Most people struggle to use commas effectively. That's according to writing coach and CUNY Journalism Press editor Timothy Harper. Harper said he's put at least one student on a "comma diet" by ...
Contrary to popular belief, commas don't just signify pauses in a sentence. In fact, precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. When followed, they lay the groundwork for clear written ...
As the keeper of the comma shaker here at The New Yorker, I feel obliged to respond to the characterization of our house style regarding commas, in Ben Yagoda’s recent post for the New York Times blog ...
Do you like magic? Commas are the magicians of our language. They can transform the meaning of a sentence! My co-workers and I collect jokes about grammar. We have one that says, "Let's eat Grandma" ...
When you reach the end of a sentence, you need a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Phrases or subordinate clauses standing alone are missing a subject or a verb or are stated in such a way ...
DEAR RICHARD: The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the comma used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items. For example: “I like to eat apples, bananas, and oranges.” I ...
People who care about grammar love the serial comma, aka the Oxford or Harvard comma. They love it because they were instructed to use it in school, and they love it because it supposedly reduces ...