Warner Language Services

Hi there and welcome back!

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season. I’ll start the year off with another comma rule, how’s that? This rule is taken from: William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s “The Elements of Style” fourth edition.

Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.

Here are a few examples:

The apartment was rather large, but they didn’t want to fill it up with clutter.

He said he would be home by 7pm, and he was true to his word.

Notes: An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a sentence, and a conjunction is a connecting word like “and” or “but”.

So, that’s all for now folks!

All the best,

Julia

Students of mine have often got confused about the spelling of certain words, like program and programme. I tell them that ”program” is US and “programme” is UK spelling. They ask me which one they should use; I personally don’t care. I’m no advocate of one or the other; however, I have heard some people say they prefer the UK version because that is “real” English. This makes me smile, because they usually say that when they don’t realise that I am, actually, from the US.

In the end, “programme” is not ”real” English; it is French-influenced-English. According to the book “The Story of English” by Robert McCrum, Robert MacNeil and William Cran, it’s really hard to decide where “real” English is spoken. There are so many different forms in so many different places influenced by other languages. In fact, the book says that Shakespearean English was pronounced more like current American pronunciation, with the flat a, than current British pronunciation, and one would assume that Shakespearean English is “real” English, wouldn’t one?

But real or not, what is happening in Europe at the moment is an added phenomenon in the story of English. I would say an international form is developing. It is a form of English devoid of “local colour” (UK spelling): devoid of idioms and proverbs and funny metaphors. It is a flattened form that enables non-native speakers to communicate as easily and effectively as possible with each other.

That is why learners of English as a foreign language ought to decide first what they are going to need English for before getting too deeply into the discussion of US vs. UK English. If you are planning on becoming a linguist and studying the language in depth, then the question is indeed valid. But if you are going to be talking to other non-natives about your work and the most important thing is getting the job done, then I wouldn’t worry about it too much. However, your spelling should be consistent, and a good dictionary can help you there.

And that’s all for now, folks!

Julia

Many of my students have viewed the comma as a mysterious symbol, whose function they just couldn’t figure out. Putting them to use was usually a matter of hit and miss.

So, back by popular demand, I have listed examples of some of the most common uses of the ever-elusive comma:

The listing comma

Maria cooked fish, vegetables and rice for dinner.

The above example shows how the comma is used to separate items in a list.

The bracketing comma

The above example shows commas being used to separate extra information from the main clause of the sentence.

Starting with a subordinate clause

Since his job change, Chris hasn’t had any time to call me.  

The above example shows a sentence which starts with a subordinate clause. In this case, the subordinate clause should be separated from the main clause by a comma.

Here are some more examples of sentences starting with a subordinate clause:

Although she has been repeatedly asked, Alabama just won’t do the dishes.

Even though he told her the truth, she refused to believe him.

Because Andreas is still trying to find a new apartment, he hasn’t cancelled the contract of his old one.

For more information, check out this link! 

Stay tuned for more examples on how to use a comma! That isn’t everything, but enough for now.

All the best,

Julia