I'm going to kick off day one with something very light: conjunctions. I'm sad for those of you who didn't get introduced to the Schoolhouse Rock, but it's better late than never.
The coordinating conjunctions are FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. I only really want to discuss one aspect of the conjunction--when to use a comma with them. The primary reason why we use a comma between conjunctions is to avoid confusion when two independent clauses are linked with a conjunction, e.g.: Everyone loved him, and she had always loved him. While, primarily, the rule is to use a comma between independent clauses that are joined by a conjunction, it's especially important in an instance like the example. When you have words like him and she together, a reader can pick up on that as two people about to do something together. The only time when this rule doesn't hold water is when you have two clauses that are so closely related that breaking them up would cause confusion or make the sentence make no sense. E.g.: “Well, it was all going fine and everything was working, when all of a sudden, it went soft.” -Eloise March, Close Call: A Doris & Jemma Vadgeventure While a comma could be used between the clauses, it reads differently one way versus another and gives it both a slightly different meaning and a slightly different rhythm. I always let clarity be my guide. In this case, it's clearer without the comma.
Anyway, that's my easy peasy spiel for the day.
Details for the giveaway are in the previous post below. Thanks for reading.
Join me tomorrow at http://www.abshepherd.net/ to learn a little something about commas.
Anyway, that's my easy peasy spiel for the day.
Details for the giveaway are in the previous post below. Thanks for reading.
Join me tomorrow at http://www.abshepherd.net/ to learn a little something about commas.