By Bob Yearick
Comma Confusion
If, as we here at “War” have long contended, the misuse of the apostrophe is the most common punctuation error, the abuse of the comma has to be a close second. Here are the most frequent comma gaffes:
• The missing comma: When addressing someone, there should be a comma after the first word or phrase — Hello, Jane. What time is the meeting, Bill? So, yes, technically, when writing that next email, you should begin with: Hi, Paul, . . .
• The extraneous comma: There should be no comma after a title. Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos, not Chief of Police, Wilfredo Campos. This applies even to informal titles, such as “reader Debbie Layton” (See “Media Watch,” at right). Now, if the is inserted in front of the title, then a comma should precede the name: The chief of police, Wilfredo Campos. Confusing, I know.
• The misplaced comma in quotations: Here in the good ol’ US of A, commas (and periods) go inside quotation marks, thus (Note boldface): “I’m going to bed now,” Mary said. He referred to the camping trip as “a vacation,” but his wife disagreed. This rule is a bit counter-intuitive, and the rest of the world puts punctuation outside the quotes, so maybe that’s why many of us get this wrong.
A Missed Misnomer
“War” has discussed misnomer a couple of times recently. Meaning a wrong or incorrect name or designation, not a misconception or mistake, it’s often misused. Phillies batboy Adam Crognale recently missed a perfect occasion to use the word when he was profiled in The Inquirer. Asked if he was too old for the job, the 25-year-old Crognale said, “I try not to dwell on my age, but I know that the Dodgers’ batboy is in his 30s. The title of batboy is really misconstrued.” No, Adam, it’s really a misnomer!
Department of Redundancies Dept.
• WDEL-AM reported that the victim of a fatal accident “had been driving at a high rate of speed.” Speed means the rate at which something or someone is moving. So, a rate of speed is redundant. A high speed works just fine.
Media Watch
• Reader Larry Hamermesh caught this in a post-Halloween story by The News Journal’s Esteban Parra and Isabel Hughes: “Gunfire erupted . . . sending hoards of trick or treaters scurrying for shelter.” That’s hordes. Hoard, as a verb, is to amass money or objects and store them away. The noun hoard refers to that money or objects.
• Thanks to reader Debbie Layton, we know that TNJ still hasn’t learned how to spell tenets. From a recent story by Matteo Iodonisi: “All of these experiences inspired Tracy to teach tenants of global citizenship in the classroom.”
• Appearing before a Senate committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray used one of Americans’ favorite non-words: “War in the Middle East has raised the threat of a terror attack in the United States to a whole nother level.”
• Reader David Hull reports that Dan Gelston of the AP had this take on Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly: “Kelly, a 12-game winner this season, was voraciously booed from pregame introductions to his walk to the mound.” While the crowd may have been voracious (wanting or devouring great quantities of food), we’re guessing the booing was done viciously or vigorously.
• Josh Tolentino, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, quoting Eagle center Jayson Kelce, who talked about Julio Jones getting hit as he caught a touchdown pass: “Regardless, he held onto it. It didn’t phase him.” That’s faze, Josh.
• Reader Walt Frank sends us this Fox News headline: “House Republicans to vote on speaker after closed door meeting chalk-full of surprises.” Often misspelled, it’s chock-full.
It’s the Holiday Season
• A reader says this notice about contributions to Sunday Breakfast Mission was posted in her condo’s mail room: “Monetary donations are also excepted..” That’s accepted, of course.
• And remember, when you send those holiday cards, do not put an apostrophe in your family’s name (e.g., “The Smith’s”).
Word of the Month
neophobia
Pronounced nee-oh/FOH-bee-uh, it’s a noun meaning the fear or dislike of the new.
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