Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon, Why Are You So Complex?

?Proper Usage of Commas for Compound Sentences

We all have our strengths. It’s taken me most of my life to accept the fact that math is not my natural born gift and writing is my greatest strength. I’m confident if I wanted to, I could study for a long time and eventually improve. Maybe. Maybe not. However, there is not one tiny brain cell that has such a desire nor interest. I’ll stick with writing!

As a ghostwriter, book doctor, editor, and author coach, when I receive a manuscript to book doctor or edit, punctuation mistakes are extremely common. After all, it isn’t easy to remember all those writing rules from high school and college. The most common issues I find are commas, colons, semicolons, and quotation marks. Today, we are going to tackle when to use or not use commas when joining sentences. I hope the following “word problems” help to simplify comma usage for you!

When it comes to publishing books, The Chicago Manual of Style is the go-to tutorial that provides guidelines for style, usage and citations when publishing books. Therefore, since I write for those who are publishing their books, the following “rules” are based on CMOS and for those writing books.

For curious minds, the UChicago News offers an interesting article about how the CMOS established itself as the leading tutorial for the publishing industry visit UChicago.edu (Accessed 9/24/2022). There are two ways to access CMOS. The versions for print, digital and a membership are available on its website, or of course, the printed version is available on Amazon. It’s updated frequently, so remember to renew your print versions every couple of years.

Ok, so that’s the exciting reference material, now let the real fun begin.

Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon, Why Are You So Complex?

Unlike the chameleon changing colors to camouflage itself from prey, the usage of commas is not this versatile in the English language nor in the publishing industry. There are several uses for commas, and this article will focus on when to use a comma to join or not to join two sentences.

A.?????Compound Sentences. Often, I’ll see a comma used to separate what the writer believes is appropriate, but it’s not an accurate use because the second half of the sentence is not a full sentence. Compound sentences are helpful while writing because it joins two shorter separate sentences.

However, what many forget is the second sentence must be complete on its own and not a fragmented sentence. Let’s explore this rule.

* “Rainbow laid under the sun lamp and fell asleep.”

• “Rainbow laid under the sun lamp.” is complete sentence on its own.
• “Fell asleep” is a fragment. Why? Because there isn’t a subject declared.

A “subject” is the person, animal or thing that does the verb, “fell asleep.” Note that “Rainbow” is the subject in the first part of the sentence, but in the second sentence there isn’t a person, place or thing doing the verb.

?TIP: I often, for my mind to remember the subject, I look for the “noun.” Now, it’s not called the “noun” because “he, she, they” are subjects, but if I replaced them as a name, they would be a “noun,” so to speak. While it may not be approved by my favorite English teacher, it’s how my mind remembers it.

• ?Therefore, a comma is not needed before the “and.”

* “Rainbow laid under the sun lamp, and she fell asleep.”

If I removed the comma and the “and” in this sentence, could both sentences stand on their own? And vice versa, if I want to join two sentences to provide more flow, I will ask myself, can these two sentences become a “compound sentence?”

• “Rainbow laid under the sun lamp.”
• “She fell asleep.”

A compound sentence is when two complete sentences can be joined together. The advantages of using compound sentences are to provide the reader a rhythm or flow to the reading experience rather than sudden stops and starts.

• ?These two sentences can definitely become a compound sentence and would now require a comma before the “and.”
• ?“Rainbow laid under the sun lamp, and she fell asleep.”
• This is the proper usage of the comma and “and” because there is a subject in each of the two parts of the compound sentence.

?Comma Decisions When Editing

While editing, I get to choose which way to go: Do I remove the comma or add the subject? There are several reasons to consider when to use or remove the comma and when to write a compound sentence.

A.?????Are there lots of compound sentences on the page, in the chapter, or in the manuscript?

B.?????Does this sentence have more or less meaning or impact as a compound sentence?

C.??????Is the sentence confusing without the second subject?

D.?????What will “sound” better or “read” better for the reader’s experience?

E.??????Which level of reading are we looking to achieve? Obviously, for a children’s book, we would use the two sentences. For advanced levels, we could use either compound sentences or not.

F.??????The decision is also based on the author’s voice. Which option would sound more like this author?

G.?????And if none of the above matter, when then it is the personal preference of the editor who is there to be sure the author’s choice and voice are the first consideration.

When you are writing, and about to add a comma, remember the “Clarity of the Comma Chameleon” to guide your comma and compound sentence usage. Should you need more support while drafting your manuscript, always remember the Chicago Manual of Style and feel free to reach out to us at SoConnected where you can consider us your “Go-To Book Writing Resource.” We are always happy to answer questions and support our fellow writers like you! SoConnectedLLC.com

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About Cindy Tschosik

As a nonfiction ghostwriter, book doctor and author coach, Cindy partners with authors who want to “Change, Save and Celebrate Lives One Story at a Time.” Together they write nonfiction books to heal and inspire readers to overcome hardships, trauma, and challenges so they can build more fulfilling professional and personal lives.

A robust 25+ year career in various industries including legal, IT, corporate, non-profit, marketing, entrepreneurship and speaking about writing books or achieving mental health has provided Cindy with a robust level of expertise to contribute and guide authors to uplevel and add extreme value for their readers.

When Cindy is not behind the laptop writing, editing or coaching authors, she is on-stage or screen teaching audiences how and why to write their book. Many of the authors she works with publish books to accelerate their career as thought leaders in their industry, to establish or expand a career as a professional speaker, to leave a legacy and to increase their revenue streams.

If you are considering becoming a published author and want to learn “The A-Zs to Write, Market & Publish Your Book Now, Let’s Get SoConnected. Visit SoConnectedLLC.com or Email [email protected] .