Let’s hear it for the comma
August 1, 2007
Commas are disappearing, according to this article. I was taught that a comma was a little pause in the flow of a sentence to let the reader catch his breath or scratch an itch. Our fast-paced lives need more than a few commas, it seems to me.
Samuelson: Why Dont We Use commas Anymore? - Newsweek Robert Samuelson - MSNBC.com
I have always liked commas, but I seem to be in a shrinking minority. The comma is in retreat, though it is not yet extinct. In text messages and e-mails, commas appear infrequently, and then often by accident (someone hits the wrong key). Even on the printed page, commas are dwindling. Many standard uses from my childhood (after, for example, an introductory prepositional phrase) have become optional or, worse, have been ditched.If all this involved only grammar, I might let it lie. But the comma’s sad fate is, I think, a metaphor for something larger: how we deal with the frantic, can’t-wait-a-minute nature of modern life. The comma is, after all, a small sign that flashes PAUSE. It tells the reader to slow down, think a bit, and then move on. We don’t have time for that. No pauses allowed. In this sense, the comma’s fading popularity is also social commentary.
I like the idea of the comma as metaphhor. I need more commas in my life these days. The problem is, I usually don’t know where to put them. Will you tell me where to put my commas, politely?
Dave, who probably should look for more important things to worry about.
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2 Responses to “Let’s hear it for the comma”
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Where to put your commas dear ol dad? In the closet with your semi-colons. I would say your naps serve as good commas, are you not getting enough of them? Pause papa, pause!
Who taught you to deep-six the commas and semi-colons; it wasn’t me, because I was taught better, I think, but then, again, I might, just might, be mistaken. Oh, dear.
Let me try again.
Who taught you to deep-six the commas and semi-colons it wasn’t me because I was taught better I think but then again I might just might be mistaken. Oh dear.
Is that better? I feel out-of-breath.