Comma abuse is one of the most frequent errors made by rookie writers. Author and grammar guru James McCreet provides a guide to correct usage.
Which of these sentences contains a mistake?
1. ‘Water is fine, thanks.’ said Martin waiting for her to sit.
2. Yes, I did need to see you, could we meet this afternoon around three?
3. She was dressed in a cotton dress, that fitted close around a heavy bust
4. If there’s anything you can remember then we can act on it
5. It was a meal, Tom the cook, had prepared for them.
6. She can’t have the dessert, it’s trifle.
7. ‘But he was there,’ she cried, ‘he was in my bedroom.’
8. He came out with a long tedious monologue.
Trick question. All of these sentences are wrong. In each case, the error is comma-based. Poor knowledge of comma usage is the main issue I see in all apprentice work. It’s rife. Indeed, such errors are becoming more widespread even in print media and online, the worst offence being the inability to differentiate a comma from full stop. Writers, of all people, should know how to use commas. There’s no excuse. Alas, commas are quite tricky little blighters and the rules vary according to whatever book you read and when it was written. Some famous authors don’t use them correctly. Nevertheless, it’s critical that we know and use the rules if we want to be clear. Consider the differences in meaning here: