Our Friend, The Comma

Today, in honor of International Comma Day, we celebrate our friend, the comma. 

• The comma was the first punctuation mark used in language. 
• Aristophanes of Byzantium (not the playwright) is credited with creating the system of accents in the Ancient Greek language which provided the basis for the comma we know today.
• But it was Aldus Manutius, an Italian printer and creator of the italic typeface, who is widely credited with creating the modern comma. 
• The rules for comma use in the English language are fairly straightforward. 
• Use commas before coordinating conjunctions that join independent clauses, after an introductory adverb clause and most introductory phrases, to separate items in a series and to set off non-restrictive elements and other parenthetical elements.
• However, usage of the comma is as much a matter of personal style as hard and fast grammatical rules. 
• Commas are helpful in establishing rhythm and are easier for most readers to follow than dashes (--), parentheses (()), or, especially, the comma's weird nephew, the semi-colon (;). 
• Nevertheless, we can fully understand and appreciate that not everyone loves the comma as much as we do. 
• Therefore we have created a comma-free Five Things for the enjoyment of those who dislike the comma. 
• Click here for a totally comma-free Five Things You Need to Know.