Avoid Cannibalism: Use a Comma

(For Jennifer)

Recently I joined a very popular Facebook group created to save society from cannibalism: "'Let's eat Grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, Grandma!' Punctuation saves lives." With its 667,470 fans, this Facebook group demonstrates the importance of the comma to not only save your readers from confusion and yourself from embarassment, but the comma saves society from cannibalism.

When using introductory words or phrases, you want to use a comma to separate them from the rest of the sentence:

• When we are cooking children cannot come in the kitchen.


• When we are cooking, children cannot come in the kitchen.

The first sentence might lead your reader to suspect you of cooking children; however, using a comma after your introductory phrase avoids confusion and clarifies your meaning.

Also, we must use a comma when addressing someone by name: this is referred to as the direct address comma. When addressing someone directly, you need a comma before the name if it's at the end of the sentence:

• Let's eat Grandma!


• Let's eat, Grandma!

The sentence without the comma tells the reader you want to eat Grandma, instead of telling Grandma that it's time to eat. Again, without the comma, the sentence may lead the reader to accuse you of cannibalism!

The direct address comma is necessary when the name is at the beginning of the sentence as well. Place the comma after the name to clarify your meaning. For example:

• George Harrison has been sort of my hero.


• George, Harrison has been sort of my hero.

If addressing George and telling him that Harrison is my hero, I must use the comma after George's name; otherwise, I am saying that George Harrison is my hero.

Also be sure to use two commas to off-set the name if it's in the middle of the sentence:

• Let's eat Grandma and not wait for the rest of the family.


• Let's eat, Grandma, and not wait for the rest of the family.

Without placing commas around "Grandma," the meaning of sentence changes drastically.

Yes, commas are overused and misused in the English language: as Oscar Wilde said, "I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out." However, we must remember that correctly utilizing the comma saves lives and keeps us from "cooking children" and "eating Grandma."

You Complete Me: the Subject and the Predicate

Many of you may remember the classic scene in the 1996 blockbuster Jerry Maguire where Jerry wins back Dorothy by professing his love for her and saying, "You complete me." I'd like us to think about complete sentences in terms of that quotable line. Complete sentences may not seem nearly as romantic or compelling; however, in every complete sentence there is a relationship between the subject and the predicate, very much like Jerry and Dorothy's relationship.

Complete sentences are made of two parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the noun (person, place or thing) or pronoun that the sentence says something about. The subject is the person or thing that acts or is described in the sentence.

• Jerry promised to show his client the money.

The sentence is about Jerry, so Jerry is the subject. Jerry is the one acting in the sentence.

The predicate is the verb - the action or description. The predicate in a sentence is what the noun does or what that noun is. It tells us something about the subject.

• Jerry promised his client the money.

What did Jerry do? In this sentence, "promised" is the predicate: it is what Jerry did.

When defining these parts of a sentence, ask yourself, "Who does what?" The "who" is usually your subject and the "what" is your predicate. Try it on these examples:

• Annabelle and her colleagues attended the training. (Annabelle and her colleagues = the subject; attended = the predicate)


• The HR department administers policies and handles payroll. (HR department = the subjec; administers and handles = the predicate)

Remember complete sentences need both a subject and a predicate. Imagine the subject as Jerry Maguire, saying to the predicate, "I love you. You...you complete me."

Want to test your knowledge? Here's a great game about subjects and predicates: http://www.quia.com/rr/36764.html

The Controversial Oxford Comma

Use of the Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma or the Harvard comma) is often debated in the grammar world. To use it or not: that is the question. Most non-journalistic writing in the United States follows the Chicago Manual of Style for writing and uses this little comma; however, most journalistic writing follows the Associated Press Style Guide, which suggests against using it. To help you decide whether or not the Oxford comma is necessary, let's take a quick look at both sides of this controversy.

But first, I want to make sure we all know what we're talking about when discussing the Oxford comma. This is the comma used before the last item in series or list of 3 or more items. It is used to separate and remove ambiguity from the author's meaning. For example, this sentence uses the Oxford comma:

• My duties include answering phone calls, responding to emails, filing, and supervising employees.

The final comma before "and" separates the last two duties - filing and supervising. Without that comma, the reader might think that my responsibilities include "filing and supervising employees," leaving the reader to ponder how someone files employees.

On the other hand, there are those who argue that the use of (or the lack of) the serial comma is of little to no consequence because the items in the series are words equal in weight and value, and they are separated by "and" or "or."

The basic reasoning for or against using the Oxford comma breaks down as such:

Reasons for using it:

• it clarifies ambiguity
• it matches spoken cadence

Reasons against using it:

• it is redundant

To use or not to use: that is the question. In arriving at your decision a practical tip is to not assume that your audience will automatically think what you're thinking and to err on the side of caution, utilizing the serial comma to clarify your meaning. However, it is also important to take your organization into account. In your office you may notice a prevailing trend to use (or not to use) this controversial comma in your fellows' writings. If you notice a trend in your office, then go with that!

Confusing Than and Then

National Grammar Day was last week (March 4, 2010) and I read several posts on various grammar websites about the top grammar mistakes. Over the past several months we have covered most of the topics that made these top 10 lists commemorating National Grammar Day. However, one common grammar mistake that made several of these lists that we haven’t discussed is the confusion between than and then. Similarity in pronunciation and spelling often causes confusion when trying to distinguish between then and than. Let’s take a minute to clear up any confusion.

Than = Compare/Contrast

The word than is used when comparing (or contrasting) two things. It indicates a comparison or difference. For example:

• At a young age, he showed a higher intelligence than most children.
• My mother’s apple pie is better than mine.
• Emily dressed differently than her sisters.

We use than in connection with the word “rather:” such as,

• I would rather work from home than in the office.

Than is also used in connection with “other.” For instance:

• Hudson wanted to live anywhere other than where he grew up.

Then = When/Time

While than has to do with comparisons, the most common use for then has to do with a sequence of events in time. It’s used to mean “at that time:”

• His mother told him that once he cleaned his room she’d take him to lunch then.

Then can also mean “immediately following:”

• First I will check my email; then I will return phone calls.

Other than referring to time, then also stands in for “in that case” or “as a consequence of.” For example:

• If you want the memo written well, then write it yourself.
• If you work hard, then you will receive a raise.

The tricks to keeping these two confusing words straight are 1) remember that than signifies a comparison, and 2) when you think about then remember the word "when" (because it deals with time).

Dealing with Difficult People and Situations

Think of your last workplace conflict or disagreement. What emotions did it stir up for you? Whether it left you rattled or confident, satisfied or bitter, may depend a great deal on your style of conflict management.

Not all conflict is negative. Sometimes well-meaning people disagree and those disagreements can lead to a better process, product or attitude. The key to positive conflict resolution is learning to disagree without being disagreeable.

When confronted with difficult people or situations, there are a several courses of action available. Most people fall into a pattern of reaction. But awareness, a plan of action and flexibility can bring about a resolution that leaves everyone feeling good about the result.

You’ll learn more about strategies for dealing with difficult people and situations at Falmouth Institute’s 17^th Annual Tribal Secretaries Conference, April 20-22, at The Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa, Las Vegas.