Better Living Through Semicolons

OK, this is a keeper. I was ready to go on and on about semicolons, but someone else has already done it. This is a must read. A colleague of mine, Ben Sledge, turned me on to this website.

Oh, if you're a prude, or humor is against your religion, just don't go there.

Put That Comma Where Your Mouth Is

It seems like a tiny thing, but double commas can change the meaning of a phrase, or even a sentence.

Double commas replace: "which is" or "who is."

Examples:

"The United States' president, Barack Obama, loves walks in the park and hitchhiking," is correct. He is the only one, therefore, there should be commas.

"John's cat Missy went for a walk." This means John has more than one cat.

"Austin, Texas, is a great place to work." This is a big one. Provinces, states, etc., call for double commas.

Commas aren't just preference. They are punctuation, and even grammar, it can be argued. They can be used for emphasis. They are wonderful tools when in the right hands.

A Quick Comma Rule

Commas don't have to be painful. While you don't want to overwhelm your writing with them, they are a necessity.

Here is an important general rule. If you begin your sentence with "if," "of," "while" or the five "Ws," you'll need a comma before the second clause:

"If I write 'Kyrgyzstan' one more time, I think I'll implode."

"When I logged onto Facebook, I discovered my brother-in-law from Jordan waiting for me."

"Of all the gin joints in the world, you had to walk into this one."

And as always, if you aren't sure, read it out loud.

Commas

Where do you put the darn things?

Commas are slippery little suckers. They sneak into your sentences uninvited and hide on your keyboard when you need them most.

Why should you care? Because a misplaced comma can change the meaning of your sentence. It can make your words incomprehensible. And it can make you look like an amateur.

Simple rule: If you pause when reading a sentence out loud, it likely needs a comma.

"I wanted to play the piano, but I didn't have any sheet music." Try saying that without pausing. Can't, can you?

Now, do the opposite. Try to pause in a place where you instinctively know you shouldn't.

"That old movie house holds a special place, in my heart." If you're Bob Dylan, you can get away with that comma. But you're not. So don't do it.