Comma 101: Everything Writers Should Know About Commas

Misusing a comma is the number one cause of punctuation error. Even the seasoned writers misplace it once in a while. So, are the correct placement and usage of commas really that important? Hell yes. Let me show you a short-and-sweet example (some of you may have seen a similar example before).

1.    Don’t kill, Mom.

2.    Don’t kill Mom.

See the difference? In number 1, you’re telling Mom not to kill. In number 2, you’re telling another person not to kill Mom. Get it? That single comma changed the entire meaning of the sentence. Here is a comprehensive guide to help you learn all about commas. Study it. Especially if you want to call yourself a writer.

1.    Before coordinating conjunctions (and/or/but/yet…) to join independent clauses.

Ex: I went home, but you went to school.

2.    After the clause with subordinating conjunctions (after/when/because…).

Ex: Because I went home, you went to school.

3.    After conjunctive adverbs (however, hence, instead…). Don’t forget to place semicolons before them. Exceptions are when they’re used as interrupters; then, you will wrap them with commas instead of a semicolon and a comma. The example is shown in number 4.

Ex: I went home; however, you went to school.

4.    Around interrupters-adjective/appositives/parenthetical clauses, etc.

Ex: The book, which was covered in dust, appeared old.

5.    Series of three or more items. The red comma is called a serial comma or Oxford comma. (Omission in newspaper articles is one of the few exceptions.) 

Ex: I want to eat cookies, candies, and pancakes.

6.    Between coordinate adjectives (more than one adjective).

Ex: I love cold, hard cash.

7.    After introductory clauses (prepositional/participial/adverbial, etc.)

Ex: Kicking, I ran after the ball. As the door closed, I screamed.

8.    Expression of contrast.

Ex: I want you, not him.

9.    Before confirmatory questions.

Ex: You want me, don’t you?

10.  In between dates, addresses, etc.

Ex: My date of birth is August 21, 1981, and my address is 25 Lalaland Street, Fantasy Island.

11.  Names and titles.

Ex: Tom Park, Ph.D., (Tom Park, PhD) is my mentor. 
In academic papers, refer to the style being used such as APA, MLA, Chicago Style, etc. 

12.  To clarify unreadable word groups and miscellaneous.

Ex: A few weeks before, I saw her. I’ll do it, just to be sure.

Whew. I think I’ve got all of them. I hope. Well, since you’re here, check out my other writing/editing tip posts. If you need an editor, please visit my editing website and try my free, sample edits. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy writing~

Twitter #writetip and #EditTip #12

Hello~ Due to my crazy schedule, I haven't been blogging much lately. While I work on my next big blog post, here's the 12th collection of my writing and editing tips from Twitter. As we all know, it's difficult to convey a message when you're on Twitter, which has a limited space. But I do try to be succinct and make the tips easy to understand. They're not grammatical, complete sentences, but I hope they are useful to the writers. But these short tips aren't the only thing I do on this blog!

I've covered the basics of creative writing by doing posts on subjects like POV, prologue, dialogue tags, etc ( long writing and editing tips). There are special posts where indie writers can promote their book, a post with links to over 200 literary agencies, or a post with a collection of commonly misused and confused words. Also, you can read all the guest posts by other writers and editors or read my guest posts on other blogs. So, take a tour of this blog to learn about creative writing and editing. If there's any topic, big or small, that you don't see here and would like me to cover, just let me know. If you need my editing service, please visit my editor website for fees and services. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy writing~

Newbie #writers' 1st book is a series. Stretching a simple plot to death with unnecessary filler words & scenes

Your eyes miss errors in your MS b/c your brain reads them as how you meant to write them. Read your MS aloud

Be careful taking writing/editing advice from fellow writers. They may mean well, but most had no formal education or training.

Adverbs modify verbs. Hence, they're called adverbs, not adjectives.

"I yelled loudly"--Yes

"I yelled loud"--No!

If writers insist on replacing rich, vivid descriptions with adverbs? I, the editor, insist on deleting those adverbs.

Writers. Lately, I'm seeing MS with all short, impact fragments or comma-filled run-ons. Variety in sentence structure is a must.

Consider editors/betas' advice in MS length. You're writing for readers, not yourself. And they don't want to read an unending book

Writers. Are you writing for yourself or the readers? If you're unwilling to learn/change/adapt, your only audience will be YOU.

If your book is in a genre that has been written to death/saturated the market (ex: para romance), the plot & protagonist MUST stand out.

‪#Writers! You revise/rewrite. ‪#Editors edit. Leave the editing to the pros, and your MS will be corrected & polished, i.e. publishable.

The effort writers put in to writing something does not automatically entitle them to readers. So keep learning.

Breaking all the rules doesn't make you a "rebel" or "unique." It makes you a "yet another idiot who can't learn the rules."

A basic sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object. When adding a modifier, make it clear which one of those you're modifying. ‪

Building platforms & networking are all good. But first and foremost, a writer must write good books. Or learn how.