Tuesday 6 March 2018

A Bee in My Bonnet - about commas


Once upon a time, I was an English teacher in a primary school but I expect you already know that. It was a subject I loved and I hope I taught the children well. 

Although it was a private school, we followed the National Curriculum and I like to think that, by the time they left in year 6, most of the kids had a pretty good grasp of the fundamentals of reading and writing.

Some of the elements I had to teach amuse me now. I remember how, in the Key Stage 1 SATS writing tasks, extra marks could be gained by using three adjectives in a row or a plethora of adverbs. Things they would have to unlearn if any went on to become authors! Oh, well.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was punctuation that I really loved teaching in the English lessons. I taught every year group and it was rewarding to know that the child who was about to leave the school in Year 6, knowing how to use a semi-colon, was the same one I'd taught to use a full stop in Year 2.

There was something I had a real bee in my bonnet about though. COMMAS.

A little while ago, I met an old pupil of mine. She was now sixteen but told me she still had my voice in her head whenever she did any writing. I asked her why and she told me it was because to teach sentences with two parts, I used to write a sentence on the board and read it out saying the word comma when I came to the symbol

When evening came, the moon started to rise.
When evening came comma the moon started to rise.

After reading it, I would then get the children to make up their own sentences and say them in the same way. 

She then said, "Do you remember that lesson called, Cut it Out?"

I did. It was to help them to learn how to use two commas to separate a piece of information in the middle of a sentence. I'd write sentences on the board and then get the kids to shout, "Cut it out!" if the sentence made sense without the part enclosed by the commas. If it did, the sentence was properly punctuated.

This is a sentence that would have the children saying the magic words: 

I left the house and, realising I was late, took the short cut. 

If you cut out 'realising I was late', the sentence still makes sense. Which is why I've been surprised to read sentences punctuated like the one below in novels: 

I left the house, and realising I was late, took the short cut. If you cut out 'and realising I was late', the sentence does not make sense.


It was happening so frequently (in traditionally published novels) that I was beginning to doubt myself. How happy I was then to turn to the 'On Writing' column in the March edition of Writing Magazine and find that writing tutor, Tony Rossiter, had covered this exact subject. With relief, I read the paragraph where he explains that it must always be possible to remove the information between two commas without damaging the sentence. He then uses an example just like mine. Phew - thanks Tony, for saving my sanity.

He also mentions the use of two sentences joined together with a comma instead of a semi-colon - the dreaded comma splice.

It might be better not to get me started on that one!

Do you have any bees in your bonnet about punctuation?



29 comments:

  1. Commas were the main arguments/discussions about punctuation in our writing group, with different people advocating different methods. I, too, began to wonder if I'd got it wrong and I think I sometimes did.

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    1. It’s certainly a tricky topic, Lindsay. I nearly didn’t write this, in case people got into an argument!

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  2. How do you feel about quote marks which are presumably used in an attempt to strengthen a point, but which actually weaken it? Eg Enjoy our "fresh" sandwiches, on signs outside a cafe.

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    1. To be honest, I’ve never had an issue with that one, Patsy.

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  3. After many years I have come to love semi-colons just as they are going out of fashion. Could you do a post on them next please, Miss. And I wish you had been my English teacher, your grammar teaching methods sound such fun.

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  4. Maybe next week, Tracy - though I agree that they're becoming less common.

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  5. I comma too comma used to teach English, Wendy, and LOVED teaching punctuation. I found a really old book at the back of a cupboard called 'Exercises in Punctuation' (by S. Tremayne?) which absolutely nailed it.

    Do you have a copy of 'Eats Shoots and Leaves'? (I'm sure you do)
    Lynne Truss is a girl after my own heart!

    It really is satisfying to have punctuation rules acknowledged; as you say, nowadays, they often seem to be overlooked.

    Keep up the good work and spread the news!

    P.S. I love the Oxford comma, too.

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    1. Yes, I do have Eats Shoots and Leaves. It’s really useful. I’m afraid I don’t agree with the Oxford comma though. I always taught that the ‘and’ before the final item in a list served the same purpose as the comma so you didn’t need both. I deliberately didn’t mention the Oxford comma as I’m sure there are many people who would disagree with me!

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  6. Excessive use of exclamation marks. Or screamers as they're sometimes known.

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  7. A great post, Wendy. And, it seems, a great teacher too. Did I use my commas correctly? :-) x

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  8. Well said! I don't like the increasing tendency to use a dash where none is needed. 'He reached for the teapot - and poured a cuppa.' Grr! I also edit copy for two magazines that have military content. Oh, how the military loves a random capital letter. 'The Army also owns lots of Military Helicopters.' Again: grr!

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    1. I do sometimes use dashes (sparingly though). Random capitals are annoying through. A common one is ‘his Mum’.

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  9. I've recently seen mention of The Oxford Comma. Could you enlighten me about this, please?

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    1. An Oxford comma is where a comma is placed before the last ‘and’ in a list.

      I like dogs, cats, and fish.

      I don’t personally use them as the word ‘and’ separates the final two items in the same way as a comma. A lot of people like them though (like Helen above) which is why I didn’t mention them in the post 😊.

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    2. Thanks, Wendy. I don't see any reason to start using them!

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  10. Great post, Wendy. I used to love learning grammar right from primary age! Glad you don't like the Oxford comma - I've taken quite a few out before republishing The Highland Lass!

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    1. If used correctly, commas should create clarity in your writing while keeping the flow.

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  11. So interesting and so right! I always automatically cut the bit enclosed by commas and see if it reads right. The one that I see most often is it's and its. If it reads it is and makes sense like in it's (it is) a lovely day you need the apostrophe. If it doesn't make sense as in, for example, in its own way. That doesn't read right as it's (it is) own way. A simple check but it works for me. I hope you can understand a word of this as it's my way of seeing if, in its own way it's right. Teehee xx

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    1. Absolutely, Sue. That’s exactly how I used to teach it 😊.

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  12. Agree with everything you say, Wendy, but may I gently point out that at the end of your para 3 there should be a comma between 'Oh' and 'well'. Sorry, but I'm a punctuation pedant!

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    1. Yes! You’re right! Consider it done 😊

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  13. I didn't know about the cut it out test. I'll try it out in future.

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    1. Yes, have a try, Keith. It soon becomes second nature.

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    1. Hmm... Why is that then, Phillipa? 😀

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