Commas

[Robin]

I, can't, stop, using, them!!!!!!!

Any, suggestions, would, be, wonderful.

[Watcher55]

I have that problem sometimes. I usually just write the sentence without ANY punctuation then go back and read it, out loud if I have to, then add just enough punctuation to make it look like it sounds. It doesn't work all the time - but then you know . . .

. . . I post it and I still have to go back and fix it.

[Margo]

I try to limit myself to two commas per sentence, unless they're being used to list items. Otherwise, a sentence can easily become too choppy and tangential.

Oh and LONG LIVE THE OXFORD COMMA.

Ok, I'm done now. :)

[cheekychook]

I, can't, stop, using, them!!!!!!!

Any, suggestions, would, be, wonderful.

Put something small, like a stale rice krispie, under your comma key. That'll stop you. Or so I've heard. I'd never actually do such a thing... There are no food remnants of any kind under any of my keys... *cough* What? You said ANY suggestions. You didn't say they had to be good.

[Quill]

I used to use overly many of them. Then I noticed that modern text had fewer than what I was told to put in, in school.

Now I read the text aloud in my head and let the action and cadence dictate, rather than any rules I've learned.

[cheekychook]

I used to use overly many of them. Then I noticed that modern text had fewer than what I was told to put in, in school.

Now I read the text aloud in my head and let the action and cadence dictate, rather than any rules I've learned.

Well, yeah, sure---if you're out of rice krispies I suppose that would work too.

[Quill]

Hey now, I'm not saying I don't put Rice Krispies in my keyboard one leg at a time just like anyone else!

[Watcher55]

I, can't, stop, using, them!!!!!!!

Any, suggestions, would, be, wonderful.

Put something small, like a stale rice krispie, under your comma key. That'll stop you. Or so I've heard. I'd never actually do such a thing... There are no food remnants of any kind under any of my keys... *cough* What? You said ANY suggestions. You didn't say they had to be good.

You could always superglue the head of a tack to the comma key. That way you don't get crumbs in your keyboard.

[Quill]

You could always superglue the head of a tack to the comma key. That way you don't get crumbs in your keyboard.

How does the head of a tack keep the crumbs out? Oh, gotcha. It acts like a little dish.

[Watcher55]

You could always superglue the head of a tack to the comma key. That way you don't get crumbs in your keyboard.

How does the head of a tack keep the crumbs out? Oh, gotcha. It acts like a little dish.

I was thinking skewer 'cause otherwise it keeps slipping off and gets all over the period key. Who needs that?

[polymath]

Consider a style manual. Chicago Manual of Style is the prevalent style manual of U.S. English prose publishers. Comma topics take up about ten pages there. Other related comma topics span the manual. I can say with confidence from personal experience Chicago covers 99.99 percent of comma usages. Words Into Type is a little less of a bright orange brick doorstop gaining ground on Chicago with some prose publishers.

[Cookie]

I'm a serial comma abuser too. I usually don't notice it in my writing right away, except at work. Usually because my boss or co-worker points them out. So if you see a press release out there riddled with commas, I probably wrote that. J/k. Maybe.
I find that personally by inserting ni after every comma, that has helped curb my comma over-usageness. That might also explain the permanent twitch on my left side, but hey. I suppose the thumbtack will work equally as well.

[Sommer Leigh]

Awe, no comma love here, apparently. I will use a few extra today, just to make up for all this comma hate. He's always there for me when I need him, it is the least I can do.

Oxford comma 4ever! <3

[cheekychook]

I guess my comments make me a cereal comma abuser.

[Watcher55]

I guess my comments make me a cereal comma abuser.

Hee, hee, hee