{"id":8742,"date":"2020-10-17T11:39:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-17T11:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=8742"},"modified":"2023-04-10T13:29:52","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T13:29:52","slug":"comma-before-except-the-definitive-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-except-the-definitive-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma before &#8220;except&#8221;: The Definitive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people would say that<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/calvin.edu\/offices-services\/rhetoric-center\/student-resources\/oral\/writing-speeches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>oral speech<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is more difficult than writing; however, others also think the other way around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In writing, punctuation rules are one of the most vexatious concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punctuations, such as commas, provide further meaning to the reader because of their ability to alert the initiation of pauses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pauses are then essential in setting the tone of an idea or argument, as well as in preventing oxygen deficiency issues when reading a document aloud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/unnecessary-commas\/\"><b>using commas<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appropriately is recommended.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>When is a comma necessary before &ldquo;except&rdquo;?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may act as preposition, verb, or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-and\/\"><b>conjunction<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The simple answer to the question is it does need a comma before<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it when it functions as a conjunction that tethers two independent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/clauses-vs-phrases\/\"><b>clauses<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also need a comma preceding <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when it serves as a parenthetical element.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/unnecessary-commas\/\"><b>a comma is unnecessary<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when it is used <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-either\/\"><b>either<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a verb or preposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Comma before &ldquo;except&rdquo;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><em><b>Except<\/b><\/em><b> as a conjunction<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It functions as a conjunction that is similar to &ldquo;but&rdquo; when it is followed by an idea of exclusion constructed either as an adverbial phrase or clause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comma is necessary for this type of sentence construction since &ldquo;but&rdquo; is one of the<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/books\/english-coordinate-constructions\/18602F8C6997661B523EB0935FCFA460\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">coordinating conjunctions<\/a><\/strong> a.k.a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-usage-fanboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FANBOYS<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/coordinating-conjunctions\/\" title=\"Coordinating conjunctions\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Coordinating conjunctions<\/a> join two independent clauses together and a comma is needed to highlight the fact that these contrasting ideas are able to stand alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">He badly wants to sing in public, except he isn&rsquo;t gifted with a beautiful voice.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">He has performed in most of the states in the USA, except in the northeastern ones.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More frequently than the above-mentioned cases, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is followed by either <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to connect clauses together<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comma is also necessary to set off an idea that a writer blatantly wants to emphasize.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doing this prompts the reader to assume that the next idea would then denote a stronger implicature as opposed to the simplistic nature of the first clause.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Her husband had told her everything, except that he already had an illegitimate child before their marriage.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Tanya hardly ever does the chores, except when her boyfriend is in the house.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><em><b>Except<\/b><\/em><b> as a parenthetical statement<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way to express the idea of exclusion is by using &ldquo;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as an introductory parenthetical element.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parentheticals are words, phrases, or clauses inserted in the sentence for rhetoric or interjectory purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inserting these elements is generally treated as inessential, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-thereby\/\">thereby<\/a><\/strong> making its removal plausible without lacerating the grammaticality of the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All nonessential entities mainly act as supplementary devices in a sentence, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-thus\/\">thus<\/a><\/strong> needed to be partitioned clearly by commas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">The shop&rsquo;s marquee says it&rsquo;s open 24\/7, except Sundays, which doesn&rsquo;t make any sense.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">All of my college friends, except Dani who&rsquo;s good at being grumpy, are either engaged or already married.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Every member of the Rangers, except one, is handsome.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the syntactical structure remains intact, the implicit meaning could change either slightly or dramatically after directly removing parentheticals; therefore, caution is advised when utilizing this writing technique.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8749\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png\" alt=\"Comma Before Except Pin\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8749 eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Comma Before Except Pin\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin.png 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-561x842.png 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-364x546.png 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-728x1092.png 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-608x912.png 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Comma-Before-Except-Pin-758x1137.png 758w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>When is a comma not necessary before except?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Except&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">does not require any adjacent commas when it functions as a preposition since prepositional phrases are fundamentally formed by the &ldquo;preposition + object&rdquo; pattern wherein the object could either be a noun or a pronoun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><em><b>Except <\/b><\/em><b>as a preposition<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how do we know if it is used as a preposition <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/but-rather-in-a-sentence\/\"><b>rather <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than conjunction?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prepositions mainly link the relationship of nouns or pronouns to the rest of the sentence while conjunctions are used to connect ideas logically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, the job scope of conjunctions is way larger than prepositions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spotting the prepositional usage of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is relatively easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All we need to do is check the word or words after it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In creating prepositional phrases, an object is normally placed after the preposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The object, of course, is a noun that is either used alone or in series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">The whole family attended the burial ceremony except Julia.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">She has already informed everyone in the club except Martin, Sandy, and Tyrone.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, &ldquo;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may also be followed by another preposition, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;for&rdquo;, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">forming the slightly more complex preposition &ldquo;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except for&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which may appear at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Except for Anna, everyone else ate the guacamole.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Everyone else, except for Anna, liked mom&rsquo;s guacamole.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">Everybody loved the guacamole and devoured except for Anna.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Except for <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shares a similar denotation of exclusion with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only that it is more specifically used to mean &ldquo;if it were not for&rdquo; altogether with some implicit meaning that indicates reservation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comma is also not used right before this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">I may accept all of your reasons except for the last one.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><em><b>Except<\/b><\/em><b> as a verb<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last mask possibly worn by <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is the one that serves a verbal function in a sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compared to the previous parts of speech, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">functioning as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/transitive-verbs\/\"><b>verb<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> occurs less frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lexical meaning of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">does not change, but its grammatical function does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">except <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is acting as a verb, a comma is not needed at all just like how verbs normally behave.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also have to take note that this specific usage is<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-rather\/\"><b>rather<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">formal and almost archaic which explains its seldom usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">My grandfather excepted one of his sons from his last will.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#dbdad8;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#f5f4f2;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:12px;-moz-border-radius:12px;-webkit-border-radius:12px;\">The company excepts him from the sanctions.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering all the instances mentioned above, <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-rules\/\" title=\"comma usage\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">comma usage<\/a> before except is usually necessary when connecting independent clauses or inserting parentheticals, but inessential when used in constructing prepositional phrases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post constitutes a general yardstick that governs comma usage altogether with &ldquo;except&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, some tweaks can be freely done for creative writing reasons wherein comma usage is spontaneously arbitrary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This arbitrariness supports the notion that language is continuously evolving, and will definitely have minor or major changes either in the near or far future.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some people would say that oral speech is more difficult than writing; however, others also think the other way around. In writing, punctuation rules are one of the most vexatious concerns. Punctuations, such as commas, provide further meaning to the reader because of their ability to alert the initiation of pauses. 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