Confusing Commas Create Conundrums

Before reading Grammar Girl, I considered commas to be the be-all, end-all tool for sentence structure. It turns out I was abusing their power. Grammar Girl introduced me to the concept of comma splicing: using commas to link two independent clauses without a conjunction. I usually write in a controlled stream of consciousness; therefore, I record what immediately comes to mind and edit errors or poor execution as they appear. This leads me to cram my writing with commas. Since my writing matches my thought process, I sprinkle commas wherever I naturally pause a sentence in my head.

Grammar Girl taught me about the power of the colon and its half-brother: the semicolon. Colons are used to add a qualifier to the end of a complete sentence that will clarify the previous text. Semicolons bring together closely related main clauses. This is a powerful weapon to combat my comma splice dilemma. I would often struggle with sentences containing subjunctive adjectives. In the past, I would write, “I don’t like seafood, however, I do like lobster”. I now know that you need to add a semicolon when dealing with subjunctive adverbs. “I don’t like seafood; however, I do like lobster”. Another way to combat comma splices is to create two separate sentences. “I don’t like seafood. I do like lobster.” As you can see, this is a less elegant solution than the semicolon. Used sparingly, it could break up sentence structure in an otherwise lengthy piece.

Grammar Girl taught me a lot of tips that seem insignificant when viewed individually. When put together, however, all of the advice on punctuation, style, and usage can make a good writer a great writer.