The dreaded comma
One of the most inconsistent grammatical decisions I see in fanfiction is comma usage. Some of that is due to innocent lack of know-how by the author, but I get the impression that quite a few people genuinely believe that there is more than one "right way" to go about using a comma. Maybe that's true. I'm not a language expert, and language does "evolve" over time, but I do remember what I was taught by my strict grammar teachers in high school (which really wasn't all that long ago). So, I thought I would put together a post with a few comma pointers. I'm just going by what my teachers taught me. If you think I'm incorrect about something, feel free to comment. Also, comment if you have other comma pointers you want to share or if you have a question.
Separating Independent Clauses
(Stopping The Run-On Sentence)
If there are two separate independent clauses in the same sentence, there needs to be a comma before the coordinating subjunctive. WTF does that mean? It means if you have a sentence that could be split up into two different complete sentences, you should use a comma between them but ONLY if you use one of the following coordining subjunctives:
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
(I remember them by calling them the FANBOYS)
Ex: The weather was nice, yet our mood did not improve.
Ex: Twilight is not a good book, but Jacob Black is awesome.
Ex: I realized Edward supresses Bella's female independence, so I don't like that part about him.
But how do you know if you really have two independent clauses in the same sentence? An independent clause needs both a subject and a verb. Just keep in mind that one independent clause can have more than one subject or verb. These are all single independent clauses:
Jack ran up the hill.
The party was over.
Bella punched a werewolf in the face and then ran away.
Embry and Quil don't play fair.
Jacob and Bella marry and make babies.
So when you you've got two of those suckers in the same sentence with one of the FANBOYS in between them, you should use a comma.
Incorrect: Jack ran up the hill so the party was over.
Correct: Jack ran up the hill, so the party was over.
Look at how you have a subject and a verb on BOTH sides of the comma. If you wanted to, you could get rid of the "so" and split the sentence into two separate sentences that still make sense on their own.
PLEASE NOTE: "Because" is NOT a FANBOY, so there is no need to put a comma before it in this context (even though there is a subject and a verb on both sides).
Incorrect: Jill did a flip, because she was having so much fun.
Correct: Jill did a flip because she was having so much fun.
Direct Address
When you have a character say someone's name in a direct address, set it off with a comma.
Ex: "Bella, where have you been?"
Ex: "I'm sorry, Jake, but we ran out of chocolate milk."
Ex: "There's no time for foreplay, Embry!"
Introductory Clauses/Words
Introductory clauses at the beginning of the sentence should be set off by commas. Some key words you want to keep an eye out for because they often signal the beginning of an introductory clause:
while
if
because
when
as
since
after
although
while
Ex: While Jack and Jill were fetching water, the storm blew in.
Ex: If Bella chooses Edward, I will never forgive her.
Ex: Because Jacob is a sexy beast, he doesn't need to wear a shirt.
EX: When your heart stops beating, I'll stop loving you.
Introductory words to look out for because they need a comma after them:
yes
no
well
however
Ex: Yes, we had fun.
Ex: Well, that was a really crappy way to end the series.
Non-Essential Clauses
If you put a word/clause/phrase in the middle of a sentence that you don't NEED to understand the meaning of the sentence, set it off with two commas.
Ex: If we're going to do this, however, you need to take it seriously.
Ex: We bought him Call of Duty, which is a violent game, for his birthday.
Ex: There were times, of course, when I thought Edward and Bella were cute together.
Just keep in mind that there are clauses which are essential and shouldn't be set off by commas.
Incorrect: The picture, that you just took, is my favorite one.
Correct: The picture that you just took is my favorite one.
Speaker Tags
When you use dialogue and include a speaker tag before or after the dialogue, you should use a comma.
Ex: Bella murmured, "I love you."
Ex: "I love you," Bella murmured.
Ex: "I love you," Bella murmured, "but it's not enough."
Notice how if you put the speaker tag after the dialogue, then you replace the period inside the quotation marks with a comma. HOWEVER, this is not the case with a question mark.
Incorrect: "Why are you doing this," Jacob asked.
Correct: "Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked.
Of course there are other instances when commas are appropriate, but these are the cases that I most often see done incorrectly. Again, I'm not an expert, and I make these mistakes in my own writing at times, but I'm confident that I'm not telling you something that's incorrect. I hope it helps!
I double checked some of these things at this site.
Separating Independent Clauses
(Stopping The Run-On Sentence)
If there are two separate independent clauses in the same sentence, there needs to be a comma before the coordinating subjunctive. WTF does that mean? It means if you have a sentence that could be split up into two different complete sentences, you should use a comma between them but ONLY if you use one of the following coordining subjunctives:
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
(I remember them by calling them the FANBOYS)
Ex: The weather was nice, yet our mood did not improve.
Ex: Twilight is not a good book, but Jacob Black is awesome.
Ex: I realized Edward supresses Bella's female independence, so I don't like that part about him.
But how do you know if you really have two independent clauses in the same sentence? An independent clause needs both a subject and a verb. Just keep in mind that one independent clause can have more than one subject or verb. These are all single independent clauses:
Jack ran up the hill.
The party was over.
Bella punched a werewolf in the face and then ran away.
Embry and Quil don't play fair.
Jacob and Bella marry and make babies.
So when you you've got two of those suckers in the same sentence with one of the FANBOYS in between them, you should use a comma.
Incorrect: Jack ran up the hill so the party was over.
Correct: Jack ran up the hill, so the party was over.
Look at how you have a subject and a verb on BOTH sides of the comma. If you wanted to, you could get rid of the "so" and split the sentence into two separate sentences that still make sense on their own.
PLEASE NOTE: "Because" is NOT a FANBOY, so there is no need to put a comma before it in this context (even though there is a subject and a verb on both sides).
Incorrect: Jill did a flip, because she was having so much fun.
Correct: Jill did a flip because she was having so much fun.
Direct Address
When you have a character say someone's name in a direct address, set it off with a comma.
Ex: "Bella, where have you been?"
Ex: "I'm sorry, Jake, but we ran out of chocolate milk."
Ex: "There's no time for foreplay, Embry!"
Introductory Clauses/Words
Introductory clauses at the beginning of the sentence should be set off by commas. Some key words you want to keep an eye out for because they often signal the beginning of an introductory clause:
while
if
because
when
as
since
after
although
while
Ex: While Jack and Jill were fetching water, the storm blew in.
Ex: If Bella chooses Edward, I will never forgive her.
Ex: Because Jacob is a sexy beast, he doesn't need to wear a shirt.
EX: When your heart stops beating, I'll stop loving you.
Introductory words to look out for because they need a comma after them:
yes
no
well
however
Ex: Yes, we had fun.
Ex: Well, that was a really crappy way to end the series.
Non-Essential Clauses
If you put a word/clause/phrase in the middle of a sentence that you don't NEED to understand the meaning of the sentence, set it off with two commas.
Ex: If we're going to do this, however, you need to take it seriously.
Ex: We bought him Call of Duty, which is a violent game, for his birthday.
Ex: There were times, of course, when I thought Edward and Bella were cute together.
Just keep in mind that there are clauses which are essential and shouldn't be set off by commas.
Incorrect: The picture, that you just took, is my favorite one.
Correct: The picture that you just took is my favorite one.
Speaker Tags
When you use dialogue and include a speaker tag before or after the dialogue, you should use a comma.
Ex: Bella murmured, "I love you."
Ex: "I love you," Bella murmured.
Ex: "I love you," Bella murmured, "but it's not enough."
Notice how if you put the speaker tag after the dialogue, then you replace the period inside the quotation marks with a comma. HOWEVER, this is not the case with a question mark.
Incorrect: "Why are you doing this," Jacob asked.
Correct: "Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked.
Of course there are other instances when commas are appropriate, but these are the cases that I most often see done incorrectly. Again, I'm not an expert, and I make these mistakes in my own writing at times, but I'm confident that I'm not telling you something that's incorrect. I hope it helps!
I double checked some of these things at this site.