When I found out there was a whole class about grammar, I freaked out. I know that this class will be both a blessing and a curse in that I will learn a lot, but the road to that point will be challenging and frustrating. There are quite a few issues that I am concerned about when it comes to the mechanics of grammar. Sometimes the simplest thing such as what to capitalize in a title throws me for a loop. Also, the idea of commas. Although the exclamation point happens to be my favorite punctuation, the comma is a close second in that I get extremely happy when it comes to using them, even when they are not appropriate. I need help in identifying what area of a sentence needs a comma. I heard when using the comma you should, “when in doubt, leave it out,” but I never thought that way until I heard that quote. So now I am in an awkward position and feel like I should never use the comma, even when I am 99% sure it should be included in a sentence.
Another issue that I really want to master is the prefixes of words, and identifying them to figure out a meaning. For example, I always wanted to be one of those people who was asked a silly trivia question about the origin of a word. To specify, a question along the lines of, “a person who is blahblahblah is said to fear what?” Now if it was something like arachnophobia, obviously I could figure that one out, but for some words that I don’t know, I would like to have an idea of what the word may mean, based on its prefix. This would be a lot easier to explain in person, but what I am trying to get at is the fact that I want to improve my vocabulary, by knowing prefixes of words, to help figure out what the whole word may mean.
Lastly, I want to know how to improve my writing when it comes to the flow of my paper. I love to write and have good ideas when it comes to researching a piece and then coming up with ideas for a paper, but I want to further that with having my paper flow smoothly and getting the words in my head on paper and making sense. I think that these three areas will drastically help my writing if I can improve them.
Question: What is the easiest way to remember when to use a comma, and when to leave it out? Also, has the semicolon completely disappeared? I feel like it’s hardly used anymore and has lost its purpose!
Kristi, I have the same problem with commas that you do. I like to use them a lot, but I don't really know when to use them. However, I've noticed that best way to use commas is to let them fall with the sentence naturally. Whenever you think there should be a break when reading a sentence, put a comma there. Another way to help you use them is to read the sentence outloud and place the commas where you break naturally when speaking. Consequently, this can also be bad because not everyone speaks with the same breaks in their sentences. But at least it gives you a good grasp or feel on how and where to place the comma naturally and usually, you're right! As for semicolans, I don't think them disappearing is a problem, I think it's that people just don't know how to use them. I was always taught to use a comma when there needs to be an add on to a sentence but cannot be broken by a period otherwise it'd turn into a fragment. I like to think of semicolans as, "Guest +1." I hope that helps a little bit!
ReplyDeleteShannyn S.