Comma questions keep cropping up online, and will forever, because the simple punctuation mark serves two different functions, which are blurred in usage. Some are necessary grammatically, some ...

We often focus on choosing the right words when we write—but how often do we think about punctuation? These small symbols—dots, commas, dashes, and more—do more than decorate our sentences. They guide ...

What punctuation, if any, would you add to the following sentence? Exiting your host’s bathroom after half an hour and saying “Don’t worry; I fixed your toilet” is not an example of excellent ...

How do you know whether or not to set something off in commas in a sentence? Are the added words essential (restrictive) or not (nonrestrictive)? that limits the meaning of what it modifies. And it ...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned in this space that serial commas, also called Oxford commas, are a matter of style. So either “red, white and blue” or “red, white, and blue” can be correct depending on ...

Time once again for a visit with our friend the comma. Or should that be our friend, the comma? Normal people don’t really care about the proper deployment of commas, but there are those of us who are ...