Academic Language and Learning
Problems with commas
Few people writing in English know how to use commas correctly. A lot of the time, this doesn’t matter as many sentences ‘requiring’ a comma can be easily understood even without the comma. However, there are some instances where a sentence becomes ambiguous, or even unreadable, without a comma.
Example 1
I told them to eat, Lucy.
I told them to eat Lucy.
The difference in punctuation is small, but the difference to Lucy is considerable!
Example 2
When we finally packed up the instrument had already completed the analysis.
When we finally packed up, the instrument had already completed the analysis.
The first sentence is difficult to read because it may seem like the instrument was packed up. In the second sentence, the comma after the introductory bit makes the meaning much clearer. The introductory part of the sentence is not a full sentence on its own. If there is an introductory bit at the beginning of a sentence, it’s a good habit to always place a comma between it and the main part of the sentence.
Example 3
In the lab reports were made about students altering data to fit the hypothesis.
In the lab, reports were made about students altering data to fit the hypothesis.
This is similar to example 2. The first sentence is difficult to read, and its meaning is not clear because the words lab and reports are often used together as a compound noun. In the second example, a comma separates the adverbial element “in the lab” from “reports” and so makes the meaning of the sentence clear.
Example 4
Recent studies on the mating behaviour of the endangered three toed sloth from South America, have analysed the frequency of the ‘ay-ay’ mating call. INCORRECT
Recent studies on the mating behaviour of the endangered three toed sloth from South America have analysed the frequency of the ‘ay-ay’ mating call. CORRECT
Do not use a comma after the subject of a sentence. When the subject of a sentence is very long, you may feel that you need to put a comma between the subject and the verb. This is not correct.
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