Plain English

by Marian Wharton

CLAUSES USED IN A SERIES

500. Sometimes clauses are used without the co-ordinate conjunction and a comma is used to indicate the omission. For example:

• Do not moan, do not submit, do not kneel, do not pray, do not wait.
• Speak as you mean, do as you profess, perform what you promise.

RULE 2.

501. Explanatory and introductory expressions, words in direct address, parenthetical words and phrases, are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

Note carefully the following examples:

• Jaures, the great French Socialist, was the first martyr to peace.
• War having been declared, the troops were mobilized.
• No, I cannot believe you.
• Mr. Chairman, I desire to speak to the convention.
• We can, of course, give you the information you desire.

RULE 3.

502. Words, phrases or clauses written in the sentence out of their natural order should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

These words, phrases and clauses are often written at the beginning of the sentences or at the end of the sentences, or in some place out of their natural order, for the sake of emphasis, instead of with the words they modify.

Notice in the following sentences how these words, phrases and clauses are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Rewrite these sentences, placing these words, phrases and clauses in their natural order and omit the commas.

• Longingly and anxiously, he waited.
• With this exception, the figures are correct.
• The music, sweet and dreamy, floated upon the air.
• The waves came rolling in, white with foam.
• To deceive the men, he resorted to shameful tricks.
• Before anyone else could speak, he was on his feet.

RULE 4.

503. Co-ordinate clauses, when closely related in meaning are separated by commas. The comma should precede the co-ordinate conjunction. For example:

• I have not intended to detain you, but the matter required explanation.

RULE 5.

504. The omission of the verb in a sentence or a clause should be indicated by a comma. Sometimes in writing for effect or to give emphasis we omit the verb in the sentence; at other times we omit the verb when the same verb occurs in a series of brief sentences, and its continued use would mean a tiresome repetition. For example:

• Reading maketh a full man; conference, a ready man; writing, an exact man.

Here the verb is omitted in the last two clauses and the omission is indicated by the use of the comma.

RULE 6.

505. Short, direct quotations should be preceded by a comma. For example:

• Their slogan is, "An injury to one is the concern of all."
• Ferrer's last words were, "Long live the modern school."

RULE 7.

506. Separate the figures in large numbers into groups of three figures each by the use of commas. For example:

• The population of the United States has now reached 100,000,000.
• According to the census of 1900, there are 29,073,233 people engaged in gainful occupations in the United States.

Exercise 1

Supply commas in the following sentences in the proper places:

1. Food clothes and shelter are the fundamental needs of life.
2. We believe in education free from theocracy aristocracy or plutocracy.
3. Man is the master of nature of law of life.
4. We shall struggle rebel arise and claim all being for our own.
5. Sickness and suffering sorrow and despair crime and war are the fruits of poverty.
6. You should seek after knowledge steadily faithfully and perseveringly.
7. The most inspiring powerful and impressive oratory is the voice of the disinherited.
8. Through your united almighty strength order shall become equity law shall become liberty duty shall become love and religion shall become truth.
9. First let us consider the main question.
10. Mr. President I rise to a point of order.
11. We the workers of the world must unite.
12. The class struggle being a fact why should we hesitate to join our class?
13. You have not it seems understood the issue.
14. Of all our needs education is the greatest.
15. Regularly and monotonously the machine whirs to and fro.
16. Before any one can take special training he must have a good knowledge of English.
17. We plead for education universal and free.
18. The first ingredient in conversation is truth the next good sense the third good humor and the fourth wit.
19. The slogan of the People's College is The education of the workers by the workers.
20. According to the last census the enrollment of the schools of the United States is 18521002.
21. There are 4611000 in the first grade and 155000 in the last year of high school.