We've covered our friend the Oxford comma more than once: in 2008 with A Very Special Comma and as a Blast from the Past earlier this year.

But if those articles weren't enough to convince you, there's this cartoon from Tumblr user Lush-mana.

( It's probably safe for work, but we'll tuck it under the cut just in case. )

It is with great pleasure that I answer the 200th question at fandom_grammar! 200 questions is a lot of grammar and we’re looking forward to answering 200 more.

How do you indicate pauses or hesitation in narration and dialogue? (ex. hesitant speech, for emphasis, pauses for breath)
( with examples from Stargate: SG-1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Doctor Who. )

Our next question comes from lacygrey:

What is the proper comma use with "therefore"?

( An excellent question! Let’s take a look under the cut.... )

Welcome to this week's installment of Blast from the Past! Today we'll be revisiting "a very special comma," also known as the Oxford comma, the Harvard comma, and the serial or series comma. (Can you spot the very special comma in the previous sentence ( Read more... )

campylobacter asked:

Can one interrupt dialogue with first person narration? (with examples from Firefly, Stargate SG-1, and The X-Files)

The short answer is yes.

( The long answer is under the cut. )

In the previous punctuation post, skroberts discussed terminal punctuation-punctuation that ends sentences-and punctuation that is used to hang related thoughts together. In this post I'll be discussing punctuation that is used to give additional information, as in a parenthetical, punctuation that is used to pause or omit, and the almighty comma.

( Onward to Commas, Em Dashes, Ellipses, Parentheses, and Square Brackets )

I'm doing a pinch hit this week. The writer for the planned feature has come down with a case of the Real Life, so I'm cobbling this together at the last minute. Thankfully, I'm well-versed in the topic at hand. Are you?

Poll A Special Comma

( A Special Comma with examples from Stargate: SG-1 )

sutlers wanted to know:

In dialogue, is it "Shit," he said, and ran. or "Shit," he said and ran.? (with examples from Heroes and Supernatural)

This question is actually about comma usage in general, not just dialogue specifically.

( Meanwhile, on the other side of the cut... )