Jan 01 2008
Commas Can Be Crucial
When writing, pay attention to commas. They’re tiny, but they can turn the meaning of a sentence on its head. For example, the only difference between the following two sentences is a seemingly insignificant comma. Read them and decide if the comma is, indeed, insignificant.
- Janet screamed in shock when Brad cut off his finger and fainted.
- Janet screamed in shock when Brad cut off his finger, and fainted.
Both sentences make it clear that Janet screamed in shock because Brad cut off his finger. But who fainted? Janet or Brad? In the first sentence, the implication is that Brad fainted. In the second sentence – the one with the comma – it appears that Janet was the one who fainted.
The story of an obscure 19th century religious sect offers another example of the sometimes crucial importance of the humble comma. Members of the sect followed the written precepts of a clairvoyant named Orville Winch, who had lived during the previous century. Winch’s writings had been adopted as the doctrine of the sect, and one of his directives read …
Don’t indulge in sex, only to procreate.
This meant that the Winchites could only have sex for the purpose of making babies. While such a restriction was welcomed by most of the female members of the sect, it did not sit well with the men. During the Men’s Council in the spring of 1841, they devised a daring plan. Swearing oaths of secrecy to ensure the women would never discover their deception, they altered Winch’s original manuscript so it appeared that the cursed comma in the sentence was actually only an imperfection in the paper. The directive then read …
Don’t indulge in sex only to procreate.
Simply by taking the comma out of the sentence, the male Winchites had turned the meaning of the sentence 180 degrees. Without the comma, the commandment now said, in effect: “Procreation is not the only reason to indulge in the delights of the flesh.”
Hallelujah!
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