Essential and Nonessential Elements, Part III
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Essential and Nonessential Elements, Part III
See what you can infer from this sentence: When my three siblings and I entered the dark house, my brother, Marky, got scared. A careful reader would know instantly that the author had one brother and two sisters.
Why? Because of the commas surrounding Marky, which tell us that the brother’s name is nonessential. The commas enable the writer to say my only brother, whose name is Marky in three words.
Suppose the writer had entered the house with three brothers. In that case, my brother got scared would not tell us enough. With more than one brother involved, the sentence would have to say my brother Marky got scared—no commas. The absence of commas makes the brother’s name an essentialelement, and it is essential because without Marky we wouldn’t know which brother the writer meant.
Along the same lines: Mark Twain published his beloved book, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” in 1876. The commas must go; the book’s title is essential. It is undeniable that Twain wrote more than one beloved book. Without commas the sentence would say what it means: that Twain wrote many beloved books, and Tom Sawyer is one of them. If the book’s title were nonessential, then Mark Twain published his beloved book in 1876 would not be such an inadequate sentence.
Here’s a comma gaffe many inexperienced writers make: The film features the world-famous actor, Robert De Niro. Delete the comma fencing off Robert De Niro. It mistakenly tells the reader that the actor’s name is nonessential—but the sentence makes little sense without De Niro’s name in it.
The terms wife and husband always require commas in sentences like this: My wife, Marie, enjoyed meeting your husband, Lucas. This is because we can have only one spouse at a time, so their first names are nonessential, supplementary information.
Note: The following sentence is an exception to the wife-husband rule above: Cuthbert Simms and wife Marie sailed to the Bahamas last weekend. No comma is called for because in that sentence wife is not a noun, but rather an adjective modifying Marie.
The rule for grandmother and grandfather is the opposite of the wife-husband rule. This sentence is correct without commas: My grandmother Bess thinks your grandfather Horace is a twit. Everyone has two biological grandmothers and two biological grandfathers, so the names Bess and Horace are essential information.
Punctuation proficiency is crucial to serious writing. Don’t take the humble little comma for granted.
Pop Quiz
Correct the following as needed.
1. Bertram’s wife Deluxa was late to the ball.
2. My only sister Julia left with husband Mike on their annual vacation.
3. Hedley’s cousin Jaden did not meet my grandfather, Otis, until this morning.
4. An actor, named Robert De Niro, showed great potential in his early film, The Wedding Party.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Bertram’s wife, Deluxa, was late to the ball. (commas added; Deluxa is nonessential)
2. My only sister, Julia, left with husband Mike on their annual vacation. (commas added because Julia is nonessential; no comma after husband because it is an adjective modifying Mike)
3. Hedley’s cousin Jaden did not meet my grandfather Otis until this morning. (no commas because Jaden and Otis are essential information)
4. An actor named Robert De Niro showed great potential in his early film The Wedding Party. (no commas because the actor’s name and the title of one of his early films are essential information)
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Note: “The following sentence is an exception to the wife-husband rule above: Cuthbert Simms and wife Marie sailed to the Bahamas last weekend. No comma is called for because in that sentence wife is not a noun, but rather an adjective modifying Marie.”
Are you sure about this? Wife is an adjective?
Confused Retired English Teacher Amelia
Teacher is an adjective; therefore, I do not need a comma?
In English, nouns become adjectives all the time. Here are three in two sentences: Here comes the ice cream man. Do you have room for a dessert option after your steak dinner?
Yes, teacher is an adjective in your phrase “confused retired English teacher Amelia.” You do not need a comma.
I read this dedication in “Gramatically Correct”:
“To the memory of my mother, Ruth”
Gregg Reference Manual (9th edition, page 32) suggests in their example, “My wife Eve…” has no comma because “they are read as a unit.”
Your opinion, please.
Thanks,
Our post “Commas with Appositives” explains that an appositive is a word or word group that defines or further identifies the noun or noun phrase preceding it. The post states, “When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive.” The word mother provides sufficient identification on its own. Therefore, unless you have more than one mother or more than one wife, a comma should be used before the appositives “Ruth” and “Eve.”
Should you use a comma before and after “and”?
EX. 1: He was going to the store and, before he pulled out his wallet, he made sure that his hat was on.
EX. 2: He was going to the store, and, before he pulled out his wallet, he made sure that his hat was on.
Which one would be correct? The first one doesn’t have a comma, the second one does.
When I read old literature, the second seems to be common practice; however, modern literature seems to prefer EX. 1.
What gives?
Both sentences can be justified. However, the editing tendency today is to minimize commas. Therefore, most editors would likely prefer the first example.
I seem to struggle a fair bit with run-on sentences.
Could you please provide clarification on whether I’m grammatically correct or not for the following sentences?
Unlike other fast food franchises, subway offer a range of healthy, fresh salads.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, lilly will not be joining us today.
Unfortunately, I can not attend todays meeting, due to having a cold.
I was thinking of going out this weekend. I need a break from studying my books.
Not only did you forget your stationary, you also forgot your notepad.
After evaluating both brands, I decided to purchase the samsung galaxy phone, due to its remarkable camera.
Thankyou so much for providing this fantastic service to assist others in improving their grammar.
Your sentences are not run-on sentences, although they could use some cleaning up in other areas.
Is it grammar or punctuation related ?
Your sentences contain capitalization, grammar, and punctuation errors.