Peripatetic editorial notes
Writing well (2)
Clauses and comma use
Ceylon Medical Journal, 2000; 45:
97-99
Colvin Goonaratna, Joint editor,
CMJ
Relative
clauses may or may not need commas, depending on the type of clause. It is
convenient to identify the two principal types of relative clauses as defining
(or restrictive) and commenting (or non-restrictive). Defining relative
clauses are not parenithetic, and do not need commas. Their function is to
define (j.e. restrict) nouns or other clauses, eg.
23
Trains that
do not stop at Moratuwa ought
to stop at Mount Lavinia.
24
The surgeon who
performed the operations did
not participate in evaluating outcomes in our study.
25
Nurses
seated
in the rear may
not hear the lecturer.
26
Hospitals
where
facilities for dialysis are available should
receive adequate resources.
In
each of the sentences above the relative clauses (in italics) serve to define
or restrict the noun, and do not lend themselves to enclosure in parentheses.
In sentences 27, 28 and 29, the relative clauses (in italics) merely comment
on, but do not restrict the noun. They need commas.
27
In 1958, when
this operating theatre was constructed, surgery
was relatively simple.
28
The Colombo nurses' training school, where
most of us have been trained, now
badly needs refurbishing.
29
The decision to operate, that
was taken after much consultation, proved
to be
the
right one.
If
you are still not quite certain about the distinction between defining
(restrictive) and commenting (non-restrictive) relative clauses, read the
seven sentences foregoing without them. Sentences 23 to 26 cease to convey
their full intended meaning if the restrictive clauses are removed, unless the
noun has been defined earlier in the context, or will be defined later
Sentences 27 to 29, in contrast, will convey the essential message quite
adequately even without the relative clause, which could just as well have
been placed in parentheses.
Participial
clauses and phrases, as in sentences 30 to 33, may be treated in the same way
as relative clauses.
30 Operations lasting more than three hours should not be performed in
this theatre. (Defining)
31
The judge, having dozed through most of the trial, delivered an atrocious
judgement in favour of the complainant. (Commenting)
32
People living in glass houses should switch off the lights before
undressing.
33
The nurse, being unused to theatre procedure, handled the instruments
on the tray.
One
comma or two or none?
Commas may be completely omitted from sentences 27 to 29, 31 and 33 without
compromising clarity, although comprehension may be easier with the pauses
imposed by commas. However, placing one but not the officer is regarded as a
breach of a rule of comma use by nearly all authorities on writing. One of
them says sternly about this slovenly habit, 'There is no defense for such
punctuation..." (1); and another calls it a"... very
common blunder" (2). Below are some examples of this contemptible error.
34
35 Patients, who do not comply, will not derive much relief. (Omit both
commas, for this is a defining relative clause.)
36 Please inform us for our recdrd purposes, your complete postal address.
(Omit comma or insert one after us.)
37
Arbitrary
rules or useful ones?
If
you are tempted to dismiss these rules about relative clauses as arbitrary
inventions of finicky grammarians, take a careful look at the sentences below.
39
Lawyers, whose minds are dull, are unlikely to win many cases for
ffieir clients.
In
sentence 38 the defining relative clause restricts ifie noun to a particular
class of lawyers, and the result is a truism, a commonplace. The commas in
sentence 39 signal a commenting relative clause that imposes no restrictions
on the noun, and implies that al~ lawyers have dull minds~ The commas convert
a truism to a gratuitous insult.
40 These are particular needs of women, who have no special skills, that
the Ministry should examine carefully.
The
commas in sentence 40 suggest that all women have no special skills, an
assertion that would surely raise their ire in any country where comma use is
properly understood. Sri Lanka is not such a one.
Other
uses of the comma
The
apostrophe is used to
indicate possessive
of nouns or pronouns. No one will have difficulty with, for example, Cyril's
house or
the
animal's heart
beat.
For
the possessive singular of nouns 's should
be added whatever the final consonant (eg. James's
book, witch's brew, horse's mouth), although
there are a
Some
pronouns do not have an apostrophe in their
Write
dates always as Wednesday,
23 August 2000 or
as 23
August 2000. In
accordance with SI convention. use
a space, not a comma, to separate digits when there
References
1.
Strunk W Jr, White E B. The elements of style. 3rd
ed.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Co Inc, 1979.
2.
Gowers E. The complete plain words. (Revised by Greenbaum S
and
Whitcut J). Penguin Books, 1986.
3.
The
Economist Pocket Stylebook. London: The Economist Publications Ltd, 1986.