Bumbo Sits Motionless

The Koan

Bumbo sat motionless in the Temple of Meaning. His teacher asked what he was doing.
“I am learning to use commas,” Bumbo told him.
“You foolish student,” the teacher exclaimed. “If you do not act on what you know, your life will never be complete.”

The Explanation

Bumbo, the subject of this koan, isn’t doing anything. He thinks he is, but he is wrong. The teacher reminds him that a subject without an action is incomplete. He wants Bumbo to learn that a comma should not separate the predicate from the subject because a subject needs a predicate to make a complete sentence.

The Lesson

Every complete sentence needs two things: a subject and a predicate. These two parts are required and work together to make a complete sentence. The key word here is together.

Commas separate items in a sentence. The absence of a comma shows that they are connected. If we put a comma between the subject and predicate, we separate them. This is wrong because they need to be connected: they work together.

Wrong example: The author of the best-selling book on marketing, began planning his next book.

In this wrong example, the complete subject is The author of the best-selling book on marketing. The predicate, which begins with the main verb, is began planning his next book. This example is wrong because it has a comma between the subject and predicate. To fix this sentence, we remove the comma and join the subject and predicate.

The only time you can have a comma between the subject and predicate is when the end of the subject has some phrase or expression that requires a pair of commas. In that case, the commas are in the sentence not to separate the subject and predicate but to separate the phrase, as seen in the next example.

Correct example with commas: The author of the best-selling book on marketing, which he released the prior year, began planning his next book.

In this example, the comma before the main verb is part of a pair of commas to separate the non-restrictive phrase which he released the prior year. The first sentence of the explanation above also uses commas in this way.

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Need help with commas? Get Zen Comma, an instructive reference guide on the 17 major uses and misuses of commas, available in PDF and Kindle formats. Read more about Zen Comma.

Your Writing Companion: Our e-book with samples from each of our writing guides.
Get the free e-book (PDF, 45 pages) or purchase the Kindle version ($0.99).

12 Major Comma Uses Explained

Commas are confusing because they are used in many ways. However, the basic principle to using commas is simple: Use commas to separate clauses and phrases within sentences that have their own meaning.

The “rules” for commas below are broadly, but not universally, accepted. However, a careful writer considers two central issues:

• Reader understanding and
• Consistency.

The comma guidelines below will help readers understand your message in many cases. However, even if they are not necessary to improve reader understanding, follow them for consistency. Consistency is a characteristic of professional technical writing.

1. Series

The commas help the reader find each unique item (or group of items) in a series by separating them.

Example: School officials are dismayed by poor grades, low attendance, and high drug use.

2. Joining Sentences

You can join two complete sentences with coordinating conjunctions. (The entire set of coordinating conjunctions is for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Together, these create the acronym FANBOYS.) The comma lets the reader know when one point is complete and the next will begin. This comma use only applies when you have complete sentences on either side of the conjunction.

Example: The screen inverter stopped working, and the motherboard began to smoke.

3. Introductory Descriptions

An introductory description is before the subject and describes the main verb in some way, such as when, where, how, and why. The comma at the end of the description signals the reader that the main point of the sentence is about to begin. For consistency, do this with even short introductory descriptions. In the following example, the introductory description is underlined.

Example: Following the symposium, participants collaborated on projects.

No Commas for Cannibals

By using a comma or leaving it out, you can change the meaning of a sentence. In one case, a comma can make you a cannibal. What is the difference between these two sentences?

Let’s eat, Grandma.
Let’s eat Grandma.

In the first sentence, with a comma, you are telling Grandma that you want to eat. In the second sentence, without the comma, you are stating that you want to eat Grandma!

Why does the absence of a comma make you a cannibal? To answer this question, we need to understand what commas do. Commas separate elements in sentences. When you add a comma, you indicate that parts of sentences are not connected. When you leave them out, you indicate that parts are connected. We see this in our sample sentences.

With Comma: The first sentence, with a comma, separates Grandma from eat. The comma makes Grandma a separate element in the sentence, not connected to the words immediately before. It indicates that Grandma is not the direct object of the verb eat, meaning the action of eating is not done to Grandma. You are not a cannibal.

Without Comma: The second sentence, without the comma, joins Grandma and eat. This indicates that Grandma is the direct object of the verb eat, meaning the action of eating is done to Grandma. You are a cannibal.

The first sentence also follows Zen Comma rule M: When directly addressing someone [writing to a person and using that person’s name], place commas around his or her name. This advice from Zen Comma is based on the purpose of commas. The commas around a person’s name separate that element (the name) from the rest of the sentence to show that it provides a new and complete piece of information.

Commas around a person’s name also prevent you from becoming a cannibal.

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Need help with commas? Get Zen Comma, an instructive reference guide on the 17 major uses and misuses of commas, available in PDF and Kindle formats. Read more about Zen Comma.

Your Writing Companion: Our e-book with samples from each of our writing guides.
Get the free e-book (PDF, 45 pages) or purchase the Kindle version ($0.99).

5-item Comma Quiz and Free Book

So, you think you know commas? Take a look at these 5 items from the Zen Comma comma quiz. See if you can figure out where to add or remove the commas. Each item needs at least one comma added or removed.

1. Bumbo graduated on October 31, 2007 from the Zen Comma School, with the ceremony held in the Temple of Meaning.
2. Yes I can meet you tomorrow at 2:00 after I meet with the clients.
3. Either the air pollution is increasing in urban areas, or municipal water purification systems are becoming aged and ineffective.
4. 300 Days of Better Writing another book by David Bowman has useful advice about writing clearly.
5. The new bio-fuels which provide lower grade fuel at a higher price are incompatible with many older engine models.