Category_MWW Blog>General

Interesting Rule from the "Chicago Manual of Style"

Another take on the word "so": In 5.210 of CMOS, "Interjections and functional variations": "... most parts of speech may be used as interjections. A word that is classified as some other part of s...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

"Too" and "Also"

The words too and also generally do not need commas with the exception of also at the beginning of the sentence. Historically too and also had commas before them at the end of the sentence. Si...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

When the Date Is an Adjective...

Take a look at the two basic ways that commas are used: All commas are used to either separate two language elements and push them apart or to surround a language element. The latter implies that t...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

On My Soapbox

A discussion of this construction comes up about once a month. Is there or is there not a comma after "that" in the following sentence. ...I knew that, if I turned right, I'd get there sooner. Th...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

Bumping Up the Comma to a Semicolon

The rule about "bumping up" the comma to a semicolon in a compound sentence with a coordinate conjunction has to do with obscuring the division in the sentence. Does the other punctuation "hide" t...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

4419

An independent clause and a sentence are the same thing. And the first rule of all punctuation is that a comma goes before a coordinate conjunction that connects independent clauses. The fact that ...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

Clarifying Terminology

When we say, "Do not put a comma after 'so,'" we are talking about a single separating comma. A pair of commas can go anywhere. There is never a single comma after "so." We have this confusion ofte...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

"Yes" and "No" and Their Friends

When yes and no or any of the words that indicate affirmative or negative are in the middle of a sentence, they are surrounded by commas. ...And, yes, he did accompany us the first time. ...He was...
Category_MWW Blog>The Comma

The Parenthetical

Don't forget that a parenthetical has to be surrounded by punctuation. When the parenthetical follows the word and, for example, there has to be a pair of commas around the parenthetical. ...And i...