{"id":260,"date":"2016-02-23T22:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T22:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/?p=260"},"modified":"2017-03-06T21:34:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T21:34:00","slug":"comma-here-comma-there-commas-everywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/blog\/2016\/02\/23\/comma-here-comma-there-commas-everywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma Here, Comma There, Commas Everywhere"},"content":{"rendered":"

When writers bring their work into the WRC, one of the most common requests we get is to help with grammatical errors, but more specifically, commas. A writer could be confused when to use them, as seen in: comma splices, after transitions, or even before conjunctions. Commas are tricky in that one can\u2019t always be entirely sure if they\u2019ve used too many, didn\u2019t include enough, or know when they\u2019ve included just the right amount in their work. What is meant to be used as a nice tool in a writer\u2019s arsenal can soon turn against them, leaving even the most skilled writers unsure of their sentence structure, flow, and emphasis of ideas<\/span>\u2013<\/span>all at the hands of a little mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

These confusing, yet all too necessary, punctuation marks can be used in a variety of instances, all with unique reasons behind them. The most common application of commas seems to be in the form of lists: <\/span>using them when a writer needs assistance in crafting a comprehensive, logical, and complete thought. Sometimes commas can be used best when indicating a pause, allowing the reader a chance to break their thoughts up and improve flow. Or, they can be used following a transition that connects one idea to another. However, if you find yourself using them, be aware that one size does not fit all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"baby-seals\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Writing Centers across the country have provided students with ample resources to help writers conceptualize the appropriate time and place to insert a comma. Some have offered a master list of grammatically appropriate places you should put a comma: ranging from arranging the proper placement in a street address to proper utilization of the infamous Oxford comma. The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill has created an extremely helpful page that walks writers through any problems they may encounter, which can be found here.<\/a> They\u2019ve provided examples of popular comma myths, when to use them in relation to conjunctions, and even when to use them as interrupters, if you\u2019re wanting to be extremely detailed.<\/p>\n

Writers may still find themselves unsure of when and where the best place to put a comma is, but there are a few practices to keep in mind while writing that can offer aid. In the WRC we\u2019ve found that reading aloud can sometimes aid in determining if something sounds off, or there is a place that would benefit from a pause. Run-on sentences can be a problem for some writers, and once heard aloud they can recognize that the sentence could be modified. Finding a proper place to have your writing take a breath and really separate the ideas written will enhance your work. All in all, there are many different ways that writers can benefit from inserting these punctuation marks, and hopefully you\u2019ll soon find yourself mastering the art of separation, utilization, and punctuation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When writers bring their work into the WRC, one of the most common requests we get is to help with grammatical errors, but more specifically, commas. A writer could be confused when to use them, as seen in: comma splices, after transitions, or even before conjunctions. Commas are tricky in that one can\u2019t always be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1084,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-updates"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5OMgn-4c","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":339,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}