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The
Cost of a Comma Where does that comma go? Here, there, or leave it
out altogether? Recently, I attended a grammar and proof reading
workshop where they told the following story – one with a message relevant to
anyone who deals with contracts or legal papers, including real estate
documents. John Smith lived a good, long life of ninety-one
years, and passed away in his sleep one night at home. John was a man who was known for his fairness. John was also known as a family man that loved his
three children, Mary, Steve, and John Jr. John left quite an inheritance to his children. The
estate included Real Estate, stocks, bonds, and a large sum of cash as well. Unfortunately, there was a significant age difference between Mary and Steve, and their younger brother, John Jr. They never seemed to see eye to eye on things. Each had their own attorney present at the reading of
the will. The will was read, and seemed to be clear. “I,
John Smith, bequest all that I have to be equally divided between my children,
Mary Smith, Steve Smith and John Smith Jr.”, read the will. No problem, right? Not so fast! John Jr. says he has the right to half
the entire estate. He claims that Dad wrote the will properly, and that Dad’s
intention was to give him half, and his brother and sister each a quarter. Mary and Steve disagreed. They are sure that Dad intended to have the estate divided in three equal shares. The names have been changed, but the story is true. Court ruling was in favor of John Jr. Had a comma been inserted after Steve’s name in the above wording, the estate would have been divided in three equal parts. Yet, if you’re like me, you’ve been taught that
there is no comma necessary in the above wording. Indeed, it would actually be
improper. So what brings about changes in the English language?
Do such weighty matters hang on the balance of a comma? Yes, they do. Once a year pre-qualified, selected graduates from
Universities across the country gather to discuss changes to the English
language. Upon due process, recommendations are picked up and
reflected in future curriculum. Style guides pick up the changes as well, i.e. The
Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Styles Guide. Here’s a few of the things I learned in review of
comma use. Use a comma: ·
In a
sentence where two complete thoughts are separated by but, or, yet, so, for, and, or nor. ·
When
three or more items are listed in a series, place a comma before the and
preceding the last item or person, (today’s story). ·
Between
consecutive adjectives where the comma
is used instead of the word and.
Example: Mary despised John JR’s dark, moody demeanor. ·
To set
off parenthetical information. Example: Mary, the executor of the estate, was
present at all meetings. ·
To set
off the name of anyone you are addressing directly.
Example: “Let’s end this fight, Mary, with half the estate being
mine,” John Jr. said. In the future, scrutinize the use of punctuation, especially in documents that significantly affect your life. And don’t let any costly commas or John JR’s get the best of you!
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