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Building.

The only essential aspect of that sentence is: Sally scraped (the gentleman).
The added parts include descriptive phrases and some single word adjectives and adverbs.

Anything hooked to that essential sentence can be eliminated without destroying the meaning of the sentence. One would lose a lot of detail without those extras, but the essential meaning of the sentence would not be changed.

3. Commas hook extras onto sentences in several ways:

a. They cluster a sequence of items or phrases. In this case, use commas before the last aspect in phrases, but not in simple lists. Eg. He dropped carrots, celery and onions into the pot. Eg. She simplified the inventory, developed a search mechanism, and educated the staff about new procedures. (using and, or)

b. They set off clauses that are non-essential to the meaning of a sentence. This would include introductory clauses that are longer. Eg. After work they picked up a roast. Eg. While traveling down the road, a tractor trailer over-turned. This would also include phrases that give extra descriptive information. In the above example, it is not essential to the meaning of the sentence to know that Sally carried a distinguished silk purse.

c. Non-essential clauses need to be marked off from the essential elements of the sentence with commas. If the sentence begins with the clause, then the comma comes after the clause. If the sentence ends with a clause, the comma precedes this. If the sentence contains the clause in the middle, commas must hug both sides of the clause. The test remains: Hide what you have off-set with commas and see if the sentence still makes sense.

d. Commas precede conjunctions (a big word for three little words: and, but, and or) if these form a word phrase(clause).

Most people get tripped up using commas because they try to put too much into one sentence. This causes run-ons and comma splices, which are more details that can just leave your head spinning. Remember our Helium writer's sage advice: Your use of commas should increase the clarity of your sentence!

It's hard to avoid the complicated details, but the essential tips remain: Identify the essential aspects of the sentence and hook on the non-essentials. You can test this by hiding the parts off-set by commas and see if the sentence makes sense. If not, you need to recraft your comma placements. Make sure you try to do this by reading your sentence aloud. Better yet, give another set of eyes a look at your work.

Great reference sources to use:

Elements of Style Strunk & White
The Associate Press Style Guide
The Chicago Manual of Style
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves

Two thoughtful websites:
http://grammar.ccc.co mmnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ handouts/grammar/g_comma.html

Learn more about this author, Barbara Whitlock.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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