caina3 wrote: ↑19 Feb 2021, 14:28
Hi All,
I am so glad I found this forum because I could really use some help understanding commas. I have always struggled with using the comma in my writing, and I have tried to get better at using them appropriately, but I still struggle. The below mistakes are from my first book review; I would prefer to improve on my understanding. Thank you to anyone who can clear up some of my mistakes.
the cosmos where Voulhire is located, Caromentis(,) known as the magic universe, and Alitheia, the spirit universe.
Q: I am not sure why the comma after Caromentis is incorrect, but the comma after Alitheia is correct?
Everything is new to him, not just his surroundings[,] but people too.
*comma misuse
Q: Why is the comma after 'but' not needed?
All the characters and their surroundings are richly described(,) helping the reader to envision the scenes easily.
Q: Why is the comma after 'described' not needed?
The author keeps the reader in suspense with plenty of encounters with Lord Meldorath and the Riva Rohavi(,) leading the reader to a climactic ending with plenty of tension to carry them to the next book.
Q: Why is the comma after 'Rohavi' not needed?
P. 1: If you are someone who likes to read about other worlds, knights and kings, magic and mages, then you are sure to enjoy reading We [are] Voulhire: A New Arrival [under] Great Skies by Matthew Tysz.
Q: What do the [] mean? Do they mean the same thing as the ()?
P. 4: Thankfully, he has a guide named [Rowan] to keep him out of trouble on their adventures.
Q: I do not know why there are [] around the word 'Rowan.' This is the name of a character in the book; I checked, and I spelled it correctly. What else could be wrong?
P. 5: All the characters and their surroundings are richly described[,] helping the reader to envision the scenes easily.
Q: Why is the comma after 'described' not necessary?
P. 8: I recommend this book to readers who enjoy the [sci-Fi & fantasy] genres.
Q: Are the brackets around sci-Fi & fantasy to show that I did not capitalize it correctly?
Thank You,
A. Cain
Wow, that's a lot of issues. I hope I can help you with my understanding (sorry I'm not a pro
). I checked your review, and here are my explanations (the sentences below are copied from your review for clarification):
1. the cosmos where Voulhire is located, Caromentis known as the magic universe, and Alitheia, the spirit universe. -> The phrase "known as the magic universe" is used to modify the word "Caromentis." Since "Caromentis" and "known as the magic universe" don't belong to the same context, a comma should be there to separate them (like the case of "Alitheia, the spirit universe.").
2. Everything is new to him, not just his surroundings, but people too. -> The comma shouldn't be used before "but," because the last phrase (people too) is not a complete sentence. There is a topic about the usage of commas pinned in International Grammar forum, so you can check it out.
3. All the characters and their surroundings are richly described helping the reader to envision the scenes easily. -> A comma is needed after "described." The clause "helping the reader to envision the scenes easily." is used to modify its preceding clause, so a comma is required to separate the two. I think it's called a Verb-ing modifier
.
The same goes for the next sentence "The author keeps the reader in suspense with plenty of encounters with Lord Meldorath and the Riva Rohavi leading the reader to a climactic ending with plenty of tension to carry them to the next book." and "All the characters and their surroundings are richly described helping the reader to envision the scenes easily."
4. If you are someone who likes to read about other worlds, knights and kings, magic and mages, then you are sure to enjoy reading We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz. -> I think the [] marks are the editor's corrections. They mean [Are] and [Under] shouldn't be capitalized. The correct name of the book is We
are Voulhire: A New Arrival
under Great Skies.
The same goes for this sentence "Thankfully, he has a guide named Rowen to keep him out of trouble on their adventures.", since the guy's correct name is Rowan.
5. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy the Sci-Fi & Fantasy genres. -> The editor also marks this my error, because the genres shouldn't be capitalized.