What if I don't know how to apply a grammar or punctuation rule?

[Feo Takahari]

Since so many of my specific questions involve commas, I figured I'd ask about the general case. Suppose I have some over-convoluted sentence where I'm not sure whether or not to use a comma, and studying comma rules until I'm blue in the face hasn't helped in this regard. Assuming that no angry English teachers will throw my book out the window, and the problem is simply what readers will prefer, how do I decide whether to include it or not? In fact, let's generalize even further: how do you decide what to do when you're not sure how best to apply punctuation and grammar in a particular spot?

 

[Svrtnsse]

Instinct, gut feeling - says the guy who had to go through 300 pages of text to correct every occurrence of a "very, silly, error" in his texts.

I guess you could also try reading the sentence out loud to see if you can "hear" where the comma should be. I'm also guessing that since you're asking this question, rewriting the sentence isn't an option?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Write for cadence. How does it read?

Now read it aloud. Does it sound better with or without? Have others read the excerpt too, of course.

The only thing that matters is the sentence's feel and what it conveys. Commas can certainly add or subtract from those effects, but strict adherence to grammar rules can really kill a tone dead.

Don't let grammar be your master in fiction writing. Make those commas into galley slaves.

Are you afraid to use sentence fragments? I hope not. They're incredibly useful. Punctuation is no different.

 

[Penpilot]

Yeah, commas used to give me lots of trouble. They still do sometimes. One of the things I did to improve my knowledge was to just take note of how they were being used during my pleasure reading, especially in complex sentences. Basically looked how the pros were using them, and through osmosis I got a better understanding.

As for what to do when unsure, if I can't find a clear answer, I do several things. I try to see if I can rephrase. This is simply avoiding the problem all together. If I must, I sometimes just do what feels and looks right. If I think that's just going to end badly, I just leave the comma out.

IMHO it's better for someone to think you just forgot it than for you to use it and show them you really don't know how to use the comma.

But I've found google to be a great help. The trick is to know how to phrase your search.

 

[Russ]

Comas drive me nuts as well.

You can also go a step deeper. IF the sentence is "over-convoluted" perhaps it should either go, or be rebuilt from the ground up, or be broken into more than one sentence.

 

[wordwalker]

Very true. And since a lot of the best effects in writing come from the contrast between short-ish and longer sentences, trimming one sentence down gives you more of a spotlight for another sentence where you really want to own its length. The right variety works.

 

[Ryan_Crown]

Reading the sentence out loud (or at least, speaking it in my head as if I were reading it out loud) has always worked best for me where commas are concerned. If I can hear a brief pause when I'm reading it, then that's where a comma needs to go. I think that will give you a better flowing sentence than trying to follow any sort of grammar rules, especially when you're talking about a long, complex sentence. Also, if when you're reading it you feel like there should be a more significant break than just the brief pause of a comma, you might want to split it into multiple sentences.

 

[Terry Greer]

Just get a book on grammar and read it -
for example:
Grammar for Fiction Writers (Busy Writer's Guides Book 5) eBook: Marcy Kennedy, Chris Saylor: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

There are a lot of similar books out there.

I do think it's only valid to break grammar rules if you know what you're doing and why you're doing it - because poor grammar has killed more stories for me than I care to think about and it certainly breaks the reader's flow.
Of course dialogue and short sentence fragments can and should be used for effect - but that doesn't apply to the overall prose.

Having said that, I still struggle to find my own mistakes.

 

[Penpilot]

One other benefit to reading aloud is if you find yourself running out of breath while trying to read that complex sentence, it's a good sign it needs to be broken up.

 

[Mark]

Mix instinct (as has already been said) with books and websites that focus on punctuation. Keep working on it, it doesn't happen overnight.

Finally, pay for someone to word proof your book. This is good for anyone.

 

[Asura Levi]

Leaving it aside for a while (a few days is enough) will give you a different 'view' of your own work, and, if you are anything like me, will rewrite everything again

Just re-read it after a couple of days and you will find better ways to work such complicated sentences.

 

[ALB2012]

Get a style guide or search online, or both. That said I've a ton of writing books I don't remember to use...

Read it aloud, if it sounds weird then it probably is. Look at the pros as others have suggested.