Hi, this is KB again. Let's discuss planning for an exam. As we discussed last time, you need to review the entire text. When you look this over, you need to develop a feasible time plan that allows to review ALL the material. Any goal you set must be realistic and achievable in your time plan. In fact, you should review your goals daily to ensure they you are moving forward with your plan.
Blackboard is a good place to post study questions on exam materials because you may find other students have many of the same questions. However, it is important that you understand the material in your texts. This should not be a problem if you have managed to do the assignments. The study skills tutor can assist you with keeping on top of your goals if you have problems in this regard. She can also phone you via Skype to keep you on top of your progress toward the exam and make suggestions if you are having problems in studying.
Take out a daytime planner and divide your text up into portions for review purposes. I strongly urge students to vary their routine to keep themselves alert. Not only should you search for themes in the texts, you should consider the kind of questions that might appear on the exam. When you run into difficulty with your goals, it is often because they are not realistic and achievable. Remember a goal is "a dream with a deadline". Your deadline is the date of the exam. Your goal is to succeed in passing them.
KB
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Exams: The First Step
During the year students write me about exams. One of the most frequent questions is "What do I study?" or "How much to I study?". Often a student will say "I'm not expected to read and review the entire text am I?" Sadly, the answer to this question is yes, you must review and study the entire text. Any material from the text can and will often appear on the exam. If a student has not read through the complete text, student can fail the exam because they are unprepared.
The next question we must ask is why does this happen? Frequently, students are so busy when they are taking a module they actually never read the textbook at all. So, when they read the text for the exam this is actually a first read-through. This shouldn't happen, but it does. Students are so busy doing their assignments for all their modules, they never read the texts. Consequently, at exam time reading the text is an onorous, exasperating job. Students decide they would rather skip this task and read selected subjects, assuming that they have prior knowledge of the exam based on previous assignments.
This is a serious mistake. Exams are meant to review comprehensive knowledge of the subject - knowledge that can only be gained by reviewing the text in its entirety. If you have read through the text at least once, it will make this job easier. You can also look for themes in the text and ask yourself questions as you read through the materials. It would, however, be a serious error not to undergo a rigorous review of your text before you study for your exams. In the next posting, we will discuss planning for your exam further.
KB
The next question we must ask is why does this happen? Frequently, students are so busy when they are taking a module they actually never read the textbook at all. So, when they read the text for the exam this is actually a first read-through. This shouldn't happen, but it does. Students are so busy doing their assignments for all their modules, they never read the texts. Consequently, at exam time reading the text is an onorous, exasperating job. Students decide they would rather skip this task and read selected subjects, assuming that they have prior knowledge of the exam based on previous assignments.
This is a serious mistake. Exams are meant to review comprehensive knowledge of the subject - knowledge that can only be gained by reviewing the text in its entirety. If you have read through the text at least once, it will make this job easier. You can also look for themes in the text and ask yourself questions as you read through the materials. It would, however, be a serious error not to undergo a rigorous review of your text before you study for your exams. In the next posting, we will discuss planning for your exam further.
KB
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Positive Self Talk : Succeeding in your programme
Success is not just a question of doing the 'do' things: studying, getting your assignments in on time, planning and managing your workload and keeping in touch with your tutor and other students through Blackboard, it is also about giving yourself positive messages. This is a facet of the programme that students often neglect. Believing in yourself and your abilities is the most important aspect of academic success. We can do this through positive self talk.
Consider this scenario:
Daphne has failed her first MBA exams. They were written in what Daphne considered difficult circumstances. That is, the classroom in which she wrote her exams had uncomfortable chairs, dirty desks and constant background traffic. What should she do? She knows the next exam will likely be in the same place. She is worried she can't pass when she rewrites the exam in several months. How will positive self talk help her and what should she do?
First, Daphne needs to consider her abilities and the time she has available to organize her studying. She has realized that she had difficulty in writing her exams, not simply because the room was a poor place locale in which to write an exam, but that she didn't know a lot of the information in her textbooks and that meant she was unsure about what to write on the assigned questions. Now, she has organized herself and knows that she will need to study more hours per week than she did during her first try at the exams. In fact, with the help of the Skills Tutor, Daphne has spoken to her boss and realized that she could get extra time off work which will allow her to study at home when no one is there. She has also asked her husband to take the children out every Saturday to allow her to work and he has agreed to do this. This time she will look at the 'whole textbook' and make no assumptions about what material might be on the exam. However, Daphne was puzzled when the Skills Tutor told that she needed to help herself every day with positive self talk.
Daphne asked the tutor what this meant and the tutor asked her what kind of 'messages' she was giving herself everyday when she finished her study. Daphne told the tutor that, everyday when she completed her studies, she looked ahead at all the work she had yet to complete. In fact, she felt pretty discouraged when she looked at all the information that she hadn't covered. This made her feel bad before she began studying at her next study session. The tutor told her this was not a good way to study.
In fact, the tutor told Daphne to make a 'to do' list every day and cross off the items that she had reviewed using the SQ3R model (survey, question, read, recite and review). The tutor also told Daphne that she should actually talk to and tell herself that she was capable, that she was working toward a goal that she had set and that she could and would accomplish this goal.
Daphne thought this was rubbish but she made this list anyway. Dutifully, she crossed off items on the list every time she studied. She put the lists together at the end of the first week and saw how much information she had covered. She saw that she was actually ahead of schedule and that when she went into the exam she would be prepared. She felt less worried about the upcoming exam. She actually told herself out loud, as the tutor had suggested, that she could succeed and that she deserved this success after all the work and organization she'd done. She thought this was a bit silly, but next week she found she'd accomplished still more.
This is, in fact, a true story of a student I knew who was experiencing difficulty in rewriting an exam. It could also be the story of any student who is stuck and believes they cannot do the work. It can be difficult sometimes when you are working online on an MBA or MSc alone. There is no classroom or other students with which to share your difficulties in a social format. You must rely on yourself. You need to believe you can succeed. It is this belief that makes success in this programme easier. All the best until next time.
KB
Consider this scenario:
Daphne has failed her first MBA exams. They were written in what Daphne considered difficult circumstances. That is, the classroom in which she wrote her exams had uncomfortable chairs, dirty desks and constant background traffic. What should she do? She knows the next exam will likely be in the same place. She is worried she can't pass when she rewrites the exam in several months. How will positive self talk help her and what should she do?
First, Daphne needs to consider her abilities and the time she has available to organize her studying. She has realized that she had difficulty in writing her exams, not simply because the room was a poor place locale in which to write an exam, but that she didn't know a lot of the information in her textbooks and that meant she was unsure about what to write on the assigned questions. Now, she has organized herself and knows that she will need to study more hours per week than she did during her first try at the exams. In fact, with the help of the Skills Tutor, Daphne has spoken to her boss and realized that she could get extra time off work which will allow her to study at home when no one is there. She has also asked her husband to take the children out every Saturday to allow her to work and he has agreed to do this. This time she will look at the 'whole textbook' and make no assumptions about what material might be on the exam. However, Daphne was puzzled when the Skills Tutor told that she needed to help herself every day with positive self talk.
Daphne asked the tutor what this meant and the tutor asked her what kind of 'messages' she was giving herself everyday when she finished her study. Daphne told the tutor that, everyday when she completed her studies, she looked ahead at all the work she had yet to complete. In fact, she felt pretty discouraged when she looked at all the information that she hadn't covered. This made her feel bad before she began studying at her next study session. The tutor told her this was not a good way to study.
In fact, the tutor told Daphne to make a 'to do' list every day and cross off the items that she had reviewed using the SQ3R model (survey, question, read, recite and review). The tutor also told Daphne that she should actually talk to and tell herself that she was capable, that she was working toward a goal that she had set and that she could and would accomplish this goal.
Daphne thought this was rubbish but she made this list anyway. Dutifully, she crossed off items on the list every time she studied. She put the lists together at the end of the first week and saw how much information she had covered. She saw that she was actually ahead of schedule and that when she went into the exam she would be prepared. She felt less worried about the upcoming exam. She actually told herself out loud, as the tutor had suggested, that she could succeed and that she deserved this success after all the work and organization she'd done. She thought this was a bit silly, but next week she found she'd accomplished still more.
This is, in fact, a true story of a student I knew who was experiencing difficulty in rewriting an exam. It could also be the story of any student who is stuck and believes they cannot do the work. It can be difficult sometimes when you are working online on an MBA or MSc alone. There is no classroom or other students with which to share your difficulties in a social format. You must rely on yourself. You need to believe you can succeed. It is this belief that makes success in this programme easier. All the best until next time.
KB
Monday, June 28, 2010
Planning Your Time : Studying for Exams
Time management is the key to getting difficult or long projects finished. Many students write to me to discuss how they will best manage their time leading up to an examination. I have even had a monthly check-in with students. This helps to keep students on track when they are thinking about all the material they have to cover before the exams. I will do this for any student who asks, but first I ask the all-important question "How much time do you really have available to cover all the materials before the exam?"
Students want short cuts to getting through exams. This is natural; we all want short cuts. However, I always tell students writing exams for University of Leicester that these are comprehensive exams, that is, all the material in the text books is meant to be covered in detail. Making assumptions about what material might or might not be on any exam is not a good idea. This is because any of the material in the text might very well be covered by the exam. Knowing this, how do you plan for your studying and allow enough time to cover everything in the textbook?
First, you need to know exactly how much time you have to study each week. You should also split this time into several chunks. For example, four hours studying time on a Sunday is not as useful as four hours split out over several days. This is called 'distributed practice'. You should allow two hours of studying for every in-class hour as well; this is called the 'two-for-one rule'. Good study practice allows for 15 minute breaks every hour. Moreover, it is important to study thematically - placing similar ideas together.
Other ideas that help in studying are:
Chunking - Placing similar ideas together
Mnemonics - A way to develop acronyms to aid memory
Selecting Main Ideas - Selecting out the main ideas as an aid to memory
Defining Hierarchies - Placing ideas in a hierarchy so that major ideas are broken down into groups and subgroups of ideas
Integrating - Integrating the ideas into the subject as a whole
If you don't have enough time to study, a common problem for students who are working, you will need to find the time to study. You should also choose a time of peak efficiency for you, that is, a time when you are attentive and learn well, not when you are tired and forgetful. Speaking to employers is helpful, especially if they are invested in seeing you complete your degree and use your new skills at your job. Families can also be brought in to support your work. Lastly, you must use positive self talk to help give you that needed boost when you're working.
Looking over a timetable of the week will help you understand when you have study time. You should use this to help plan out your studying over several months. Good luck and good studying until next time.
KB
Students want short cuts to getting through exams. This is natural; we all want short cuts. However, I always tell students writing exams for University of Leicester that these are comprehensive exams, that is, all the material in the text books is meant to be covered in detail. Making assumptions about what material might or might not be on any exam is not a good idea. This is because any of the material in the text might very well be covered by the exam. Knowing this, how do you plan for your studying and allow enough time to cover everything in the textbook?
First, you need to know exactly how much time you have to study each week. You should also split this time into several chunks. For example, four hours studying time on a Sunday is not as useful as four hours split out over several days. This is called 'distributed practice'. You should allow two hours of studying for every in-class hour as well; this is called the 'two-for-one rule'. Good study practice allows for 15 minute breaks every hour. Moreover, it is important to study thematically - placing similar ideas together.
Other ideas that help in studying are:
Chunking - Placing similar ideas together
Mnemonics - A way to develop acronyms to aid memory
Selecting Main Ideas - Selecting out the main ideas as an aid to memory
Defining Hierarchies - Placing ideas in a hierarchy so that major ideas are broken down into groups and subgroups of ideas
Integrating - Integrating the ideas into the subject as a whole
If you don't have enough time to study, a common problem for students who are working, you will need to find the time to study. You should also choose a time of peak efficiency for you, that is, a time when you are attentive and learn well, not when you are tired and forgetful. Speaking to employers is helpful, especially if they are invested in seeing you complete your degree and use your new skills at your job. Families can also be brought in to support your work. Lastly, you must use positive self talk to help give you that needed boost when you're working.
Looking over a timetable of the week will help you understand when you have study time. You should use this to help plan out your studying over several months. Good luck and good studying until next time.
KB
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Still More About the Comma
Some of you have requested more on comma use. First, I'd like to take a minute to review sentence types. Then we'll see how you can use commas to improve clarity in your writing. There are simple sentences such as "I went home for my vacation." This sentence has one independent clause. A clause is any group of words with a subject and a predicate. There are several types of clauses: noun clauses, adverb clauses, adjective clauses. Okay, why is this important?
When sentences become longer and more complex, they may contain "independent clauses." A compound sentence contains one or more independent clause.s These are clauses that are linked to the main subject by a linking words such as "and, or, but, yet, so, for, nor". They are introduced by a comma.
A penny saved is a penny earned, but the earnings don't amount to much.
Reference:
Dodds, Jack & Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Handbook. (1998). Canadian ed. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 89.
Notice in the sentence above that all the information in the second half of the sentence could be divided into a separate sentence by removing the word "but" and putting in a full-stop or period.
This is not the case for a dependent clause. The following sentence is a complex sentence that contains an independent clause and a dependent clause. See that the first half of the sentence could not stand on its own as a sentence by small editorial changes.
When the hurricane altered its path, emergency bulletins were posted on the Miami TV channels.
When sentences become longer and more complex, they may contain "independent clauses." A compound sentence contains one or more independent clause.s These are clauses that are linked to the main subject by a linking words such as "and, or, but, yet, so, for, nor". They are introduced by a comma.
A penny saved is a penny earned, but the earnings don't amount to much.
Reference:
Dodds, Jack & Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Handbook. (1998). Canadian ed. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 89.
Notice in the sentence above that all the information in the second half of the sentence could be divided into a separate sentence by removing the word "but" and putting in a full-stop or period.
This is not the case for a dependent clause. The following sentence is a complex sentence that contains an independent clause and a dependent clause. See that the first half of the sentence could not stand on its own as a sentence by small editorial changes.
When the hurricane altered its path, emergency bulletins were posted on the Miami TV channels.
Again, we see that comma use here introduces main clauses such as:
"Emergency bulletins were posted..." .
Dodds and Jewinski (see above) suggest the following way to identify punctuation problems. First, does your writing sound choppy when you read it aloud? Second, does your punctuation cause you to stumble or misread sentences? In these cases, you need to rewrite your sentence by either removing commas to reduce choppiness or adding commas to improve clarity.
Until next time.
KB
"Emergency bulletins were posted..." .
Dodds and Jewinski (see above) suggest the following way to identify punctuation problems. First, does your writing sound choppy when you read it aloud? Second, does your punctuation cause you to stumble or misread sentences? In these cases, you need to rewrite your sentence by either removing commas to reduce choppiness or adding commas to improve clarity.
Until next time.
KB
Sunday, May 30, 2010
More Uses for the Comma: Part 2, A few rules
Last blog, we began our discussion of the comma. Let's pick this up in this posting.
This week, I'd like to point out that I used Lynn Quitman Troyka's book, "Quick Access: a reference for writers" to facilitate my discussion. The full citation is at the end of this blog.
Troyka uses a helpful table to assist students in using the comma. Most of the following information is drawn from her table, Comma Pattern (1998, 127).
Commas that link coordinating conjunctions that link independent clauses require a comma. Look at the following list of words:
"and, or, but for, nor, so and yet." If you use any of these words to link an independent clause (that is a sentence containing a noun and a verb), to another independent clause then you must use a comma. For example:
This wasn't the first time that she cheated on her husband, nor would it be the last time.
Commas are used after an introductory phrase:
Example:
After returning from the prince's ball, Cinderella put on her old gown.
Or an introductory phase:
Example:
In the Prince's hand, he held one tiny crystal slipper.
On the night of the ball, Cinderella had received a beautiful gown and crystal slippers from her Fairy Godmother.
Or an introductory word:
Example:
However, the prince had not forgotten about Cinderella.
Commas with items in a series:
Pattern: item, item, item
Example:
Her stepsisters made Cinderella scrub the floor, the chimney, the door and entrance hall.
Commas with coordinate adjectives:
Pattern: Coordinate adjective, coordinate noun
Example:
The prince made a televised appearance to his subjects using appealing, dramatic language.
No commas are necessary with cumulative adjective
Examples:
The cruel wicked stepsisters were not moved by the Prince's plight.
This is why the Prince made them dance in red hot iron shoes after he finally found Cinderella.
Commas with non restrictive elements
Pattern: Non restrictive element + independent clause
Examples:
A few days after the ball, the prince came to call on Cinderella's stepmother. (Non restrictive element in red)
OR
The beginning of an independent clause + non restrictive element + end of the independent clause (the independent clause is in red here:)
The golden era of Whaling, which lasted from approximately the late 16th century until the mid 19th century, helped fuel the beginnings of industrialization in America.
No commas with restrictive elements
Example:
The fans who attend special conventions meet celebrities from their favourite television shows.
Commas with quotations:
Example
"Look," he said, "I see land ahead."
These are some of the many uses of the comma. In our next blog, we will discuss sentence construction itself and the uses of the semi-colon, the colon and quotation marks.
Reference:
Troyka, Lynn Quitman. 1998. Quick access: reference for writers. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall.
KB
This week, I'd like to point out that I used Lynn Quitman Troyka's book, "Quick Access: a reference for writers" to facilitate my discussion. The full citation is at the end of this blog.
Troyka uses a helpful table to assist students in using the comma. Most of the following information is drawn from her table, Comma Pattern (1998, 127).
Commas that link coordinating conjunctions that link independent clauses require a comma. Look at the following list of words:
"and, or, but for, nor, so and yet." If you use any of these words to link an independent clause (that is a sentence containing a noun and a verb), to another independent clause then you must use a comma. For example:
This wasn't the first time that she cheated on her husband, nor would it be the last time.
Commas are used after an introductory phrase:
Example:
After returning from the prince's ball, Cinderella put on her old gown.
Or an introductory phase:
Example:
In the Prince's hand, he held one tiny crystal slipper.
On the night of the ball, Cinderella had received a beautiful gown and crystal slippers from her Fairy Godmother.
Or an introductory word:
Example:
However, the prince had not forgotten about Cinderella.
Commas with items in a series:
Pattern: item, item, item
Example:
Her stepsisters made Cinderella scrub the floor, the chimney, the door and entrance hall.
Commas with coordinate adjectives:
Pattern: Coordinate adjective, coordinate noun
Example:
The prince made a televised appearance to his subjects using appealing, dramatic language.
No commas are necessary with cumulative adjective
Examples:
The cruel wicked stepsisters were not moved by the Prince's plight.
This is why the Prince made them dance in red hot iron shoes after he finally found Cinderella.
Commas with non restrictive elements
Pattern: Non restrictive element + independent clause
Examples:
A few days after the ball, the prince came to call on Cinderella's stepmother. (Non restrictive element in red)
OR
The beginning of an independent clause + non restrictive element + end of the independent clause (the independent clause is in red here:)
The golden era of Whaling, which lasted from approximately the late 16th century until the mid 19th century, helped fuel the beginnings of industrialization in America.
No commas with restrictive elements
Example:
The fans who attend special conventions meet celebrities from their favourite television shows.
Commas with quotations:
Example
"Look," he said, "I see land ahead."
These are some of the many uses of the comma. In our next blog, we will discuss sentence construction itself and the uses of the semi-colon, the colon and quotation marks.
Reference:
Troyka, Lynn Quitman. 1998. Quick access: reference for writers. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall.
KB
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Comma in Your Writing: Grammar Rules and Artistry of Use, Part 1
This post is a response to a student's request on the use of the comma. Over the summer, this blog will post will focus on writing and grammar. If a blog reader is interested in a specific grammar topic, please post a response. This way, I know if readers want to read about a particular grammar or writing topic. This article, on the comma, should take two or three blogs to cover fully. Commas are a major problem area in English, so there is a lot to say on this topic before we move forward.
Lynne Truss, the writer of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" states that the function of the comma is as follows. Commas are used: "1. To illuminate the grammar of a sentence 2. To point up - rather the manner of musical notation - such literary qualities as rhythm, direction, pitch, tone and flow (2005: 70)." This highlights that, while there are actual rules about comma use, writing is an art as well as a science. Commas are meant to strengthen and clarify the meaning of sentences, not distract the reader with their presence in small sentences in which the meaning is already clear. Nor are they always required in longer sentences.
In George Davidson's book "How to Punctuate" he illustrates this:
"I'd been living in America for several years when I decided to pack in my job and head back home to Scotland to make this film (2005: 79)."
After reviewing this sentence, you will notice that a comma could be inserted after the word "job" but the question you need to ask is, does that comma add anything to the meaning of this sentence. Probably not. This highlights the point I made above and that Truss stresses, the use of the comma is not simply about the rules, it is also about linguistic artistry. I was brought up with the idea that a comma is a breath space. This instruction is not always clear. For that reason, we will give examples and uses of the comma in these blogs.
Let's look at some of the places where the comma should not be used. My discussion here is heavily inspired by Don LePan's amusing book, "The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English" (4th edition).
Problem Areas for Commas
1. Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices: A sentence, that is, a complete sentence containing a verb and a noun, is in LePan's words "one complete idea" (1999: 477-78). What this means is that joining two unrelated and otherwise complete ideas with the word "and" is a problem. Let's look at this. When a comma joins these two unrelated sentences with comma followed by "and", it is commonly referred to as a "comma splice". Allow me to show you how this works.
Example:
Last Tuesday evening I went for a long walk in the wood, and we stopped for tea in York. I have highlighted the subject and the verbs in red.
Okay, it is possible that both events happened on the same day but the subject of the first phrase is "I" and the subject of the second sentence is "we". They are not really good candidates for a compound sentence joined by "and". In this case, these should be two separate sentences with a period or a full stop between them. As a side issue, I would like to point out that "and" is often and inappropriately used as a joining word. Later, in the summer we will review "connecting words" that should be used to juxtapose ideas instead of "and". For now, all you need to know is that this is a comma splice. Do not join two ideas in this way.
LePan makes four more observations on comma use.
1. Comma use conveys meaning.
Example:
Because we had a good opportunity in Canada, we left our home in England.
The comma allows us to see that there is a causal relationship here. It is separated from the main clause "we left our home in England" to provide clarity.
2. LePan discusses how commas often come in pairs. He says that we should not eliminate the second comma.
Example
My brother Mark, returned from his journey to the Caribbean in May. (wrong)
My brother, Mark, returned from his journey to the Caribbean in May. (Correct)
3. Writers sometimes add extra commas in very long sentences; this is a mistake. I will use the example from LePan's book:
The snake which had been killed the day before, was already half-eaten by ants. (Wrong)
The snake which had been killed the day before was already half-eaten by ants.(Correct)
The comma does not convey any extra meaning, nor it is required.
4. Terminal commas: One important use of the comma, as you will see in my next blog, is to "separate entries in a list" (1999: 158). When you are making a list, a terminal comma can only be omitted if there is no ambiguity in meaning when you have a list of three or more items.
LePan's example:
"The firms involved were McCarthy and Walters, Harris, Jones, and Engleby, and Cassells and Wirtz." (Wrong, see page reference above)
"The firms involved were: McCarthy and Walters; Harris, Jones and Engleby; and Cassells and Wirtz." (Correct, see page reference above)
Or
"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God." (Wrong)
"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand, and God." (Correct)
In both these cases, the terminal comma clarifies the meaning. However, please note that:
I went to the market to buy oranges, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Here, as Truss points out (2005: 85), there is really no need for a comma because the meaning is clear. More on the uses of the comma, in my next blog.
Short Bibliography
Davidson, George. 2005. How to punctuate. London: Penguin Books.
Hacker, Diana. 1996. Rules for writers: a brief handbook. Boston: Bedford Books.
Hewings, Martin. 2005. Advanced grammar in use: a self-study reference and practice book for advanced students of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
LePan, Don. 2000. The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English: a guide to righting wrongs. Peterborough: Broadview Press.
KB
Lynne Truss, the writer of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" states that the function of the comma is as follows. Commas are used: "1. To illuminate the grammar of a sentence 2. To point up - rather the manner of musical notation - such literary qualities as rhythm, direction, pitch, tone and flow (2005: 70)." This highlights that, while there are actual rules about comma use, writing is an art as well as a science. Commas are meant to strengthen and clarify the meaning of sentences, not distract the reader with their presence in small sentences in which the meaning is already clear. Nor are they always required in longer sentences.
In George Davidson's book "How to Punctuate" he illustrates this:
"I'd been living in America for several years when I decided to pack in my job and head back home to Scotland to make this film (2005: 79)."
After reviewing this sentence, you will notice that a comma could be inserted after the word "job" but the question you need to ask is, does that comma add anything to the meaning of this sentence. Probably not. This highlights the point I made above and that Truss stresses, the use of the comma is not simply about the rules, it is also about linguistic artistry. I was brought up with the idea that a comma is a breath space. This instruction is not always clear. For that reason, we will give examples and uses of the comma in these blogs.
Let's look at some of the places where the comma should not be used. My discussion here is heavily inspired by Don LePan's amusing book, "The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English" (4th edition).
Problem Areas for Commas
1. Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices: A sentence, that is, a complete sentence containing a verb and a noun, is in LePan's words "one complete idea" (1999: 477-78). What this means is that joining two unrelated and otherwise complete ideas with the word "and" is a problem. Let's look at this. When a comma joins these two unrelated sentences with comma followed by "and", it is commonly referred to as a "comma splice". Allow me to show you how this works.
Example:
Last Tuesday evening I went for a long walk in the wood, and we stopped for tea in York. I have highlighted the subject and the verbs in red.
Okay, it is possible that both events happened on the same day but the subject of the first phrase is "I" and the subject of the second sentence is "we". They are not really good candidates for a compound sentence joined by "and". In this case, these should be two separate sentences with a period or a full stop between them. As a side issue, I would like to point out that "and" is often and inappropriately used as a joining word. Later, in the summer we will review "connecting words" that should be used to juxtapose ideas instead of "and". For now, all you need to know is that this is a comma splice. Do not join two ideas in this way.
LePan makes four more observations on comma use.
1. Comma use conveys meaning.
Example:
Because we had a good opportunity in Canada, we left our home in England.
The comma allows us to see that there is a causal relationship here. It is separated from the main clause "we left our home in England" to provide clarity.
2. LePan discusses how commas often come in pairs. He says that we should not eliminate the second comma.
Example
My brother Mark, returned from his journey to the Caribbean in May. (wrong)
My brother, Mark, returned from his journey to the Caribbean in May. (Correct)
3. Writers sometimes add extra commas in very long sentences; this is a mistake. I will use the example from LePan's book:
The snake which had been killed the day before, was already half-eaten by ants. (Wrong)
The snake which had been killed the day before was already half-eaten by ants.(Correct)
The comma does not convey any extra meaning, nor it is required.
4. Terminal commas: One important use of the comma, as you will see in my next blog, is to "separate entries in a list" (1999: 158). When you are making a list, a terminal comma can only be omitted if there is no ambiguity in meaning when you have a list of three or more items.
LePan's example:
"The firms involved were McCarthy and Walters, Harris, Jones, and Engleby, and Cassells and Wirtz." (Wrong, see page reference above)
"The firms involved were: McCarthy and Walters; Harris, Jones and Engleby; and Cassells and Wirtz." (Correct, see page reference above)
Or
"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God." (Wrong)
"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand, and God." (Correct)
In both these cases, the terminal comma clarifies the meaning. However, please note that:
I went to the market to buy oranges, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Here, as Truss points out (2005: 85), there is really no need for a comma because the meaning is clear. More on the uses of the comma, in my next blog.
Short Bibliography
Davidson, George. 2005. How to punctuate. London: Penguin Books.
Hacker, Diana. 1996. Rules for writers: a brief handbook. Boston: Bedford Books.
Hewings, Martin. 2005. Advanced grammar in use: a self-study reference and practice book for advanced students of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
LePan, Don. 2000. The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English: a guide to righting wrongs. Peterborough: Broadview Press.
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