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Nonessential
information
is
grammatically unnecessary in a sentence. While it can be helpful and perhaps nice to know,
it's not critical for complete understanding of the sentence.
One way of determining if information is essential or not is to leave it out; if the sentence
still makes sense, it's not necessary.
Another way to decide is to see
if it makes sense to put the information within parentheses; these usually do enclose extra
information. If you can imagine the information within ( ), it's
probably not necessary to the sentence.
The comma rule is quite easy: replace each half of the ( ) with a
comma. Yes, that
means you need two commas to enclose the information -- just as the
parentheses did.
| Examples:
|
The copier
(which
is in the hall) is broken.
The copier, which is in the
hall, is broken. |
Here, the
basic sentence is "The copier is broken." In other words, there is
only one copier and it's broken. Its location, while helpful to
know, does not describe it any more fully. One copier is still one
copier and no matter where it is, it's broken. By putting "which is in the
hall" within either parentheses or commas, you are indicating that
the information, while helpful, is not needed to distinguish this copier
from any other. If you only have one, its whereabouts
are not critical to the sentence. No matter where it is, it's
broken!
Should you use parentheses or
commas? The commas are the better choice; parentheses are just too
big to use often in a document. Because they do enclose
nonessential information, and because most of us are curious and will
focus on the unexpected, we're apt to read what's in the parentheses
first. So, we'll be reading the stuff the writer doesn't consider
important! Stick with commas, which are unobtrusive.
Essential material
is necessary
for complete understanding.
|
Example:
|
The copier
that
is on the second floor is broken.
(Yes, you can also write "The copier
on the second floor is broken."
|
This sentence
is meant to show that
there are several copiers, and only the one on the second floor is
broken. Notice, too,
the word that; it's the preferred word to use when introducing
essential information (if you use anything at all). This information is considered essential
because it specifies which copier you are talking about. Wouldn't
you like to know which one needs fixing without running all through the
building testing each one?
|
Example: |
The red mittens
that are on the table are Sam's.
The red mittens
on the table are Sam's. |
This says
that of all the red mittens you might find around the house, those on
the table are Sam's. Therefore, the information is essential to
distinguish Sam's mittens from anyone else's.
|
Example:
|
The red
mittens,
which are on the table, are Sam's. |
Here you're saying that there is only one pair of red mittens, and they
are Sam's. The fact that they are on the table is helpful,
perhaps, but it's not critical for identification. No matter where
they are, they are still Sam's mittens.
Appositives
are
nonessential words that explain what came before. They
are often titles or occupations of people, but they don't have to be.
The
basic rule is this: If the title comes directly before the
name and is used as a title, rather than as an occupation, no
commas separate it from the person. If the
title/occupation follows the name, use commas around it.
Remember,
too, that titles may be more than one word. The test is trying to
remove the name that follows. If you can't, you don't use
commas. You can also substitute a one-word title such as Mr. or
Ms.; would you ever write "Ms., Susan Brown is on
vacation"? No, I didn't think so. Multi-word titles are
treated the same as single words would be.
Examples
of
appositives:
|
Bill
Gates (CEO of Microsoft) is on vacation this week.
Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is on vacation this week.
The CEO
of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is on vacation this week.
The CEO, Bill Gates, is on vacation this week.
|
|
Titles:
|
CEO
Bill Gates
is on vacation this week.
State Auditor and Legislator Bill Gates is on vacation.
|
Another
type of appositive: |
Our
company (located on Elm Street) is the oldest firm in town.
Our company, located on Elm Street, is the oldest firm in town.
Our company, which is located on Elm Street, is the oldest firm in
town.
|
Interrupters
are another type of nonessential information, a word or words
awkwardly placed that interrupt the normal flow of a
sentence. Again, we surround them with commas because they are not essential information.
|
Examples: |
The red
mittens,
however, are on the table.
The living room, for example,
has painted walls. |
The words however and for
example are the interrupters. Clearly, we could delete them,
and the sentences would still make sense. |
Here's another one that is
proving to be difficult for many:
|
Examples: |
I've lived in
North Easton (Massachusetts) for many years.
I've lived in North
Easton,
Massachusetts, for many years. |
In this type of sentence, the state is nonessential
information (from a grammatical point of view). You have a
perfectly valid sentence without it. Adding it does give the
reader information, but even without it, the reader understands the main
point of the sentence.
Notice how easily the state's
name could go within parentheses; many times we actually do this to let
the reader know exactly which state our town is in.
The same thinking holds true
for dates. Most of us know that the day of the week, the month,
and the day must be separated by commas. However, many of us do not
use the final comma after the year -- it's required because the
information (the year) is not
grammatically essential!
|
Example: |
Friday, July 1,
2005,
will be my last day on the job. |
The last type of interrupter is
someone's name in the middle of a sentence, usually placed there for
emphasis. We again surround it with commas.
|
Example: |
Your red
mittens,
Sam, are on the table. |
If you choose to start the sentence with the name, use just one comma after it.
|
Example: |
Sam,
your red mittens are on
the table.
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