Thursday, March 5, 2009

I just went on Wikipedia to find out to the truth about commas. Hilarity ensued! Read on...
Parenthetical phrases

Commas are often used to enclose parenthetical words and phrases within a sentence (i.e. information which is not essential to the meaning of the sentence). Such phrases are both preceded and followed by a comma, unless that would result in a doubling of punctuation marks, or the parenthetical is at the start or end of the sentence. The following are examples of types of parenthetical phrases:

  • Introductory phrase: Once upon a time, I didn't know how to use commas.[6]
  • Address: My father ate the bagel, John.
  • Interjection: My father ate the bagel, gosh darn it!
  • Aside: My father, if you don’t mind my telling you this, ate the bagel.
  • Appositive: My father, a jaded and bitter man, ate the bagel.
  • Absolute phrase: My father, his eyes flashing with rage, ate the bagel.
  • Free modifier: My father, chewing with unbridled fury, ate the bagel.
  • Resumptive modifier: My father ate the bagel, a bagel which no man had yet chewed.
  • Summative modifier: My father ate the bagel, a feat which no man had attempted.

1 comment: