Four Writing Prompts: Finding Identity
Editing client publishes his first literary novel

Use commas to set off nonessential information

Often we’re Grammar taught to use commas is we pause when speaking. While that can be helpful, generally commas aren’t about showing how a person should say a line of text. Instead, authors use commas to subtly signal a variety of information to readers, and how we convey that when speaking may not correlate at all to what is done when writing.

One bit of information commas signal to readers is that we’ve included additional details that do not affect the meaning or understanding of the sentence. In short, these details could be deleted from your sentence (and if you’re trying to make a word count and need to cut, such details are perfect for that). Usually such information appears in the middle of a sentence. These details are known in grammar parlance as nonessential clauses.

An example would be who is in my class in the sentence Jane Johnson, who is in my class, scored the most points in last night’s game. That Jane is in the writer’s class is unnecessary for understanding the point of the sentence, which is that she was the highest score in last night’s game. Because of this, who is in my class must be set off with commas.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.


Comments

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.

Your Information

(Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)