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More often than not, I find myself using a comma as sort of a pause. In most cases, it feels right. But I fear that I overuse commas and put them in places where they are not necessary.

Some examples:

  • Both of which, are valid.

  • I was going to go to work but, I felt sick.

I find myself using commas after words like "but" or "then". Most reference works I've consulted have defined these commas as a preference. Am I completely wrong here? Am I overusing commas and confusing my readers?

Any additional documentation on commas of this type would be greatly appreciated.

Community
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Xogle
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  • possible duplicate of Comma placement in a sentence like "A small but juicy fruit."? – anongoodnurse Oct 02 '14 at 20:36
  • Yes, perfect. But could you tell me if my first example is correct? – Xogle Oct 02 '14 at 20:38
  • A style guide dictates the use of commas, which is a vast and searchable topic here (I have referenced one of hundreds of cases). Preference is important. I prefer not to use commas when I can help it. I would never use commas as you have, but I'm not you. – anongoodnurse Oct 02 '14 at 20:39
  • Yes, I love commas. I just wish I knew how to use them better. I figured if I was compiling professional writing, I would use a style guide. But this was asked for everyday writing, such as e-mails. – Xogle Oct 02 '14 at 20:40
  • Personally, I would call it incorrect. But then again, I wouldn't put a noticeable pause there. But then again again, if I were writing dialog for someone who likes to pause dramatically a lot, I'd use ellipses for the pauses, not commas. – Hellion Oct 02 '14 at 20:42
  • I'd say using a comma 'non-grammatically' (ie not to distinguish different constructions) is more acceptable than it used to be. But it shouldn't be used if it gives rise to confusion, and it shouldn't be used to show pauses where most people wouldn't expect them (as here). Ellipsis works to show unusual pauses-for-thought (and would work here). – Edwin Ashworth Oct 02 '14 at 23:32
  • In casual online writing such as an an email to a friend or a comment on a blog post, a dramatic pause is often indicated with ellipses (…). – choster Oct 03 '14 at 16:28
  • There is nothing wrong with your use of commas. The commas ARE used to make a dramatic pause or emphasise a contrast. Don't believe those who stick to the rules. Language is an organic thing which is constantly evolving anyway, not a computer program. The masters of language are poets and philosophers, and you can see how much they care about rules. Believe in yourself, stay genius... – Lumis Oct 13 '20 at 22:06

2 Answers2

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Neither of your examples holds water. People don’t usually use pauses where you’ve placed the commas here, unless trying to overdramatize, and then a comma is still not the correct way to indicate it in writing. For a dramatic pause you would use an m-dash, or an ellipsis. There may be exceptions, but I can’t think of any.

In an email to tell your boss that you weren’t coming in to work due to illness, you wouldn’t pause after but – if you were to pause, it would be after work.

In direct answer to your closing question, if your examples of how you’ve been using them are a fair sample, then yes you are overusing or misplacing commas.

I would suggest this source as a place for guidance on commas: Rules for Comma Usage.

tchrist
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Cyberherbalist
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    I'm afraid that document is far more complicated than it needs to be. IF you're a native speaker of English, you can *hear* commas in speech, and when you do, you should use them. They represent a Mid-Low-High-Mid intonation contour, like you get when you count: sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-three, .... It's easy to recognize and if you're a fluent reader, you're probly hearing it when you read, anyway. So just listen for it. The kind of partial rules that this site offers are confusing in their untidyness -- just a bunch of instances where you could hear a comma, that's all. – John Lawler Oct 02 '14 at 23:52
  • Yes, that works for a native speaker, but I am under the impression that Xogle is not one. His examples bear this out. – Cyberherbalist Oct 03 '14 at 01:44
  • Except that he lists his location as the US, so I stand corrected. – Cyberherbalist Oct 03 '14 at 02:05
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    I am native. I just focused more on computer science over grammar. :) – Xogle Oct 03 '14 at 17:51
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You may not use a comma in either of those cases, but you may do so if they were something similar to:

...both of which, I have discovered, are valid.
I was about to go to work, but I called in sick.

The first one is a common enough usage that indicates a break to provide additional information. The second one has a comma because but is at the beginning of an independent clause.

Another example would be:

My husband, John Miller, is an engineer.

Renae Lider
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    While I agree that comma usage in OP's examples is non-standard, and I'd certainly not encourage it, I have yet to hear anyone with the authority to pronounce 'you may not ...'. I know of style gurus quite happy for the 'non-grammatical' usage of commas merely to indicate pauses. Here, I'd use ellipsis {grammar.ccc.com}: The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech:

    Jan thought and thought ... and then thought some more.// "I'm wondering ..." Jan said, bemused.

     – Edwin Ashworth Oct 02 '14 at 23:27