Commas Are My Worst Enemy

Some grammar rules (and embarrassing mistakes!) transcend the uniqueness of different regions and style guides. This new International Grammar section by OnlineBookClub.org ultimately identifies those rules thus providing a simple, flexible rule-set, respecting the differences between regions and style guides. You can feel free to ask general questions about spelling and grammar. You can also provide example sentences for other members to proofread and inform you of any grammar mistakes.

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Tonia Freeman
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Re: Commas Are My Worst Enemy

Post by Tonia Freeman »

Aww, thank you! Cats and books are the way to my heart! He's such a ham and brings me so much joy. He loves books too! Just likes to lay on them instead of reading them. :lol2:

Thanks for the info I might have to look back and see how I go about doing that. This was actually my first review so I haven't run to it before. Overall, I scored well so I just let it go. But I suppose every little bit helps.
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Post by Jackie Kook »

Tonia Freeman wrote: 20 Jul 2022, 10:01
Luna Grace wrote: 11 Jun 2022, 09:46 I totally agree. I’m new to reviewing and have been marked down for comma usage. I read my review several times, use Grammerly, and Scribens before submitting my reviews, but I still have comma errors or I think a word is borderline profanity but it’s apparently not. It’s so disheartening when I put several hours into reading and writing a review but my editorial scores are still low. I want to keep reviewing as I love this opportunity and website, but it’s getting hard to reconcile my time vs. my editorial scores. 😭
I agree that it is very frustrating and the time vs reward is lacking in some cases. Plus, not having the chance to respond to the errors is also frustrating. I have one reviewer dock me because I said, "The last quarter of the book saved the story". He claimed that he should have been "stories". To me, that is flat-out wrong. There is only one story, the book and it's not a book for short stories. I just don't understand how someone isn't checking them to see if they are correct. Or if we had a way to flag or comment and they could change if it made sense.
I was super worried about the most recent review I submitted because I knew the grammar was correct but Grammarly and Word kept trying to make me rewrite it. It ended up fine, but along those lines, I have also wondered what types of grammar supersede other types. For instance, does subject/verb agreement matter more than keeping all the verbs in the same tense? And if the disagreement isn't purely grammatical but instead a seemingly subjective thing, I wouldn't have a way to even argue for a recheck. For instance, does "Although I didn't like how much time was spent on describing fencing, I grant that was necessary for the reader to understand the topic" require the word "it" between "that" and "was" to make the sentence make sense? (I used to teach livestock judging, and we would frequently phrase a negative as a "grant" in exactly those words.) I almost even counted a sentence in a book as an error because I thought something was missing, but upon reading it multiple times quite carefully I realized the sentence was just structured differently than how I would've structured it. That's exactly how these types of mistaken errors can be counted against someone when there's no opportunity for dialogue about something, especially when there isn't an explanation of the reasoning behind the error.

In any case, I'm plugging away and hoping to get better and higher in my levels for access to more books! Thank you to everyone here for this robust discussion.
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Tonia Freeman
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Post by Tonia Freeman »

Jackie Kook wrote: 28 Jul 2022, 16:33
Tonia Freeman wrote: 20 Jul 2022, 10:01
Luna Grace wrote: 11 Jun 2022, 09:46 I agree. I’m new to reviewing and have been marked down for comma usage. I read my review several times, use Grammerly, and Scribens before submitting my reviews, but I still have comma errors or I think a word is borderline profanity but it’s apparently not. It’s so disheartening when I put several hours into reading and writing a review but my editorial scores are still low. I want to keep reviewing as I love this opportunity and website, but it’s getting hard to reconcile my time vs. my editorial scores. 😭
I agree that it is very frustrating and the time vs reward is lacking in some cases. Plus, not having the chance to respond to the errors is also frustrating. I have one reviewer dock me because I said, "The last quarter of the book saved the story". He claimed that he should have been "stories". To me, that is flat-out wrong. There is only one story, the book and it's not a book for short stories. I just don't understand how someone isn't checking them to see if they are correct. Or if we had a way to flag or comment and they could change if it made sense.
I was super worried about the most recent review I submitted because I knew the grammar was correct but Grammarly and Word kept trying to make me rewrite it. It ended up fine, but along those lines, I have also wondered what types of grammar supersede other types. For instance, does subject/verb agreement matter more than keeping all the verbs in the same tense? And if the disagreement isn't purely grammatical but instead a seemingly subjective thing, I wouldn't have a way to even argue for a recheck. For instance, does "Although I didn't like how much time was spent on describing fencing, I grant that was necessary for the reader to understand the topic" require the word "it" between "that" and "was" to make the sentence make sense? (I used to teach livestock judging, and we would frequently phrase a negative as a "grant" in exactly those words.) I almost even counted a sentence in a book as an error because I thought something was missing, but upon reading it multiple times quite carefully I realized the sentence was just structured differently than how I would've structured it. That's exactly how these types of mistaken errors can be counted against someone when there's no opportunity for dialogue about something, especially when there isn't an explanation of the reasoning behind the error.

In any case, I'm plugging away and hoping to get better and higher in my levels for access to more books! Thank you to everyone here for this robust discussion.
For sure we are all plugging away! I do agree about your example. I had to reread it twice. While it might be grammatically correct the structure is written in such a way that it doesn't flow and distracts from the easy conveyance of the idea. A discourse would be helpful in such cases. Good luck!
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Post by Leslie Kunde »

I have the same problems with commas. I have 3 different writing programs I run these reviews through and still get the comma ding! One program was used by a friend for her advanced English classes and she still uses it for her business correspondence (she is an English instructor Harvard and an international non-profit coordinator).
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Tonia Freeman
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Post by Tonia Freeman »

Leslie Kunde wrote: 02 Aug 2022, 12:12 I have the same problems with commas. I have 3 different writing programs I run these reviews through and still get the comma ding! One program was used by a friend for her advanced English classes and she still uses it for her business correspondence (she is an English instructor Harvard and an international non-profit coordinator).
Would you mind sharing which program that was? Thanks.
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Post by Julie Gebrosky »

I am struggling with commas as well! It’s pretty embarrassing when I thought I had a firm grasp on when to use them! Plus I use Grammarly, and it never seems enough. It’s significantly taking away from the fun of writing reviews. I’ve found myself starting to write less unique sentences so that I won’t get marked down for a comma error. If it doesn’t have flair, I’ll be more likely to put a comma in correctly. I hate that it’s stifling my writing.
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Post by Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu »

I totally get the frustration. I think the harder thing is that the discrepancies are occurring too often which means editors are not always aligned either. I think it would be very useful if editors could give more information about the grammar errors. Sometimes I'm marked as using comma incorrectly but its never explained why so i never get a chance to learn from my mistake.
@Alice in Scotland would it be possible to ask the editors to add a little explanation to their grammar feedbacks? I realise the rules are not so smooth internationally so we might need the extra information.
Thanks!
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Post by Donna Walker »

headlessheart wrote: 03 Jun 2022, 13:04 Hey everyone, I've written a few reviews now and every time there have been issues with commas. A couple of the editors suggested I use Grammarly, which I did for the next review. Unfortunately, all of the changes that were made by Grammarly were marked incorrect by the editors. What suggestions does everyone have about ensuring current comma usage? Are there still disagreements regarding the use of the Oxford comma?
Grammarly is the worst! I attribute my initial reviews' poor grammar marks to using Grammarly and my blind trust that it would get things right. This was not the case at all. 

I have started using Quillbot, and I love it! It has really helped me out with my comma issues too, and I love the fact that it works for British English. My editor's scores are much better now. 
 
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Post by Esther Godwin Ogechi »

Charlienmegan Wehner wrote: 11 Jun 2022, 09:46 I totally agree. I’m new to reviewing and have been marked down for comma usage. I read my review several times, use Grammerly, and Scribens before submitting my reviews, but I still have comma errors or I think a word is borderline profanity but it’s apparently not. It’s so disheartening when I put several hours into reading and writing a review but my editorial scores are still low. I want to keep reviewing as I love this opportunity and website, but it’s getting hard to reconcile my time vs. my editorial scores. 😭
I totally agree with you.
For I know the thought I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you an expected end.Jeremiah 29:11
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Post by Emily Meadows »

Donna Walker 1 wrote: 24 Feb 2023, 12:50
headlessheart wrote: 03 Jun 2022, 13:04 Hey everyone, I've written a few reviews now and every time there have been issues with commas. A couple of the editors suggested I use Grammarly, which I did for the next review. Unfortunately, all of the changes that were made by Grammarly were marked incorrect by the editors. What suggestions does everyone have about ensuring current comma usage? Are there still disagreements regarding the use of the Oxford comma?
Grammarly is the worst! I attribute my initial reviews' poor grammar marks to using Grammarly and my blind trust that it would get things right. This was not the case at all. 

I have started using Quillbot, and I love it! It has really helped me out with my comma issues too, and I love the fact that it works for British English. My editor's scores are much better now. 
 
Quillbot is my absolute favorite!!
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Post by Tamara Bengesai »

This is very enlightening. I hope my Gramma improves after joining online bookclub.
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Post by Jack King »

headlessheart wrote: 03 Jun 2022, 13:04 Hey everyone, I've written a few reviews now and every time there have been issues with commas. A couple of the editors suggested I use Grammarly, which I did for the next review. Unfortunately, all of the changes that were made by Grammarly were marked incorrect by the editors. What suggestions does everyone have about ensuring current comma usage? Are there still disagreements regarding the use of the Oxford comma?
I thought I had excellent grammar until I started reviews on here, turns out I don’t! This guide below has been really helpful for me, I’m still only scoring around 65% but it’s a good 15% improvement!

viewtopic.php?f=132&t=49381
We've longed to see the roses, but never felt the thorns
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Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
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Post by Bianca Morano »

I think we had a similar experience regarding commas and the editors. I used Grammarly too but however still not enough. Still need a lot of proofreading and correct grammar. I can relate with the struggle.
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Post by Rob Carr »

I have definitely struggled with the standards used around commas for reviews. I tried using Grammarly to supplement my own proofreading and it wasn't enough to pick up all comma errors. It's only been a few reviews since I started using it, but I have been getting good results with Quillbot so far.
:idea: Rob Carr :idea:
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