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Professional Editor's Corner Canadian Commas
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• I covered Canadian spelling and hyphenation in a
  previous blog. Up next is the comma. I will
  include all the major rules, even those we also
  use in American English, but I will make a note
  when they differ.
• Lets start with the heavy lifting.
• When DO we use commas?
• 1. Introductory elements DO NOT REQUIRE a comma
  if they are fairly short EXCEPT when they include
  now, then, or still to prevent confusion
  about order.
• Also DO use a comma to separate an introductory
  word or phrase from the rest of the sentence if
  the word or phrase represents a transition or a
  personal comment.
• I admire the actresss ability to emote and stage
  presence. Nevertheless, Im not so fond of her
  singing voice.

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• Of course, the company cut overhead by scheduling
  employees 37.5 hours per week (rather than 40) to
  reduce the number of technically full-time staff
  members.
• Generally speaking, Canadians use fewer commas
  for introductory elements (more information
  below, in the do not section).
• 2. DO use them for introductory adjectives or
  participial adjectives describing the subject.
• I covered participial adjectives in a previous
  post. They are participlespresent (e.g.,
  running) or past (e.g., exhausted)or participial
  phrases at the beginning of a sentence that
  describe the subject.
• Unprepared for the exam, Sheila skipped math
  class.

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• 3. DO use them for absolute phrases offering
  additional information.
• I covered absolute phrases in a previous post (a
  noun and a participle or a noun and the perfect
  tense of the past participle).
• Her dance routine memorized, Sarah walked
  confidently into the club.
• The duet having been sung, Marsha and Todd left
  the stage.
• 4. DO use them for parenthetical phrases.
• Parenthetical phrases are phrases that we could
  place in parentheses because they are not
  essential to the sentence. They contribute
  additional information.
• The new Angelina Jolie vehicle, despite causing a
  strong vocal outcry from a handful of people,
  pleased most audiences.

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• 5. DO use them for appositives.
• An appositive is a fancy word referring to a word
  or phrase that REDEFINES an already defined
  subject.
• Kurt Hummel, my favorite Glee character, invented
  divatude.
• 6. DO use them for phrases beginning with that
  is, namely, or for example (before AND
  after).
• I love romantic movies, for example, Moulin Rouge
  and The Notebook.
• 7. DO use them when addressing a person or when
  using exclamations and interjections.
• Readers, this section is perhaps the most
  important.     
• 8. DO use one before etc.
• Cats sleep, play with yarn, etc.

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• 9. DO use them when separating contrasting
  clauses.
• His assessment of my ability was harsh, but
  accurate.
• I kept telling myself I would get over being
  kicked out of art school, but deep down I knew I
  never would.
• 10. DO use them for clarity.
• In all, his ideas were uninspiring.
• We need a comma after all, or we may wrongly
  believe his ideas are part of the introductory
  element (in all).
• 11. DO use one following a complete date (written
  American style) no matter where it appears in the
  sentence.
• July, 11, 2008, is my anniversary.
• If the date is British style, you do NOT need a
  comma.
• Did you know that 11 July 2008 is my anniversary?

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• 12. DO use one following a complete place name
  (city and state) no matter where it appears in
  the sentence.
• Toronto, Ontario, is a nice place to visit.
• Now the shorter list.
• When DO WE NOT use commas?
• 1. DO NOT use commas after introductory adverbs
  and short phrases indicating time, frequency,
  location, or cause unless necessary to avoid
  confusion or add emphasis.
• I cant stress this enoughin Canadian English,
  less is more. Only use commas for introductory
  elements when absolutely necessary (when the
  phrase is VERY long, or readers wont be able to
  understand where the phrase ends and the sentence
  begins otherwise).

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• By next week we will have finished the report.
• 2. e.g. (means for example) and i.e. (means
  that is) should be PRECEDED but NOT FOLLOWED by
  a comma.
• THIS IS WHOLLY CANADIAN.
• American English requires two commas.
  Additionally, American English usually places
  these in parentheses AND uses a following comma.
• I love punk rock bands (e.g., Operation Ivy, The
  Pixies, and Crass).
• If you dont want to use parentheses in American
  English, use for example and two commas.
• I love punk rock bands, for example, Operation
  Ivy, The Pixies, and Crass.
• 3. DO NOT use a comma before the final element in
  a series unless needed for clarity (this final
  comma is also called the Oxford comma).

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• PREPARE FOR YOUR HEAD TO EXPLODE!
• The final rule I want to share belongs on its own
  list its so strange (for American English
  speakers).
• Canadian English ALLOWS a comma splice in some
  situations.
• You heard it. A COMMA SPLICE!
• If we have two clauses that can stand alone,
  which we would normally separate with a
  semi-colon, we CAN (IN CANADIAN ENGLISH) use A
  COMMA instead if they are SHORT and PARALLEL.
• Ill talk, you listen.
• I think, therefore I am.
• If you think thats strange, just you wait for
  whats next!

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