I hate commas

Almost as much as I hate my net connection. Only difference is that in case of commas, at least I can do something.

The problem with commas is that if you look into the rules of commas, its a veritable grammar class. Now look at the following.

Commas have to be added to separate the apposition from the sentence. What in the effing heck is an apposition. It is 'A grammatical relation between a word and a noun phrase that follows'. Got it? Neither did I. In simple terms, it is a phrase which can be used in place of the noun.

Then the next thingamajig is that it is used to separate the dependent clause and the independent clause. You may or may not use it to separate two dependent clauses. e.g. you should put in in front of a but or an although, but an and may not require it. I didn't say the word conjunction.

Which brings me to my favorite term- comma splicing. You cannot use commas to separate two clauses when there is no conjunction linking them. This causes a comma to splice. giggle..giggle..giggle.. of course I don't pronounce it as splice, I pronounce it as thplithe.. Try it, it's much more fun this way. In such sentences where there is no if or but, you use a semicolon.

I am still a bit unsure about commas inside quotes, but it seems that when you don't end a quote with a question mark or an apostrophe, a comma is a must. However, if the quote ends the sentence, then it can be a full stop.

Finally, my outlook is that one should put in a comma wherever it will reduce or remove confusion. For other places, if you are in doubt, do not put a comma.

One of the better links is comma uwc. Have a look at it, it will answer some questions.