I must confess, I LOVE commas. I just finished an EXCELLENT book by Rev. Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. Kelly loaned it to me, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Christianity. But, as much as I enjoyed it, it was too lean on commas. Numerous places, a comma or two would have enhanced the readability - and that's the KEY goal.
To be honest, I confess, (hey two confessions in ONE blog post - take note) I am a grammar snob. I noted, with great pleasure, some previous reader of the Peterson book had noted with an "ugh!" a grammar error in that fine book, which was, no doubt, finely edited by a professional editor.
I made the mistake of once mentioning on FaceBook, my distaste for split infinitives (to not go... to much like... etc.). I was promptly informed, by an English Ph.D. no less, that splitting infinitives was really more a question of taste than of proper grammar. What? An infinitive is a particular part of speech "to ____" which turns a verb into a noun. How can it NOT matter to destroy a useful English device?
Admittedly, of all the HUGE problems in the world, grammar errors rank pretty far down the list. But, it doesn't take a lot of effort to follow them. And, sure enough, they do have a function - readability.
Now, many readers will feel compelled to go back and re-read my postings here to find errors and gleefully point them out. It shouldn't be hard, because I seldom proof-read these.
So, read away! (No, this really was NOT a trick to get more readers).
And, don't feel slowed down too much by all those commas, at least you didn't have to re-read the sentences!
To be honest, I confess, (hey two confessions in ONE blog post - take note) I am a grammar snob. I noted, with great pleasure, some previous reader of the Peterson book had noted with an "ugh!" a grammar error in that fine book, which was, no doubt, finely edited by a professional editor.
I made the mistake of once mentioning on FaceBook, my distaste for split infinitives (to not go... to much like... etc.). I was promptly informed, by an English Ph.D. no less, that splitting infinitives was really more a question of taste than of proper grammar. What? An infinitive is a particular part of speech "to ____" which turns a verb into a noun. How can it NOT matter to destroy a useful English device?
Admittedly, of all the HUGE problems in the world, grammar errors rank pretty far down the list. But, it doesn't take a lot of effort to follow them. And, sure enough, they do have a function - readability.
Now, many readers will feel compelled to go back and re-read my postings here to find errors and gleefully point them out. It shouldn't be hard, because I seldom proof-read these.
So, read away! (No, this really was NOT a trick to get more readers).
And, don't feel slowed down too much by all those commas, at least you didn't have to re-read the sentences!
As someone who can fall in love with run on sentences..(difficulty in understanding my own intent) and, who usually only proof reads after it is to late...I can appreciate your comma usage..:)
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