Are Commas Out of Vogue?

 

Are commas too scarce these days?

That’s the gripe of a reader who wrote to me recently. Here’s what he said: “I find that in today's writing, (even in professionally edited books), there seems to be a lack of what I call "comma sense." I find it more difficult to read something when commas have been omitted; or perhaps the author or editor doesn't see the need for them.”

I agree with him that commas are in somewhat short supply these days. But I disagree that it’s a problem.

Some commas are optional, like the one after a short introductory phrase. For example, “On a recent afternoon I went to the park.” You could put a comma after “afternoon” or not. It’s up to you.

Because rules allow people to make many of their own comma calls, the comma’s popularity runs in trends. Right now, sparse comma use is the reigning aesthetic, with the always-contrary New Yorker magazine being the most obvious exception.

Personally, I'm a devotee of the aesthetic that uses fewer commas. To my eye, unnecessary commas do more harm than good: They break up the flow of the sentence. They slow down the reader. They take a unit that could have been a snapshot of a single idea and break it into chunks the reader has to assemble himself into a single message. So in the publications I edit, I lean toward fewer rather than more commas.

But really, as long as clarity or correctness isn't on the line, it's a matter of taste ... and fashion.

 

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