Q. Is it proper to put a comma after the year in a date? Example: On April 15, 2014, I filed my taxes on time.
Q. An editor just changed all of my nervous character’s “Oh, dear” comments to “Oh dear” without the comma. Which is correct?
A. CMOS 6.35 has this to say: “A comma usually follows an exclamatory oh or ah unless it is followed by an exclamation mark (or dash) or forms part of a phrase (e.g., “oh boy,” “ah yes”).” Since your character’s “Oh dears” fall into the exception category (an exclamation or part of a phrase), your editor was right to delete the commas.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Do you recommend using a comma to separate items in a “from X to Y to Z” format? In more complex sentences, they may aid in comprehension, e.g., “He always bought the latest technology, from a cell phone that could tell his coffeemaker to start percolating at 7am[,] to a television that could remember all his preferences[,] to a tablet computer that synced all his bookmarks with his phone and laptop.” I’m working with an author who prefers to use commas in such cases.
A. If the items are short, you probably don’t need commas—unless leaving them out would result in hilarity: “He always bought the latest technology from a computer that synced his bookmarks to a coffeemaker that delivered mochas to a television that remembered his preferences.”
Remember that overuse of the device can annoy readers. Know too that persnickety readers dislike “false ranges,” although they are an accepted figure of speech. A “true range” is something like “from A to Z”; a false range is “from cells phones to coffeemakers,” where there are no logical endpoints to form a range. In your sentence, the range could easily be edited into a simple list.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is it necessary to have commas before and after an appositive when referring to coaches? Example: We went to see Bengals coach Paul Brown to interview one of his players.
A. Coaches receive the same treatment as everyone else. Use commas with an appositive if the expression is not restrictive—that is, if it would make sense set off by parentheses:
We went to see Bengals coach Paul Brown.
We went to see the Bengals coach (Paul Brown).
We went to see the Bengals coach, Paul Brown.
See CMOS 5.23 and 6.27–29 for more on restriction and commas.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. What punctuation is required for “including but not limited to”? I see many different opinions from many different sources.
A. No punctuation is required, but commas after including and to would work just fine; they may be helpful if the phrase introduces a long or complex list. Dashes would work as well.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In my role as an editor, I frequently face preposition-conjunction combinations such as this: “The analysis assesses the availability of and access to community services.” Does this need commas?
A. Commas around the second phrase (“and access to”) will indicate that it is somewhat parenthetical, an afterthought, so use them only if that’s the writer’s intention.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Hello there. Is it okay to use a comma after Anderson? “This is disgusting,” said Anderson, “The man I hired to mow the lawn has missed a few spots.” According to the models you provide, you seem to prefer a period rather than a comma, but is the comma definitely wrong?
A. Yes, the comma is definitely wrong. The test is to write the sentence without “said Anderson” and see whether a comma works: “This is disgusting, The man I hired to mow the lawn has missed a few spots.” You can see that you need a period.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is it a grave error that I wrote “If I’d had time, alone, with my mother’s body, I might have caressed her face” in lieu of “If I’d had time alone with my mother’s body”? I understand that I felt a pause around the word alone and therefore decided to use the commas. I also realize that the pause doesn’t mean that a comma is necessary. Using the commas around alone seemed to underscore the gravity of the situation, the aloneness of the situation. Will an editor be inclined to throw away my manuscript because of a small error like this?
A. A wayward comma is rarely a “grave error.” A good editor will ask you to clarify your intended meaning and then work with you to get the punctuation right.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I have been debating with my copyeditor guidelines concerning commas and dates. We consulted CMOS on the topic but we still differ in opinion. I prefer “In the summer of 1812 General Hagerthy moved his troops” versus “In the summer of 1812, General Hagerthy moved his troops.” “Early in 1946 an opportunity came for my cousin” versus “Early in 1946, an opportunity came for my cousin.” I argue that a comma after the year is not needed. Gurus of style, please opine who is correct.
A. Rejoice: everyone is correct. Higher authorities are not interested in legislating commas to this degree. Peace.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In this sentence, “Inside the Bellevue, Washington, laboratory, where innovations are under way . . .” it seems to me that the comma after Washington distracts from the meaning. Since “Bellevue, Washington” describes “laboratory,” could one omit the comma? Or is that a hard, fast, no-exceptions-ever rule?
A. Although we never promote our guidelines as hard, fast, no-exceptions-ever rules, the second comma is Chicago style as well as standard use outside Chicago. The idea is to treat Washington as parenthetical, which requires a pair of commas.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]