How to use commas correctly | And who is Aldus Manutius?
The history of the most complex punctuation mark in English
Commas are the trickiest. There are so very many rules to using them, and not all of them are easy to get your head around, unless you love things like perfecting syntax. It’s true: You should generally use them to indicate taking a breath, i.e., a pause in thought. Once you’re past that, there’s kind of logic to it that just requires some practice.
Just like most punctuation, the comma came from the Greeks. It originated as a means to indicate small interruptions in speech. (All punctuation is, really, is a means to help people order their thoughts—that and when to take a breath.) The comma was the shortest of these pauses, and in music theory the comma still means a “minute interval’.
Confusion can be expensive.
An errant or missing comma can not only be confusing, but costly. One Portland-based truck company ended up owing workers ~$5M in overtime due of the lack of an Oxford comma in their overtime contract. That in and of itself should make any word nerd feel vindicated for their skills.
Sorry, who’s Aldus Manutius?
But, what’s interesting about commas then? (Besides using them properly.) Well, they didn’t used to look like they do now—that’s one thing. And credit for their design, along with the first italic Roman typeface, goes to Aldus Manutius.
Among many things, Manutius was a scholar and a humanist, and this manifested through his work in the printing game. Clearly, he was ahead of his times; not only was the typeface he created poached and reproduced the world over, but many published works were counterfeited using his logo from the Aldine Press—a dolphin wrapped around an anchor, symbolising an old Latin motto, “hasten slowly”—since it symbolized such quality.
Then print became a thing.
Arguably, Manutius brought about the first boom in publishing, ensuring printed materials became much less of a restricted privilege and more widely available to even the common person. This was the rationale behind his decision to create an italic font.
At the time, everything was basically printed in Blackletter or similar, which wasn’t all that readable to the average folk. His goal was "to make available in type a face comfortable for its readers", so he chose an italic Roman style to mimic handwriting. What a guy.
Finally, this relates to commas how?
Well, prior to the, er, “tadpole” we have today, the comma was indicated by a little dot above a word. When printing became a whole thing, the dot became too tough to accommodate. At first, William Caxton changed it into a slash, but this was only temporarily adopted by the printing press—this also wasn’t all that convenient to print, but mostly? It was ugly.
Enter Manutius with his simple, elegant solution: put a little tail on the full stop dot. Boom! Easy to read, easy to write, easy to print, and easy to create a whole system of grammar and style around it. Are you ready? Buckle up, friends.
How to use a comma
About that syntax
Don’t use a comma to separate two independent clauses.
A comma splice, or a run-on sentence, is the most common mistake people make. Put plainly, joining two standalone sentences with a comma is incorrect.
There are a few ways to fix this, but, normally, a full stop is best—this keeps writing short and snappy, with a touch of rhythm. Of course, it depends on the sentence.
Incorrect: I got home, I took my shoes off, I ran to the kitchen.
Correct: I got home, and I took my shoes off. I ran to the kitchen.
Correct: I got home. I took my shoes off. I ran into the kitchen.
Correct: When I got home, I took my shoes off, and I ran into the kitchen.
If two independent clauses are joined by a conjunction, use a comma.
If you have two full sentences joined by words like and, then, or but, use a comma after the joining word. This helps to separate the two complete ideas, but it also keeps them connected and shows they’re equally important and related thoughts.
I took my shoes off, and I ran right into the kitchen.
It’s OK not to use a comma if the two sentences are really short.
I ran and I ran.
A complex one: If the subject of the sentence does not appear in front of the second verb, it’s OK not to use one unless there would be confusion.
Um, what? I know. It’s way easier with the example:
I took my shoes off and ran into the kitchen.
There is no I in front of ran, but it’s clear who did the running.
I could tell she was angry and prepared to fight.
I could tell she was angry, and prepared to fight.
Without the comma, it reads as though she is prepared to fight. With the comma, it reads as though I prepared to fight.
If you start a sentence with a dependent clause, follow it with a comma.
If you don’t tell him, I will.
When he turns around, give me the signal.
If your sentence starts with an independent clause, followed by a dependent clause, there’s no need to use a comma.
Tell me everything you know if you haven’t already.
About introductions and interruptions
Use a comma if you start a sentence with an introductory phrase or word.
Having experienced this more times than you, leave this one with me.
Despite all the drama, I was happy to be home.
Having eventually gotten to the pub, I went straight to the bar.
Well, it’s now ten o’clock.
Say, does anyone have a spare spinning jenny around here?
Hey, don’t mess about with a hot poker in your hand.
When the introductory phrase begins with a preposition, you might not need a comma—but I would recommend rephrasing the sentence in this instance. Why? Unless you’re writing dialogue from the POV of a wise old king or some medieval se’er, it creates this weird, passive voice. Unless that’s what you’re aiming for?
Into the deep, dark, depths of the ocean he stared. And, lo! He saw the truth.
From that mountain to this valley, and all rivers in between, all this will be yours.
Non-essential words, clauses, notes, and phrases should be offset with parenthetical commas.
Translation: set aside information that isn’t essential with commas that act like parentheses.
My book, which is available on iTunes, is about gremlins.
Esmeralda, the good banshee with the glass eye, had arrived.
Let’s assume you already know which Esmeralda she is.
Her favorite pet lizard, Dink, fell off the settee.
N.B. That introduces essential information into a sentence, so that phrases should not be preceded by a comma. Which introduces non-essential information, so which phrases should be offset by commas.
I will not partner with anyone that undermines my profession.
My favorite flavor, which reminds me of happiness, is cheese.
Offset phrases, terms of endearment, nicknames, or words that interrupt the flow of the sentence, much like non-essential information.
Do the same to bring attention to contrasting parts of a sentence.
Come here, bubbletea, and sit down for a second.
I was, nevertheless, going to confess everything.
Peter knelt, in spite of himself, before his queen.
However, she was not a fan.
I came to form a habit of it, even so, despite my fear of heights.
Will you, or will you not, listen to me.
That is my cherry picker, not Antonio’s.
Separate statements from questions with a comma.
She will make it, won’t she?
Use a comma before and after words that act as an introduction
Examples include words like such as, that is, for example, e.g., i.e., and for instance, when they’re followed by a list.
You're required to show a range of characteristics during the test, such as, bravery, teamwork, and creative thinking.
A comma should also come before and after etc.
He was smiling, laughing, etc., throughout the test.
About them lists
Use a comma to separate items in a list of three or more
I need to buy apples, oranges, and strawberries.
I would recommend always using the Oxford comma for clarity—even if it seems clunky or unneeded—just as a good habit. Note the difference:
Jason was joined by his sisters, a five-legged girl named Schmadventure and a mysterious dog-faced card dealer.
Jason was joined by his sisters, a five-legged girl named Schmadventure, and a mysterious dog-faced card dealer.
In one situation, Jason is joined by his very odd sisters. In the other, he is joined by his sisters and two additional (albeit strange) characters.
Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives when their order is interchangeable
She was tall, dark, and handsome.
The tall, dark, handsome woman was here.
Here’s a great tip to check if the adjectives are interchangeable: can you put an and in between them and the sentence still make sense?
She was tall and dark and handsome.
She wore a sparkly summer dress.
Note: “She wore a sparkly and summer dress” does not work, nor would it make sense to call it a “summer, sparkly dress”.
About those quotes
Use commas to introduce or interrupt direct quotes. There’s no need for a comma if you’re referring the the quote as a subject or object.
She said, “I will make you listen.”
“Now wait a minute,” he said, “I’m in charge here.”
She said “yes please” to everything she was offered.
About dates and titles and such
Use a comma to separate the day of the month and the year. There’s no need for a comma if you only have the month and year.
I remember November 5, 2002, very well.
November 2002 was when it all began.
Use a comma to separate cities from states and names from titles or other information.
I couldn’t believe he was from Cleveland, Ohio.
We all waited for James James, Sr., to arrive.
She was finally Ms. Ellie Willam, PhD.
