Video fix: Why are commas so important?

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According to the information provided by the Oxford Dictionary, a comma (,) marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. Used properly, commas make the meaning of sentences clear by grouping and separating words, phrases, and clauses. However, many people are uncertain about the use of commas, and they either sprinkle them throughout their writing, misplace them or forget to put them in the sentences, conveying a completely different meaning.

 

grandmaOne of the most dangerous mistakes, yet funny sometimes, is the elimination of commas. This can lead to confusion, as in the unfortunately comma-less sentence “let’s eat grandma“, instead of “let’s eat, grandma“.

Another well-known example is the one taken from a magazine headline, reading “Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog“, instead of “Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and her dog“.

The Internet is actually full of this humorous examples, such as the ones you can find here.

In a nutshell, this is to raise awareness about the importance of punctuation; commas, in particular. For further reading, we suggest you to check out this these Writing Tips, or these guidelines regarding the Misuse of Commas.

 


Written by Ana Jiménez Morente
Content Editor.
Communication Trainee, DG TRAD – Terminology Coordination Unit

 

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