So, commas, eh?
What punctuation mark's rules give you the most trouble?
Comma: 22 (37%)
Semicolon: 18 (31%)
Quotation Marks: 7 (12%)
Colon: 8 (13%)
Other: 3 (5%)
Ask me and I'll try to help ease your troubles.
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2 comments:
My main problem is making the various comma usage rules play nicely together. I'll write a sentence where I need a comma here for this reason and there for that reason, so that by the time it's done, there are commas littered all over. I'm pretty sure that isn't a good thing.
Sometimes I'll take comma proliferation as a sign the sentence is too complicated and needs to be broken up. Other times, though, breaking it up comes out choppy, and I think it flows better as is.
Are some commas better to omit than others?
There are some optional commas and then there are the mandatory ones. One of the ones I consider optional (some disagree) is when you're doing a short series and are using a comma to separate the items (it's called the serial comma):
I like beans, cheese, and strawberries.
That last comma, I think, is optional.
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