Yet more on commas

When you start a sentence with a phrase like this in sentence, you put a comma after the phrase.

Here are some examples:

After the cat ate dinner, she cleaned her face.

In the living room, the cat claimed the softest chair.

When the kitten realized he was big enough, he began jumping on the counter.

If the cats would stop scratching the furniture, I'd have a nicer-looking house.

Look back over those examples and take the commas out. You'll be able to see how the sentences run together without the commas and make more sense with them.

More on buts and commas

As I went over in an earlier post, if you have a sentence with but, and then an action or feeling or some kind of response or insight, always put a but, comma.

Times you should not do this are in these examples:

It was but noon when the people gave the heard of cats treats.

Commas and Buts

Usually a "but" should be preceded by a comma:

Spooky had her kittens, but she wasn't finished her hunting career just yet.

Some people like to put a comma after "but" when "but" starts a sentence.

But, the kittens were lonely while she hunted.

I hear that's the correct way to do it.

However, not having a comma after "but" can make a sentence punchier.

But Spooky prowled the night anyway.

When I'm editing and a "but" begins a sentence, I let the author do it however they see fit. My job is to make it consistent throughout the text.

Some editing rules can be bent for stylistic purposes. If it works, it works.

More on Commas

Commas are the biggest problem I find in editing. Here are a few more tips to learn how to use them properly.

"Meow," said the cat purring.

Should be:

"Meow," said the cat, purring.

If you have an action separate from the statement, then there should be a comma.

Another example:

Incorrect:

"I hate dogs!" screamed the cat jumping on the table to escape the pup.

Correct:

"I hate dogs!" screamed the cat, jumping on the table to escape the pup.

Sometimes you don't need a comma.

Incorrect:

"I want to eat a bird," said the cat, as he licked his chops.

Correct:

"I want to eat a bird," said the cat as he licked his chops.

Here his action smoothly moves along without the comma.

Comma, but...

Whenever you have a "but" in a sentence, you should precede it with a comma.

Incorrect:

The cat jumped but didn't make the top of the bookcase.

Correct:

The cat jumped, but didn't make the top of the bookcase.

Dialog Tags and Punctuation

Here are a few things to take note of when writing dialog tags.

Incorrect:

"That dog better stay out of our yard." Said the cat.

Correct:

"That dog better stay out of our yard," said the cat.

Sentences in dialog where you have the character's dialog tag should end in a comma, question mark, or exclamation point. Then the quotes. Then starting in lower-case, finish the thought.


Incorrect:

"He's a wimp. I can puff my tail and he'll whimper back to his mommy," said the other cat licking his shoulder.

Correct:

"He's a wimp. I can puff my tail and he'll whimper back to his mommy," said the other cat, licking his shoulder.

Put a comma after the tag if the character does something.


Incorrect:

"I'm scared of that dog," the third cat said, as she put her ears back.

Correct:

"I'm scared of that dog," the third cat said as she put her ears back.

If the action after the tag continues the character's thought with words like "as" or "and," there is no comma.

Commas, commas, commas. Sometimes ya gotta take them out.

Commas seem to be where writers get the most confused. Often writers use them as though they are a breath in a spoken sentence. Knowing when to take a comma out can make a sentence punchier and keep the flow of the scene tighter.

For example:

The cat ran outside, and into the shed, to escape the dog, who badly wanted to eat him.

Lots of commas. Try this:

The cat ran outside and into the shed to escape the dog, who badly wanted to eat him.

Long, Skinny Necks.

I have been very happy with the work I have received. Reading every day, all day is a dream come true. I would like to offer editing and proofreading advice as part of this blog.

Today, commas in descriptions. He might have quite a neck on him, but is it a long skinny neck, or a long, skinny neck? The second is the right one, grammatically.

But what about times when you don't have a comma in descriptions? An example of this is, "Ratty blond hair." A comma is okay, but you can get away without it if it pleases you.

The man had a long, skinny neck and ratty blond hair. Long and skinny both describe the neck, but ratty can describe the color or the hair.