The importance of commas

The basic function of a comma is to help the reader figure out which words go together in a sentence. Commas also help signify the most important parts of a sentence. Without the proper use of commas, the meaning of a sentence can be completely misconstrued, and the reader would be left confused.

Example: "Let's eat, Grandpa!" without a comma reads "Let's eat Grandpa!" It's fairly safe to assume no one actually wants to eat his grandpa, so the comma in this sentence allows an elderly man to be a part of a meal instead of the main course. Commas should be used to offset unnecessary information, and the meaning of the sentence would not change without the word "grandpa."

It is important to decide whether a comma is necessary to the sentence, but it is also good to know where to place the comma in a sentence because an improperly placed comma creates miscommunication.

Example: Take the phrase "Men say women are stupid." This makes sense standing alone and does not lead one to consider cannibalism, so there's nothing overtly wrong -- unless the writer intended a different meaning. With proper punctuation, the sentence can be corrected to read "Men, say women, are stupid." Two completely different meanings with the addition of two commas.

There has been an entire book about grammar written based off a phrase whose meaning is dependent on commas: "Eats[,] Shoots & Leaves." The phrase refers to a panda, and depending on whether the comma is there or not, he either eats something equivalent to bamboo or eats, fires a gun, and exits. The book does a very good job of explaining the proper use of punctuation, and because it is written in a light-hearted, sarcastic fashion, it is an enjoyable read as well. It is, however, written based on British punctuation. Order it here!

Learn how to use commas properly, please. It is not my job to teach you how, but it is something you should care enough to figure out on your own time. After all, no one wants to seem careless or ignorant regarding the language with which he grew up.