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Hub You - Punctuation Help 101: Powerful Writing Help through Comma Usage (Part 2 of 2)
Logo! What does it represent? This is a basic question that comes to the mind, when we think of a logo. Logo is the smallest and the shortest form to convey the identity, thoughts, vision, and intentions of a person, or a corporate. It is also a symbol and representative of corporate mission. This could also be used by social groups or organizations to express their ideals, or views on different social aspects. Logo’s can also be used by a group of educationist, trying to promote physical sciences, social sciences, historical interpretation/facts, geographical facts, and many other educational fields with a view to spread knowledge among the people interested in that area or strengthen their groups.Logo’s, when used by a company, business establishment or a corporate body is generally to represent their business interest, vision and derive material/monetary benefits th
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
The Minnesota State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:Department of Revenue Taxpayer Info. Technical Support 10 River Park Plaza, Mail Station 6501 St. Paul, MN 55146-6501 (651) 282-9999 (800) 657-3594 www.taxes.state.mn.us/Minnesota does not require you to use a state form to calculate state income tax withholding.Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Minnesota cafeteria plans are not taxable for income tax calculation; taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.In Minnesota supplemental wages are taxed at a 6.25% flat rate.You mu
The most misused of all marks—the comma—will appear before you in a new way: clearly and understandably. The second step rests on mastery of its more stylistic uses.
With appositives
Appositives rename nouns:
- California’s capital, Sacramento, lies in northern California.
- Jim’s brother John will be here shortly.
Sacramento and John are appositives because they gave us another name for the nouns capital and brother. What does this have to do with comma usage? A great deal. Did you notice that the first example has commas around its appositive while the second example doesn’t have commas around its? Why? Well . . . Say I have two brothers: Jim and Tom. I tell you:
- My brother is going to visit us later tonight.
“Which brother?” you say in wonder. To be more specific, I add the appositive Jim:
- My brother (Jim) is going to visit us later tonight.
Should commas surround Jim? The answer: no, if the appositive limits the possible meanings of the noun it renames; and yes, if it doesn’t limit its possible meanings. Our answer then is—no. Why? Because brother, by itself, has two possible meanings—Jim or Tom—adding our appositive—Jim—limits the meaning to only Jim. To contrast, what does this sentence imply?
- My brother, Jim, is going to visit us later tonight.
Commas surround Jim, so we know that it doesn’t limit the possible meanings of brother; therefore, I know the writer of the sentence has only one brother—Jim. Real-world examples from the NYTimes.com:
- “The McCain, Graham, Warner trio really fought back and prevented the administration from winning its effort to reinterpret Common Article 3,” said Jennifer Daskal, the United States advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
- Our appositive, in bold, doesn’t limit the possible meanings of Jennifer Daskal—there is only one such person—so commas are used.
- But Japan is the country that elevated the American quality guru W. Edwards Deming to virtual sainthood and conquered global markets with its eminently reliable cars, cameras and computers.
- Our appositive, in bold, limits the possible meanings of the American quality guru—it could be any American businessperson—by narrowing down the possibilities to one—W. Edwards Deming—so no commas are used.
To expand: we can apply this principle to all extra information—information added to a sentence’s subject-verb core. When information “limits” or gives important details, don’t use commas; and, when it doesn’t “limit” but only gives non-essential details, use commas.
Practice
To clarify, inspect this real-world example taken from the essay My Father Is a Book, written by Janna Malamud Smith and published in the 2004 edition of The Best American Essays series. Identify only the non-essential information set off or enclosed by commas and ignore all other comma uses:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
To check your work, non-essential information appears in bold, and where two such bits of information come together, we’ve underlined one to distinguish it from the other:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
Break down:
- , about a poor southern family.
- non-essential information
- ,Vardamon,
- appositive for boy
- , merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat.
- non-essential information
- , a wacko matra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost,
- appositive for expression
- , the queer story he tells himself.
- appositive for guidepost
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
Marketing your business online is all about showing that you have something to offer your visitors that your competitors do not have. Marketing your small business online means reaching out to your current customers as well as prospective customers and setting yourself apart.Successful small business Internet marketing is all about establishing relationships. Just as customers in your brick and mortar store have a chance to come in and get to know you, online customers need to be given the chance to learn more about what you do and to decide that they want to do business with you.This is where the concept of your small biz online marketing funnel comes in. Your small biz online marketing funnel is a means by which you can - over time - find new customers and increase your small business sales.Your small biz online marketing funnel is not unlike the local
- My brother, Jim, is going to visit us later tonight.
Commas surround Jim, so we know that it doesn’t limit the possible meanings of brother; therefore, I know the writer of the sentence has only one brother—Jim. Real-world examples from the NYTimes.com:
- “The McCain, Graham, Warner trio really fought back and prevented the administration from winning its effort to reinterpret Common Article 3,” said Jennifer Daskal, the United States advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
- Our appositive, in bold, doesn’t limit the possible meanings of Jennifer Daskal—there is only one such person—so commas are used.
- But Japan is the country that elevated the American quality guru W. Edwards Deming to virtual sainthood and conquered global markets with its eminently reliable cars, cameras and computers.
- Our appositive, in bold, limits the possible meanings of the American quality guru—it could be any American businessperson—by narrowing down the possibilities to one—W. Edwards Deming—so no commas are used.
To expand: we can apply this principle to all extra information—information added to a sentence’s subject-verb core. When information “limits” or gives important details, don’t use commas; and, when it doesn’t “limit” but only gives non-essential details, use commas.
Practice
To clarify, inspect this real-world example taken from the essay My Father Is a Book, written by Janna Malamud Smith and published in the 2004 edition of The Best American Essays series. Identify only the non-essential information set off or enclosed by commas and ignore all other comma uses:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
To check your work, non-essential information appears in bold, and where two such bits of information come together, we’ve underlined one to distinguish it from the other:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
Break down:
- , about a poor southern family.
- non-essential information
- ,Vardamon,
- appositive for boy
- , merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat.
- non-essential information
- , a wacko matra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost,
- appositive for expression
- , the queer story he tells himself.
- appositive for guidepost
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
The booklet is defined as a marketing material that is utilized by businesses to give life to their marketing campaign. Booklets are data sheets that come in various colors. They are available in different forms which include catalogs, pamphlets and annual reports.When designing a booklet, it is essential to take into consideration to its design and printing. You must exercise utmost attention to detail when planning for your booklet. Keep in mind that the booklet should have the proper margin to allow enough space for the holes for binding. You must also consider the color of the booklet and see if it will fit to your budget.When it comes to the booklet cover, one thing that you must remember is that tells something about your company. So it’s important to deliberate on what design will make your booklet noticeable. Evaluate the designs that are available. Sele
To expand: we can apply this principle to all extra information—information added to a sentence’s subject-verb core. When information “limits” or gives important details, don’t use commas; and, when it doesn’t “limit” but only gives non-essential details, use commas.
Practice
To clarify, inspect this real-world example taken from the essay My Father Is a Book, written by Janna Malamud Smith and published in the 2004 edition of The Best American Essays series. Identify only the non-essential information set off or enclosed by commas and ignore all other comma uses:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
To check your work, non-essential information appears in bold, and where two such bits of information come together, we’ve underlined one to distinguish it from the other:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
Break down:
- , about a poor southern family.
- non-essential information
- ,Vardamon,
- appositive for boy
- , merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat.
- non-essential information
- , a wacko matra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost,
- appositive for expression
- , the queer story he tells himself.
- appositive for guidepost
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
There are over 78 million Baby Boomers, and a lot of them are getting ready to start new careers as they enter a new stage in their lives and prepare to reenter the work force.Many people in their forties, fifties and sixties who consider themselves part of the new middle aged group are searching for new careers where they can take advantage of their vast experience and prior successes.Some have decided to start a second career because they need more money to fund the type of lifestyle they want to continue to enjoy.Some have decided to start a new career because they feel good and just don’t want to retire.Some like the sense of accomplishment that comes from working and being creative.Whatever the reason, there is a large group of people who want to find something to do that can bring them income and or personal satisfaction, and the abili
To check your work, non-essential information appears in bold, and where two such bits of information come together, we’ve underlined one to distinguish it from the other:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying, about a poor Southern family. As you might recall, the youngest boy, Vardamon, has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused, merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself, a wacko mantra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost, the queer story he tells himself.
Break down:
- , about a poor southern family.
- non-essential information
- ,Vardamon,
- appositive for boy
- , merging her with the dead creature that the assembled mourners eventually cook and eat.
- non-essential information
- , a wacko matra that—in the midst of the grievous chaos and staggering adult incompetence—becomes his guidepost,
- appositive for expression
- , the queer story he tells himself.
- appositive for guidepost
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
As human beings we tend to label things, to generalize things, to simplify, so that we can assimilate the tons and tons of information that are being dumped our way every single waking hour. We become so good at it that it becomes a subconscious activity. To demonstrate:You won’t notice your breathing pattern (until I mentioned it), the weight of your body on your bum that is being supported by the chair (until I mentioned it), even your urge to blink right now. You just blinked didn’t you?Ok, Ok, so what has that got to do with increasing profits? Simple! We tend to shut out things that are ‘common occurrence’, ‘the norm’, and ‘the standard’ in favor of paying attention to things that stand out and are different. Knowing that, you can easily and very consciously set up your business/service/product/offer to be different than what is on the
Now from what remains, identify the essential information:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Essential information appears in bold:
- When I was seventeen or so, I read William Faulkner’s novel As I lay Dying. As you might recall, the youngest boy has caught a large fish the same day his mother dies, and in the density of emotion he becomes confused. “My mother is a fish,” he observes, and then intones the expression to himself.
Break down:
- As I Lay Dying
- appositive for novel
- his mother dies
- essential information
- in the density of emotion
- essential information
- to himself
- essential information
Know that determining whether some pieces of information are essential or non-essential lies with the writer and not with formal rules, so develop your own style with commas. And for a little solace when you run into murky comma waters, a quote from a late, great writer:
- I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.
- Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)
Done. Remember: everything takes time to master, and comma usage is no different; but, the mastery will reward those who put out the effort with a degree of clarity in writing that will make it well worth it.
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