A comma can be tricky in these days of minimal punctuation.

In the old days, we stuck them anyway to show we really knew how to use a comma. Get as many in as you could seemed to be the motto.

These days we like our work to look cleaner and slick.

A comma is like the orchestra of our words. They put expression and meaning where you really want them.

Consider:

Slow, children crossing – means slow down, children are crossing the road.

Slow children crossing – means that slow dawdling children are crossing the road.

Getting it right can be tricky at the best of times. Try reading your words out loud to get your meaning, and think where you are pausing.

Use the comma:

Between items in a series of words, phrases or clauses.

Correct: We placed the books, pencils, paper, and the new tray on the desk ready for work.

Incorrect : We placed, the books, pencils, paper, and the new tray on the desk ready for work.

Don’t use a comma if an adjective is supporting another adjective

Correct: I love that rich chocolate cake.

Incorrect: I love that rich, chocolate cake

Use the comma after introductory words

In February 2012, we agreed to finally go on an overseas holiday.

Use a comma when you are adding words that are not essential to your main meaning.

Correct: The agreement was, however unpopular, unanimous.

The word ‘however unpopular’ is not really needed, it is added only for additional information.

The sentence is really’The agreement was unanimous’.

Incorrect: The agreement was however unpopular unanimous. What are you saying?

Use a comma when speaking to someone

Correct: Let’s eat, Johnny.

Thank goodness we put that comma in otherwise we would have been eating Johnny.

Incorrect: ‘Lets eat Johnny’. He wasn’t that tasty anyway.

Comma’s help out with numbers, dates and addresses

Correct: In 2012, 50,000 people attended the Sydney Festival.

The crowd that attended the footie final last Sunday numbered 20,000, far more than last year.

On February 12, 2012, Brad and Angie decided to get a divorce.

Use a comma if words in a sentence are repeated

Correct: Whatever she did, did nothing to help the situation.

Incorrect: Whatever she did did nothing to help the situation

Spellcheck would probable pick that up and tell you to delete one of the ‘did’s’ which would leave you with’ Whatever she did nothing to help the situation’. Doesn’t make sense.

Some simple places NOT to use a comma:

Between a subject and its verb

A plan was announced.

Not ‘A plan, was announced’.

Between a verb and its object

They announced a plan for the whole school.

Not ‘They announced, a plan for the whole school’.

Have a look at this comma and decide for yourself.

Which one of these do you prefer.

Eat here, and get gas.

Eat here and get gas.

I prefer the first one, but who knows, you may prefer the second. Happy eating.

Apostrophe

‘Myer’s seven-storey apostrophe gaffe ignites Twitter mirth’.

‘Myer ridiculed over grammar gaffe’.

Poor Myer. These were the headlines that entertained us this holiday season as the community had a mini meltdown on a punctuation error in marketing material from Myers Stores.

Even more entertaining was the excessive number of comments (most of which contained some grammatical error, intentional or not) and tweeting (don’t expect much there) that followed. The discussion couldn’t really decide if a stray apostrophe matters or not in business advertising.

Double poor Myers got picked up on another typo shortly after for their ‘Satruday’ sales.

‘These things do ‘appen’ as they say in the movies (Phantom of the Opera) and I am sure it will not happen again in the Myers Marketing Department. After all, we don’t see our own mistakes and it only takes a busy deadline or an interuption to miss that error.

So what was the problem?

Take the example of the apostrophe in the boys and their bats.

‘See the boys bat’. No apostrophe anywhere means multiple boys were using their own bat.

‘See the boy’s bat’. That little apostrophe is before the ‘s’ and means have a look at the one boy who has a bat.

‘See the boys’ bat’. The tricky apostrophe is now after the ‘s’ and the sentence now means multiple boys but they only have one bat. (Ref Truss L.)

So, where did Myer go wrong? ‘Get’ is a verb. It doesn’t need an apostrophe to become plural and only nouns can be possessive.

I think the poor apostrophe has too many functions and it does get confusing.

I published an article last year on this very subject of whether people worry about business document mishaps. It did raise quite a bit of discussion.

There seems to be a general consensus that good writing with correct grammar and punctuation is essential in the business world.

Documentation is the coalface of your business. It needs reviewing and a fresh makeover regularly to keep it alive and interesting.

Never know when to use that pesky comma?