Some of the items represent style choices instead of rules, such as how to use a comma in a list, but when you're making a simple list, you have to make choices B. There is no call for the comma before 'with'. Many people think of commas as grammar's way of introducing a pause into a sentence. The first sequence word is first. It’s more ac… 14. answer choices . Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. 13. ‘All of a Sudden’ or ‘All of the Sudden’? No comma after 'anymore', since 'riding' shares the subject 'I'. I should add a comma after it to show the reader that this is the first step. After, soon, yesterday, tomorrow, last week, next week, and so on.? 13. When an adverbial phrase begins a sentence, it’s often followed by a comma but it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’s short. Hart's Rules states that the comma is used when a sentence starts with an adverb. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons! 6. By then, it had become “of a sudden”: Is it possible that love should of a sudden take such hold? Suddenly he was aware of a stir all around. Suddenly, it stopped, and his own warm power flooded him. The use or omission of the comma is well established, and writers need only to apply the rules. Shorter adverbial phrases are less likely to merit a comma than longer ones. Use a comma after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before “and” or “or” (e.g. Commas in Dates, Addresses, and the Greetings and Closings of Letters. Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. I’ve occasionally gotten questions about the phrase over the years, but in the week after my friend raised the issue, I got two or three more questions about these “all of [something] sudden” phrases, so I decided it was time to look into it more deeply than I had when I just gave people simple answers before. A traditional rule stated that howevermeaning ‘nevertheless’ should not be used at the beginning of a sentence. Someone corrected her, and she accepted that she was wrong, but said she “couldn’t understand what would make ‘the’ less correct than ‘a.’" And she has a point. After her trip to France Sara returned with thousands of pictures. More recently looking at a Google Ngram chart (that is how often a phrase appears in published books scanned by Google), what most people consider the incorrect form—“all of the sudden”—slowly starts increasing around 1960 and then really takes off around 1985. I’ll add commas after the words next and then in the following sentences to let the readers know they should do these steps next. Use commas after sentence introducers 2. Hidden Content | Hidden Content There are several uses of the comma that can best be described as conventional or mechanical. If you use these words at the beginning of a sentence, put a comma after them. B. Can you omit these commas? Or should you add a comma after coffee? Using a comma in this situation is never incorrect, but many writers have recently started omitting the comma. Yes, I would say that this exception also applies to "suddenly". 2 5. A coma is a state of unconsciousness where a person is unresponsive and cannot be woken. Therefore it usually doesn’t require a comma, even when it’s used as the first word in a sentence. To study for his calculus midterm, Brian drank seven cups of strong Turkish coffee which kept him wide awake for the all-nighter. Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before "and"? It also says that 'however' isn't followed by a comma when it modifies an adjective or other adverb. This means use a comma after a participial phrase, an absolute phrase, an infinitive phrase, and a prepositional phrase. – … restrictive / nonrestrictive Part 2 ... comma / no comma? Is this exception also applied to 'suddenly'? Punctuation is a matter of style, not a matter of life and death, like swimming in a crocodile-infested lake. Here’s an example: David was getting hungry; he suddenly regretted skipping breakfast. There is some leeway with prepositional phrases. There’s no rule or grammatical reason for it. It was originally “the sudden,” but it lacked an “all” in front. As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org Affiliate, QDT earns from qualifying purchases. It reads quicker, and yet, sometimes it does deserve a pause; suddenly the English language is just a tad confusing. Should you remove the comma after midterm? Therefore, we will proceed with the order. When a word, phrase or subordinate clause is used at the beginning of a sentence, you need a comma to offset it from the main (independent) clause. Mo… Here’s one from “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe: My Crop promis’d very well, when on a sudden I found I was in Danger of losing it all again. Punctuating with commas The comma (,) is used to indicate a short pause in a sentence. 15. 2. Or should you remove the comma after suddenly? The rain like an omen suddenly turned the sky dark and spooky. 5. This pause helps to make the meaning clear to the reader. “All of a sudden” is the right way to say it, but when he heard it that way, apparently it bugged him. You can change your cookie settings at any time. 'Suddenly from behind someone appeared' is awkwardly structured and leaves us in a comma dilemma; it should be restructured: 'Suddenly, someone appeared from behind with a big backpack'. Before eating the boys' mother told them to wash their hands. It just is. Quick & Dirty Tips™ and related trademarks appearing on this website are the property of Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. It's not a matter of absolute rules. 9. First, “all of the sudden” is definitely a phrase you should avoid. Either way is okay. Should you remove the comma after midterm? Some modern writers are now dropping the comma, but I still like it because it indicates a pause. … Using commas with introductory adverbs is a stylistic consideration. Should you remove the comma after midterm? Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab has an excellent section o… It looks like you're new here. https://public.oed.com/contribute-to-the-oed/. Or should you remove the comma after suddenly? Use commas with sentence coordinators 3. I am confused about the use of the comma after 'suddenly' when 'suddenly' starts the sentence. So it looks like this really is a relatively new phenomenon. As I climbed into bed, I started to feel very sleepy. Commas are used when you write the date, when you include an address, and when you greet someone. The correct phrase in English is “all of a sudden,” not “all of the sudden.”, The Chicago Manual of Style Q&A section says: “[the] CMOS is silent on the issue, but 'all of the sudden' is not idiomatic and normally would be edited to 'all of a sudden.”, Even if you look at much more informal language, “all of a sudden” is the clear winner. Suddenly typically isn’t used as a sentence adverb. A few months ago in a Slack channel for podcasters, one of my friends posted a grammar gripe. 13. "It's over two weeks old ", she then explained. So no comma. Garner’s Modern English Usage includes an entry on “all of the sudden” and pegs it at stage 1 on the language change index, which means “rejected.” In other words, still totally wrong. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. If you would like to listen to the audio, please use Google Chrome or Firefox. It’s not until 1686 that “all” come into play, and from there on “all of a sudden” seems to be the standard. I have seen some writing where the comma is used after 'suddenly' and some where it isn't. To study for his calculus midterm, Brian drank seven cups of strong Turkish coffee which kept him wide awake for the all-nighter. Or should you add a comma after coffee? Whilst I'm sure most people would put a comma after Alternatively there, many people - myself included - might well not bother if you substituted Or instead. Some comma usage is mandatory, some is wrong, and yet other cases are optional. A. Confused by her sister’s sudden change in mood, Jill stayed quiet. 12. After introductory words, we use a comma to separate the introductory word from the independent clause. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. If you are writing out the full date, add a comma after the day and before the year. comma / no comma? Means: All of the children stayed after class. Do you put a comma after “soon” in the following sentence: “They prayed for her to heal quickly, and soon she was able to walk again”? When you start a sentence with one of those/these words, is there a comma needed after them? Q. SURVEY . Suddenly one shot after another rang out from the French, smoke appeared all along their uneven ranks, and musket shots sounded. That’s your Quick and Dirty Tip: The correct phrase in English is “all of a sudden,” not “all of the sudden.”, Mignon Fogarty is Grammar Girl and the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips. It was interesting because he had it backwards. A. Consider the following examples to see how commas can change a sentence's meaning: Sentence: The children, who couldn't do the math problem, stayed after class for tutoring. A comma normally follows participial phrases that introduce a sentence: Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house. Furthermore,you know it’s true. However, we still have hope. 'Yet' does not begin a sentence, so this is a fragment to start with. It specifically mentions the adverbs 'however', 'moreover', 'therefore', and 'already'. “A” and “the” are both articles, and we can usually use them both before any noun. The particular words you’ve listed usually do not require a comma. In fact, all but four of the examples in that corpus of language people use on TV that I mentioned earlier, all but four of those came after 1985. Commas almost always follow phrases at the beginning of sentences; use the comma to separate the phrase from the independent clause. ", Next, I wondered whether “all of the sudden” could be a regional saying, since my friend who complained is from Ohio, and another friend who is in the Slack channel and also from Ohio also said he’s an “all of the sudden” kind of guy. A. Tags: Question 5 . This chart from Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students gives examples of the 15 most common ways to use a comma. 12. When to use a semicolon in a list In lists, we generally use commas to separate the items. Numbers. Oliver Smith, Dorridge. No comma is required for any of the following sentences. June 12, 2018, 9:19am #2. Here’s a tip: Commas can be tricky, but they don’t have to trip you up. Check out her New York Times bestseller, “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.”. Copyright © 2020 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. 22. For example, the first citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1570, and it’s “of the sudden.” Here’s one from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” published around 1616. Or if there is a rule, it's probably Omit commas wherever this doesn't compromise legibility. 1. When subordinate clauses come at the beginning of sentences we usually separate them with a comma. Established, and yet, sometimes it does deserve a pause ; suddenly English! After class specifically mentions the adverbs 'however ' is n't Guide for Students gives of. 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