CONTENTS FEATURE: Be a comma commodore: keep punctuation under control GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: Be a comma commodore: keep your punctuation under control      Autumn, the season extending from the September equinox to the December solstice, encompassing portions, or the entirety, of the months of September, October, November, and December, has arrived, and this verbose sentence, intentionally, and admittedly awkwardly, composed with an overabundance of nouns, parenthetical phrases and clauses, is littered with commas that are reminiscent of so many dead leaves, representing a figurative tribute to the season. It's our way of encouraging restraint in the use of commas.      The comma is an indispensable punctuation mark that serves numerous functions. It is used to punctuate dates (Oct. 1, 2007) and addresses (423 F St., suite 206, Davis, CA 95616). It can distinguish an introductory clause, phrase or word from the main clause of a sentence (Until last Tuesday, John had never been absent from work or No, I haven't seen John at the office since he won the lottery).      Nonessential phrases are set off within a sentence by surrounding commas (The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum, which contains more than 4,600 jars of mustard from throughout the world, is in southwestern Wisconsin). A comma should be used to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that modify the same noun (Sharon is an experienced, competent accountant).      Many writers overcompensate in comma usage and insert them where they're unnecessary, however. A comma should not be placed between the subject and verb of a sentence. Insertion of a comma is incorrect in this sentence: The property managers and owners of businesses on Third Avenue, decided to investigate formation of a business improvement district.      Use of a comma sometimes is optional. The "serial comma" has long been a polarizing topic of debate among grammarians and journalists. Many grammar books and style guides, including The Chicago Manual of Style, recommend use of the "serial comma" before the word "and" when listing a series of nouns (such as "planes, trains, and automobiles"), adjectives ("red, white, and blue") or gerunds (a participle that functions as a noun, such as "cooking, sewing, and gardening"). The Associated Press Stylebook and other journalistic style guides endorse elimination of the comma before "and" in a series ("planes, trains and automobiles"). Both style guides specify use of the serial comma when at least one of the series elements has its own internal coordinating conjunction. Here's an example: Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Mamas and the Papas.      EditPros News reader Hilary H. wrote to us seeking clarification about whether or not serial comma guidelines apply to verbs. She told us, "I'm an editor on both a Canadian and an American publication, and I've been unable to find the answer to my question in either the CP [Canadian Press Stylebook] or AP style guide. When it comes to a series of verbs in a sentence, it appears that a serial comma is used before the 'and,' which is contrary to the rule for nouns.      "I've noticed, however, that one of the editors on my team always uses a comma before the 'and' even when there are only two verbs in the sentence," Hilary wrote. "For example: 'The government sought dramatic decreases in gang violence by fundamentally changing the relationship between law enforcement and the community, and engaging residents in powerful efforts to re-establish social norms and community supports.' This seems wrong to me, but I can't find anything to support either position. What do you think?"      That's a good question, Hilary. The rules governing use of commas with verbs are grammatical rather than stylistic, however. Some multiple-verb sentence structures require an intervening comma, while others do not. Compound sentence:      A comma is required before the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence (which consists of two or more independent clauses). Coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (which you can remember by their initials—FANBOYS). An independent clause is a grouping of words that can constitute a sentence alone. Here's an example: Roger collected the data, but Alice wrote the report.      The independent clauses are "Roger collected the data" and "Alice wrote the report." Either one of those could independently stand as a sentence. Complex sentence:      A complex sentence consists of an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses. A dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence. The clauses are linked by either a subordinate conjunction (such as after, although, as, because, before, unless, when, while) or a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom).      When a dependent clause precedes an independent clause, an intervening comma is needed (as this sentence itself demonstrates). Here's another example: After Roger collected the data, Alice wrote the report.      In that sentence, "After Roger collected the data" cannot stand as a sentence on its own; even though it contains a verb, it is a dependent clause because it depends upon another sentence to make sense. It does make sense when linked to the independent clause "Alice wrote the report."      When the independent clause precedes the dependent clause, no separating comma is necessary. Here's an example: Alice wrote the report after Roger collected the data. Simple sentence with a compound verb:      A sentence that contains two verbs is not necessarily compound or complex, however. Here's an example: Roger collected the data and wrote the report.      Although the first segment of the sentence ("Roger collected the data") preceding the coordinating conjunction is an independent clause, the second segment ("wrote the report") is not an independent clause because it lacks a subject. The two verbs share a common subject—Roger. In this case, a comma should not be used before the coordinating conjunction.      If you add a subject to the second clause—thereby changing the statement from a simple sentence to a compound sentence—you'll need a comma. Example: Roger collected the data, and he wrote the report.      Now let's see how—or if—these rules apply to Hilary's example sentence: The government sought dramatic decreases in gang violence by fundamentally changing the relationship between law enforcement and the community, and engaging residents in powerful efforts to re-establish social norms and community supports.      Although that's a complicated sentence, it is neither compound nor complex in the grammatical sense. The portion of the sentence preceding the comma is an independent clause (with associated prepositional phrases performing object and adverbial functions). The material following the comma is another prepositional phrase (which describes how the government sought to achieve decreases in gang violence). It's not immediately recognizable as such because it lacks the implied preposition "by," and because it's so distant from the main clause. With the preposition restored, here's how the sentence looks: The government sought dramatic decreases in gang violence by fundamentally changing the relationship between law enforcement and the community, and BY engaging residents in powerful efforts to re-establish social norms and community supports.      Both of the prepositional phrases introduced with the word "by" have adverbial functions—analogous to this example: Richard completed the job by working on Saturday and postponing his other assignments. That sentence does not require a comma. But with more complicated prepositional phrases, a comma may be advisable. Consider this one: Richard completed the job by working on Saturday and Sunday and postponing or ignoring his other assignments. Lacking a comma, the sentence is somewhat confusing. Addition of a comma (along with restoration of a second preposition) produces an improved version: Richard completed the job by working on Saturday and Sunday, and by postponing or ignoring his other assignments.      We agree with the editor's use of the comma in Hilary's example sentence. Its use may be unnecessary, however, in more concise sentences. When commas are optional, we at EditPros recommend excluding them. When deliberating whether or not to use commas to separate parallel prepositional phrases, clarity should be the determining factor. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions 1. Diane F. wrote:      "For a bar mitzvah speech—'on behalf of my family and me, I would like to thank you...'—Is that correct? Would you say, 'on behalf of my entire family...'? I know you would not say '...my family and myself....' Is there a better way to phrase this? (I am not writing the speech; I was asked by the boy's mother for some help on this.)" The grammar coach replies:      The best approach to resolve sentence structure dilemmas involving complex introductory elements is simplification; temporarily clear away some of the clutter. If you remove "my family and," the remaining sentence reads, "On behalf of me, I would like to thank you...." Of course, that sounds ludicrous, because since the young man says he wants to thank you, he obviously is speaking in his own behalf. Therefore, "and me" is redundant.      The proper approach would be, as you suggested, "On behalf of my entire family, I would like to thank you." If you prefer a more succinct approach, you could say, "My family and I wish to thank you." 2. Sherri F. wrote:      "Which of the following is correct: 'there are an insufficient number of materials' or 'there is an insufficient number of materials'? Seems to me 'an insufficient number' is singular and would require an 'is.' If 'are' were to be placed in the sentence, the sentence would change to 'there are insufficient numbers of materials.' Please advise and explain!! Thanks so much. P.S.: Your site is priceless to me. Three times I have submitted questions, and three times you have answered. One was even the question of the month. Thanks again for your assistance." The grammar coach replies:      Now two of your questions have appeared in EditPros News, because they're thoughtful. The question you raised this time involves two grammatical considerations: the use of passive voice, and determination of the true subject of the sentence.      Sentences that begin with "there is" or "there are" are passive-voice constructions in which the true subject is concealed as the object of the verb. The use of the phrase "number of" can cause additional confusion. In such cases, the noun "number" often is not the true sentence subject or object of the verb. In the sentence "Sally sold a number of service contracts last month," we know that Sally is in the business of selling contracts, not numbers. In that and other cases, "number of" is synonymous with "several" or "numerous" and functions as an adjectival phrase that modifies another noun. The intended meaning is "Sally sold numerous contracts."      However, "number" can indeed be the subject of a sentence. The American Heritage Dictionary explains, "as a collective noun, 'number' may take either a singular or a plural verb. It takes a singular verb when it is preceded by the definite article 'the' (as in 'the number of skilled workers is small'). It takes a plural verb when preceded by the indefinite article 'a' (as in 'a number of the workers are unskilled')."      To resolve your question, let's first convert the passive construction to the active voice in traditional subject-verb-object order: "The number of materials is insufficient." The verb is singular because the subject is "number" (for which you could substitute the word "quantity"). Since that's the case, your example "there is an insufficient number of materials" is technically correct, but awkward. We suggest the quantity of materials is insufficient or the materials are insufficient in quantity. If you do want to use either "amount of" or "number of," be sure to make the distinction between the two. Use "number of" in connection with countable items (as in "a large number of students"). Use "amount of" in reference to undivided quantities, such as "an excessive amount of air pollution").      A point of further clarification: "the number of materials is insufficient" would be appropriate in reference to the variety or quantities of several different kinds of materials—for example, lumber, nails, electrical cable and paint. If the shortage involves only one type of material, such as carpeting, then the noun "material" should be singular: "the amount of material is insufficient."      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn a finder's fee of up to $500      Do you know of a friend or colleague whose office can benefit from EditPros services? If you do, EditPros may reward you with a "finder's fee" of up to $500.      EditPros LLC, established in 1993, performs writing, editing, proofreading and publication management services for newsletters, brochures, Web sites, annual reports, research studies, business proposals, and other informational and marketing materials. Our office is in Davis, Calif., between Sacramento and San Francisco; however, our clients include educational institutions, private corporations, health-care organizations, trade associations, scientific research institutions, Web site developers and government agencies from throughout the United States. We have worked with some of them for more than 10 years.      If you recommend our services to a friend or business colleague, and that introduction leads to an assignment for EditPros, we will award you a "finder's fee" equaling 10 percent of the amount we earn on the first assignment for the new client, up to a maximum finder's fee of $500. Naturally, the finder's fee is applicable only to clients for which we have not worked previously.      This offer will remain in effect until further notice. 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