Writing and Punctuation / Improving your punctuation / Punctuation - commas

P unctuation – commas

“The use of commas cannot be learned by rule” (Gowers 1986 p155)

The use of commas is a combination of common sense, style and rules. Use a comma where you would normally pause if you were speaking or reading aloud. There are some areas, however, that students systematically have difficulties with.

1. Commas after adverbials at the beginning of a sentence

• In addition,

• Several years ago,

• After this,

2. Commas after extra information – in these sentences the information between the commas can be deleted without affecting the main idea of the sentence.

• Kevin Rudd, who is the current Prime Minister, was elected in 2007.

• Bond University, established in 1987, received the highest ratings in Australia in the Good Universities Guide.

• The Gold Coast, where many people come on holiday, is situated on the east coast of Australia.

Add the appropriate punctuation to the following texts.

1. Since the early 1990’s the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has revolutionised our lives.

2. In an era marked by increasingly repressive policies regarding asylum-seekers 2005 witnessed two seemingly unconnected countries Australia and Japan soften their laws on the detention of unlawful asylum seekers.

3. According to Giallombardo (1966) women alleviated the pains of imprisonment by developing kinship links with other inmates. Similarly Heffernan (1972) found that adaptation to prison was facilitated by the creation of a pseudo family creating strong bonds between prisoners.

4. In general the arbitration has to some extent the same limitations to the applicable law as a judge in a national forum has.

5. They can among other things provide guidance on the processes and procedures.

Answers

1. Since the early 1990’s, the internet , which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , has revolutionised our lives.

2. In an era marked by increasingly repressive policies regarding asylum-seekers, 2005 witnessed two seemingly unconnected countries, Australia and Japan, soften their laws on the detention of unlawful asylum seekers.

3. According to Giallombardo (1966), women alleviated the pains of imprisonment by developing kinship links with other inmates. Similarly, Heffernan (1972) found that adaptation to prison was facilitated by the creation of a pseudo family, creating strong bonds between prisoners.

4. In general, the arbitration has, to some extent , the same limitations to the applicable law as a judge in a national forum has.

5. They can, among other things, provide guidance on the processes and procedures.

IMPORTANT!

It would be far more direct and easier to read to adjust sentences 4 and 5 this way:

• In general, to some extent the arbitration has the same limitations to the applicable law as a judge in a national forum has.

• Among other things, they can provide guidance on the processes and procedures.

Remember that you are writing to communicate your ideas as clearly as possible. Make it easy on your reader – your lecturer will appreciate it!

Gowers E. 1986. The Complete Plain Words. 3rd edition (revised by Greenbaum S.

and Whitcut J). London: Penguin Books,