If you want to break the comma rules, go right ahead.
Before you do, though, make sure you understand the rules. That way, you’ll know exactly which one you’re breaking.
When you use a grammar checking tool, I’m sure you’ve seen your checker telling you to omit a comma, and if you do, it immediately tells you to add a comma.
That’s because commas are sometimes optional, sometimes necessary, and sometimes a writer’s choice.
A comma is just a separator
The humble comma is primarily for readers. It separates parts of a sentence to help them understand each little section. A list is the most obvious example of a comma at work.
I eat fish meat and vegetables.
Without a comma, fish becomes an adjective of meat. So yes, a separating comma is essential to avoid confusion.
But do you need one before “and vegetables?” If you use one, it’s the Oxford or serial comma, which is always open to debate.
In the example sentence above, it doesn’t need a comma there, but using one causes no confusion.
Oh, yes, I love hamburgers, but my wife doesn’t.
Does this perfectly punctuated sentence need so many commas? Probably not.
Oh yes, I love hamburgers but my wife doesn’t.
Yes, the rules say you should use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when it joins two independent clauses, such as and, but, or, nor, for, yet, and so (the FANBOYS).
But as this example shows, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t use one. The sentence above is perfectly readable and easily understood.
Pause for breath
I remember my English teacher in high school telling us that a comma is never to be used as a pause.
Sure, a comma isn’t the same as taking a breath when you speak. But contrary to my teacher’s advice, a pause is sometimes a good idea to give readers a little break.
After spending most of the morning looking through my manuscript revisions that are saved in a special file on my laptop I finally found the version I had been searching for.
Although the sentence above is correct, it’s a bit long for a reader to wade through. A comma would really help in this case.
After spending most of the morning looking through my manuscript revisions that are saved in a special file on my laptop, I finally found the version I had been searching for.
One optional comma, and it’s a better sentence.
While an introductory dependent clause is commonly followed by a comma, in a short, clear sentence you can often break the comma rules and omit the comma.
When I finished editing, I published the article.
However, without a comma it reads just as well.
When I finished editing I published the article.
In very long sentences, commas can be useful for separating ideas within the sentence and making it easier to read.
Tom, who had thought about but never written a novel, attended a writing workshop, and, after listening to the first speaker, he quietly changed his mind.
But are all those commas really necessary? Let’s remove a couple.
Tom, who had thought about but never written a novel, attended a writing workshop and, after listening to the first speaker, quietly changed his mind.
Separating your ideas
Instead of always trying to apply the strict comma rules to your writing, take a more relaxed approach to them.
Think of them as separators that you can use to make your writing easier to read and understand.
I’m sure you’ve seen example sentences similar to this one.
The only people who knew Mary was going to resign were her two sisters Jane and Susan.
Are Jane and Susan her sisters? Without commas it’s unclear.
The only people who knew Mary was going to resign were her two sisters, Jane and Susan.
Now, with one comma, a little mystery still remains. Yes, with one comma, Jane and Susan are her sisters. But what if that’s not what you want to say?
The only people who knew Mary was going to resign were her two sisters, Jane, and Susan.
Now it’s clear that the only people who knew were Jane, Susan, and her two sisters because the commas separated them.
But you can also be clear without using commas if you change the sentence structure.
Only her friends Jane and Susan and her two sisters knew Mary was going to resign.
Writing without commas is sometimes the ideal remedy for too many commas.
Think about sentence elements, not rules
Commas are incredibly useful. They can separate, indicate a pause, or improve understanding.
But they are much easier to use when you think of them as separators rather than trying to remember all the comma rules.
Let’s take some elements and stop them banging into each other with selective commas.
I left the office > I bought bread > I got home > I forgot to buy milk > The next morning > I had to drink black coffee for breakfast.
You could create a sentence like this one.
I left the office, bought bread, got home, realized I’d forgotten to buy milk, and the next morning had to drink black coffee for breakfast.
But with a little bit of rewriting, it could be a much better sentence with fewer commas if you combine some of the elements using after, when, and next.
After leaving the office I bought bread, but when I got home I realized that I’d forgotten to buy milk, so the next morning I had to drink black coffee for breakfast.
Summary
You don’t really need to think about applying or breaking the comma rules.
All you need to ask is whether a comma, or commas, make a sentence clearer or easier to read.
Sure, you often need to use them to separate an introductory clause from the main clause. But that’s logical separation, not simply a punctuation rule.
If you want a comma to add a pause in a very long sentence, why not? If it makes sense, that’s fine.
And that’s the answer to my question: can you break the comma rules?
Yes, you can when you understand the rule you’re breaking and the result makes the sentence clearer or easier to read.
Related Reading: How To Vary Your Sentence Beginnings To Create Interest
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
