthetical elements). These are what they sound like: things that could be enclosed in parentheses, like explanations or asides. (If they intrude more than a pair of commas warrant, it’s probably better to use parentheses or em dashes.)
  • The zinnias and lavender, although newly planted, attracted an entire bike of bees.
• Note: If a comma is used in relation to something enclosed in parentheses or brackets, it follows the final parenthesis or bracket.
  • After leaving the party (which she hadn’t wanted to attend in the first place), Lizzie ended the evening with a cozy blanket and a good book.

• To follow sentence starters.
  • Introductory clauses and phrases. As discussed above, if these precede a sentence’s main clause, they’re typically followed by commas. (If the sentence is short and makes sense without a comma, it’s usually optional.)
  • Yes, no, well, OK, etc. When these begin a sentence, they’re generally followed by a comma . There are some exceptions, though: a comma doesn’t follow these introductory elements in certain instances that typically show up in dialogue or informal prose (“No you aren’t!”).
    • Yes, I did like the book’s cliff-hanger ending.
  • Oh and ah. A comma usually follows these when they start a sentence, except when they are followed by a dash or exclamation mark or act as part of a phrase. (Think: “Oh no!” and “oh boy.”)
    • Oh, I forgot!
  • *Don’t use a comma when you’re beginning a sentence with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so—aka FANBOYS).

• To insert a person’s name or title (as when addressing them), or when including details like a place name or a date.
  • Hi, Jan. Have you seen Marcia?
  • Traveling to Taos, New Mexico, has been on my bucket list for years.
  • On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.

• To separate repeated words (or repeated parts of speech).
  • Adjectives that are repeated are separated by commas.
    • I love fuzzy bumblebees so, so much.
  • Coordinating adjectives are separated by commas. (Tip to identify them: they could be separated by and or have their order switched and still make sense.)
    • It was a dark, stormy night, and it had everyone on edge. (dark and stormy night; stormy, dark night = coordinating adjectives)
  • Homonyms (words that look or sound the same, but have different meanings) are usually separated by commas when repeated.
    • They scampered in, in the order they’d been assigned.

• To take the place of an omitted word. When a word can be left out of a sentence but still understood, a comma may take its place. (See “Then,” below, for a related example.)
  • Some writers prefer more punctuation in their sentences; others, less.

Commas with specific words or phrases

• “However,” “indeed,” “therefore,” “though,” etc. Depending upon the situation, you might use commas with these singly, as a pair, or in conjunction with a semicolon. On the other hand, no commas may be needed.
  • We were running late; therefore, we changed our stroll to a power walk.
  • We did, however, make it to the meeting on time.
  • We were indeed one of the first groups to arrive.
  • We weren’t the first to be seated, though.

• “Including” or “such as.” These phrases follow the guidelines of other phrases: if they’re essential to sentence meaning, they don’t get commas; if they’re nonessential, they do.
  • The students, including my sons, made the most of their winter and summer breaks.

• “Not.” When used to clarify something, commas usually surround “not” phrases; however, when used as part of a “not . . . but” or “not only . . . but also” construction, no commas are added.
  • She, not her friend, was doing the waving.
  • She was not only waving but also jumping up and down and calling out.

• “That is,” “for example,” etc. A comma usually follows these expressions.
  • We named our hens after flowers. For example, Daisy and Violet were two well-loved members of the flock.

• “The more,” “the less,” etc. Commas are usually used between these clauses.
  • “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing.” – Socrates (and me)

• “Then.” When a sentence’s construction calls for and then, but only then is used, a comma generally precedes it.
  • We drove to the Grand Canyon, then to Bedrock City, Arizona.

• “Too” and “either.” When these are used like “also” at the end of a sentence, no commas are typically needed before them; when used in the middle, commas are helpful.
  • He, too, thought the fresh tomatoes tasted like summertime.
  • I didn’t want Pride and Prejudice to end either.

• “Which” (vs. “that”). In US English, commas usually precede clauses beginning with which, but not clauses beginning with that. (Why not? Because the latter are considered to contain essential information.)
  • Her favorite sweater, which was a shabby cardigan, kept her warm while she wrote.
  • The dog that was the smallest was also the leader of the pack.

To comma or not to comma?

(*I know it's August, and I recognize what that chameleon is wearing, but if you've made it through all these commas, you deserve a chameleon in a Santa hat.)

To comma or not to comma?

Commas can be tough, but they’re often not as tough as people might think (or as tough as a discussion of commas might make them sound). Speaking very, very generally, things in a list get commas (unless you omit that iffy Oxford one), and information that’s not needed to understand a sentence’s meaning (like a comment or an add-on of some sort) is set off with commas while essential information is not. Happy comma-ing! (Or, if you prefer, happy not-comma-ing!)

“I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.”

Oscar Wilde

Thanks for reading, and please contact me at Three Quills Editing to discuss just about anything: books and poetry, rescue pets, your favorite pollinator-friendly native plants, or—one of my personal favorites—to request a free sample edit. I’d love to hear from you!

The source for this post was The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition).