[5 minutes to read]
I am reading Benjamin Dreyer’s new book, Dreyer’s English. That’s what grammar geeks do in their spare time – read books by other grammar geeks. In his book, Dreyer clarifies a fine point about commas. Since it was new to me, I thought it might be new for you.
Let’s do a quick recap of the comma. Commas set off different parts of a sentence. They say to the reader, “Heads up! Here comes something new.” Of course, you remember that a noun is a person, place, thing, or concept. With this in mind, take a look at the following examples. What is the difference between these sentences?
- My son John is an excellent violinist.
- My son, John, is an excellent violinist.
I’ll send you a dollar if you already know! Seriously, send me your address. Honor system, folks.
And here’s another example:
- Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s movie BlacKkKlansman.
- Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s movie, BlacKkKlansman.
- Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s latest movie, BlacKkKlansman.
Why, you might ask, do some of these sentences have commas before they identify the noun (“My son, John, is an excellent violinist”) while others do not? Okay, take a deep breath: Here comes a little grammar.
The “Only” Comma”
These sentences illustrate what Dreyer calls “The Only Comma”. This comma appears when the person or thing being identified is the only one that exists. Only one son? Then it’s “My son, John, is an excellent violinist.” A gaggle of sons? “My son John is an excellent violinist.” The proud father could write, “My son Bernard is a great pianist and my son Argyll plays the banjo.”
Dreyer writes, “’Only’ commas (except at the very ends of sentences, they travel in pairs) are used to set off nouns that are, indeed, the only one of their kind in the vicinity.”
OK, so who gets a dollar?
- “Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s movie BlacKkKlansman” is correct because Spike Lee has made many movies. The movie is not unique so it does not get an “only comma.”
- “Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s movie, BlacKkKlansman” is incorrect because BKKK is not Lee’s only movie. Remember, this comma is only for onlies.
- “Last week, I saw Spike Lee’s latest movie, BlacKkKlansman” is correct because Spike Lee has only one latest movie.
So there you have it: If the noun you are identifying is the only one of its kind (in that context), put a comma before it. If not, omit the comma.
Dreyer offers a great illustration of the necessity of the “Only” Comma with this example:
Elizabeth Taylor’s second marriage, to Michael Wilding
Elizabeth Taylor’s second marriage to Richard Burton
Taylor had only one second marriage. This marriage rated an “only” comma. Her second marriage to Burton was one of several marriages. Thus, no comma.
Now you can write me an email that says, “I enjoyed your latest Writamin, “The “Only” Comma.”
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