May 5, 2025

Unclear Antecedents

TOPICS: ,

Brad crashed his car into the donut shop and totally destroyed it.

Did Brad destroy the donut shop or his car? The pronoun "it" could refer to either. Here's how to avoid the problem of unclear antecedents.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

Comma after a short introductory phrase
Posted by June on May 5, 2025
LABELS: ,

I got an e-mail from a reader named Mike who had a question about the sentence “Soon I will go to the office,” which I had used as an example in a piece I wrote. Mike wanted to know “Shouldn't there be a comma after soon?”

Sure. Or not. Whatever.

A comma after a short introductory word, phrase, or clause, I told him, is optional. So in "Soon I will go to the office," no comma is needed.

“On Tuesday I will go to the office.” “On Tuesday, I will go to the office.”

You could go either way on these. It depends solely on which way you, the writer, feel best conveys the way you want it to come across.

But the longer the introductory matter, the greater the likelihood a comma will help.

“On the third Tuesday of the month, I go to the office.”

Technically you could skip the comma in the sentence. But I wouldn’t.

“On the third Tuesday of every month that ends in the letter Y, I go to the office.”

In this one, by the time you get to the main clause (“I go”), you’re in so deep that it’s hard to remember a main clause is even coming. So in that case, I’m guess that about 99% of editors would agree a comma is needed.

It’s just one of many areas of the language in which good judgment reigns supreme.

June Casagrande is a writer and journalist whose weekly grammar/humor column, “A Word, Please,” appears in community newspapers in California, Florida, and Texas. more

The Best Punctuation Book, Period

A Comprehensive Guide for Every Writer, Editor, Student, and Businessperson

The most comprehensive punctuation guide ever, “The Best Punctuation Book, Period” doesn’t just cover the basic rules. It delves into gray areas of punctuation left unclear by the other rule books, showing how the rules differ in four different editing styles. There's also an A to Z reference of commonly mispunctuated terms. more

Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies

A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite

What do suicidal pandas, doped-up rock stars, and a naked Pamela Anderson have in common? They’re all a heck of a lot more interesting than reading about predicate nominatives and hyphens. June Casagrande knows this and has invented a whole new twist on the grammar book. more

Mortal Syntax

Mortal Syntax takes on the 101 most frequently attacked usage choices. Dedicating one short chapter to each, Casagrande brings her subject to life, teaching English usage through lively and amusing personal anecdotes. more

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences

Your story may be brilliant. Your insights may be groundbreaking. Your characters may be so real you can almost touch them. But they're not worth a thing if you can't bring them to life in well-written sentences. more

  • Is 'Alright' All Right?

    Amy Lechter I believe I should have put my comments above into this space. Oh well, hope you might take a moment to respond. I have just watched some of your podcasts and appreciate your direct and honest voice :>) http://amysiegeltutoring

  • Is 'Alright' All Right?

    amy lechter-siegel I am a former college and high school classroom English teacher and now high school and college critical reading and writing tutor and I know and have used so many grammar programs (Easy Grammar with its emphasis on first expunging prep phrases to more easily discern the parts of the sentence is one of my favorites; I like Diane King for a clear basic program as I work with LD students; I like Kahn Academy for its having a teacher with a white board; I like many others as well). None do I LOVE because they are a bit clumsy to use and, though being systematic, structured and exhaustive (as are many of the programs named)is ideal, my students do not/cannot buy into a hundred lessons. Do you have ideas (including your own work of course)for what might constitute an 8-10 lesson program on the most important elements of grammar and (especially) syntax with an audio visual component that would be both systematic and somewhat FUN. Thank you so much. I have ordered your books but, again, I want something short and sweet to use as a "Summer Writing Workshop." http://amysiegeltutoring.com

  • Should you capitalize 'city' in 'city of Boston'?

    M Actually, Chicago capitalizes City if you're talking about the government entity but not if it's talking about the area, so the City of Boston's ordinance vs. the city of Boston's population.

  • 'All told' or 'all tolled'?

    PJB Toll also means to add up. So, all tolled, as in, accounted for, is still correct.

  • Should you pronounce the T in 'often'?

    David Merriam-Webster online lists the spoken T first. I'd say it's a toss-up.