Glimpses into Grammar #1 - Commas and More (but NOT more commas!)

A Day in the Life of a Science Fiction Writer: Glimpses into Grammar - Commas and More (but NOT more commas!)

This is not the promised report on what you get for a book review you pay for. I'm waiting for the review to come in before I write that one.  It will probably be the next "Day in the Life" post.

 Hmmm. Perhaps I should act more like a politician and just make stuff up about the topic. 

 Oh, my! Did I just write that thought down? 

I am teaching a professional writing class to nurses in the BS-Nursing program of Point Loma Nazarene University. The course is well designed. I’m learning along with the students. It’s also quite time-consuming to teach the class and grade assignments with commentary.

So?

I’ve decided to kill a blog bird with a grammar stone.

Huh?

This is the first blog of an irregular series where I’m presenting information I’ve gleaned, remembered, or learned while in the role as "writing teacher." I know teaching this class is helping my writing. I’m more than guessing it will help yours, too.

Glimpse #1: Assure. Ensure. Insure.

Of these three –ures, I have the least problem with assure. That could be because 

Assure: To promise or say with confidence. 

I relate to that.

Oftentimes, my grammar checker let’s me know that I’ve used the wrong member of the remaining pair. For the record

Ensure: To do what’s necessary to make something happen.

Insure: To provide insurance… like for your car.  Remember the word insurance.

Ultimately

• Ensure is doing something.
• Insure is providing something.
• Assure is more about saying than doing.

Try these yourself. Which is the correct of the three terms in parentheses?

·      I (assure/ensure/insure) you that my testimony about what happened last night is accurate.

·      Alex plans to (assure/ensure/insure) his new car when he leaves work after his shift.

·      Melinda saved money from every paycheck to (assure/ensure/insure) that she would have the deposit for a new apartment by August.

Glimpse #2: Commas After Introductory Elements

A comma usually follows an introductory word, expression, phrase, or clause.

…

Some writers omit the comma if the introductory element is short and does not seem to require a pause after it.

At the racetrack Henry lost nearly his entire paycheck.

[In my opinion, better than omitting a comma in this sentence is to revise its structure completely to: 

Henry lost his entire paycheck at the racetrack. 

I realize that might not fit the storyline as well, but it’s a much better read.]

However you will seldom be wrong if you use a comma after an introductory element. If the introductory element is followed by inverted word order, with the verb preceding the subject, do not use a comma unless misreading might occur.

Highlights are quoted from The St. Martin’s Handbook (7^th Ed.) by Andrea A. Lunsford. Pp 708-709

Below is a photo of a bulleted list of common comma uses. From The St. Martin’s Handbook (7^th Ed.) by Andrea A. Lunsford. P 710.

Even though the first paragraph labels these are "common errors in college writing," I suspect many/most authors of any age struggle with some/many of these.

Next blog: What do you get for a review you pay for? 

or 

Glimpses into Parts of Speech Part 1 – Nouns, Pronouns, and Verbs

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