EWRT1A-62C: thoughts on essay 1, commas, and the em dash

For essay one, keep in mind that both the readings we have covered so far have examples of positive and negative effects of education. So either text could be used for either prompt. I'd also suggest you read "A Rounded Version…" (16) before you work on your essay. You may wish to skim the Rodriguez and Malcolm X essays to see of they might relate to ideas you have for your essay.

As I said in class, there are rules that cover comma use and some general style guidelines, but not everyone agrees about these things. For instance, writers in the U.S. are bigger sticklers about comma use that writers in the U.K. For some general guidelines, this page has some suggestions for comma use. You always use a comma before a coordinate conjunction (and, or, but, so, yet…) that combines two independent clauses (two subject-verb pairs). The comma goes before the conjunction.

I read the essay, but I didn't understand it at all.

You should use a comma after a subordinate clause, before the main clause.

Although Miss B. Haven was the first woman in her family to go to school, her father wouldn't pay the tuition.

I said in class that you use a comma before a subordinate clause, but this is not always true. You only use a comma if the subordinate clause gives supplemental information.

I agreed with the thesis of the essay, although I didn't like the writing style.

If the subordinate clause provides necessary information that restricts the meaning of the main (independent) clause then you do not use a comma.

Do not begin writing your essay until you have read the texts critically.

This is true of any information that is restrictive. By "restrictive" I mean information that is essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Kate Chopin's book The Awakening uses symbolism to convey character development.

You do not set The Awakening off with commas because Chopin wrote more than one book and you are writing about just one of them. It is restrictive information. To be honest, sometimes it can be hard to tell if information is restrictive or not. If you are worried about a particular sentence, consider rewriting it to avoid the comma.

Whenever I have a question about grammar, I turn to a writing handbook. I consulted both The Longman Handbook and The Bedford Handbook to make sure the information above about comma was correct. This is why I suggest getting a writing handbook.

As for the em dash, it is not used much in formal writing, such as the writing you do for college. So in general you should avoid using it. It is used a lot in the business world and it replaces commas, semicolons, colons, etc. But as with all dashes, it is mainly used to indicate an interruption and shift in thought. There's more here.