by Bobbie Christmas
Q: I wonder if you’ve noticed the recent outbreak of unnecessary commas between adjectives in otherwise respectable publications (I’ve even seen it in The New York Times!) It’s especially bad in Kindle books. I even spotted one in a George Sand Kindle book. What could be the cause? Are kids not taught comma use in English class anymore? Do publications still use copy editors? Is there some computer grammar-check app that is responsible?
I was always told that if you can put “and” between the adjectives, a comma is indicated; if not, the first adjective is modifying the phrase and should have no comma after it. Here’s an example. In a blog, author Nancy Peacock wrote: take care of a sick child or other, practical tasks…
A: In English class, if what we heard actually stuck with us, many of us were taught academic style, which sometimes differs from Chicago style, the style that book publishers follow. Anyway, Section 6.33 of the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style says, “As a general rule, when a noun is preceded by two or more adjectives that could, without affecting the meaning, be joined by ‘and,’ the adjectives are normally separated by commas.” It goes on to say that the coordinate adjectives can also usually be reversed in order and still make sense. “If, on the other hand, the adjectives are not coordinate—that is, if one or more of the adjectives is essential to (i.e. forms a unit with) the noun being modified—no comma is used.”
While some of the commas you have spotted might be called for in Chicago style, the example you give does not quite. In the case of the example, then, the comma may be unnecessary, as you say. Perhaps people get confused about the difference between coordinate adjectives and those that are not coordinate.
All that terminology can be confusing. I like to simplify the process and say that if the adjectives are equal, a comma is warranted.
Because in some cases a comma is needed between adjectives and in others it is not, the issue can be quite confusing to those who are not highly skilled in Chicago style.
Q: I know I’m not supposed to use too many adverbs, and you’ve shown me how to find adverbs that end in “ly,” but not all adverbs end in “ly.” How can I identify adverbs that don’t end in “ly?”
A: My advice: Don’t worry too much about them. The “ly” adverbs are the ones that draw the most attention to themselves and become repetitious. Nevertheless, some of the “hidden” adverbs—adverbs that don’t end in “ly”— include words such as today, yesterday, now, then, and rather. Of that list I see the last three adverbs—now, then, and rather—overused and used unnecessarily most often. Look for those three words and determine if you can delete them and make a sentence tighter without changing the meaning.
Adverbs tell how, where, or when something is done, and sometimes that information is important to a story. We cannot avoid every adverb, but when eliminating an adverb leads to stronger writing, the effort is worth it.
Q: My latest novel is about an abandoned resort hotel that has ghosts. How would you classify such a novel?
A: Marketers of books need to know the genre so they can promote the book to the right market. Bookstores need to know the genre so they can place the book on the right shelf. Writers must therefore know the genre of the books they write.
Because the book has ghosts, it’s paranormal, but the rest of the description depends upon whether it is paranormal romance, paranormal mystery, paranormal thriller, or paranormal something else.
Editor’s Note: If in doubt about your genre, click here for a very complete list.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.