Comma question

Carleree · Jan 5, 2012

I have a comma question. Please help!!

XXXXX is a 67,000-word, stand-alone work of young adult fiction with series potential.
Do I need the comma after word because stand-alone is hyphenated? I'm thinking yes, but someone else said it could go either way.

jchines · Jan 5, 2012

I skimmed through my AP Stylebook, and I'm not seeing anything to suggest that you'd need a comma there.

Carleree · Jan 5, 2012

Thank you, jchimes! I didn't know where to look. I'm usually pretty good with commas, but this one stumped me.

Chase · Jan 5, 2012

I agree with JC.

XXXXX is a 67,000-word, stand-alone work of young adult fiction with series potential.

Stand-alone and work aren't items in a series, so the comma shouldn't be there.

You'd need it for: a 67,000-word, stand-alone, perfect work of young adult fiction. . . . (Which I'm sure it is.)

Carleree · Jan 5, 2012

Chase, That's exactly what my English teacher said when I asked her. Although I should say I think my novel is great, I doubt very much that it's perfect.

Maryn · Jan 5, 2012

I agree with Chase. It's the thing to do.

Maryn, terribly trendy

kimberlycreates · Jan 5, 2012

According to Chicago, if the two adjectives could be joined by and without changing the meaning, they should be separated by commas. But if the noun and the adjective immediately preceding it are generally considered a single unit then don't use a comma.

So:

She's just a frightened, hungry girl.

Both frightened and hungry describe the state of this particular girl. You could say she's a frightened and hungry girl without losing the sense of the sentence.

But:

She's a frightened little girl.

"Little girl" is telling us specifically that she's a young girl, and frightened describes that state of this particular "little girl." The sense of the sentence would be changed if we said she's a frightened and little girl.

You could probably split hairs and make an argument for going either way with your sentence. My argument for no comma would be that "stand-alone work" is thought of as single unit, particularly since you're further describing it as having potential to become a series.

Kenn · Jan 6, 2012

kimberlycreates said:
According to Chicago, if the two adjectives could be joined by and without changing the meaning, they should be separated by commas. But if the noun and the adjective immediately preceding it are generally considered a single unit then don't use a comma...
You could probably split hairs and make an argument for going either way with your sentence. My argument for no comma would be that "stand-alone work" is thought of as single unit, particularly since you're further describing it as having potential to become a series.

This just about sums it up. It is the difference between sequential and coordinate adjectives. Another way to look at it would be to see if it read the same if their positions were swapped.

I've another problem, though. I think young adult should be hyphenated because it is a compound adjective.

onuilmar · Jan 6, 2012

I agree with Kimberlycreates from an English grammar point of view, and it is what I was taught many decades ago. However, language and its rules (even for written language) change, and I believe that the serial adjective rule is falling by the wayside. Especially if the sentence is clear without it.

Somewhere recently I read that all extraneous commas ought to be excluded. From the context I understood that a comma should only be included when its omission would lead to confusion.

That means a lot of standard usage commas would fall by the wayside. And that is what I am seeing in print.

brianjanuary · Jan 6, 2012

I would keep the comma after 67,000-word.

Carleree · Jan 6, 2012

I've never seen it written young-adult fiction. But that doesn't mean anything. It's probably supposed to hyphenated and I don't get a lot

Carleree · Jan 6, 2012

I see your point, though. It's not young fiction or adult fiction, it's young-adult fiction. It just looks weird to me.

Kenn · Jan 6, 2012

Carleree said:
I've never seen it written young-adult fiction. But that doesn't mean anything. It's probably supposed to hyphenated and I don't get a lot

I was being very pedantic (I've seen it written both ways). If you regard 'young adult fiction' as the genre then it's OK. But if you regard it as a (general) 'work of fiction' aimed at young adults then I suppose it should have a hyphen.

For the record, I would opt for the comma but either would look right to me.

Comma question

Carleree

Queen of Catastrophes

jchines

Got the hang of it, here

Carleree

Queen of Catastrophes

Chase

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Carleree

Queen of Catastrophes

Maryn

I Tried

kimberlycreates

insert witty title here

Kenn

New kid, be gentle!

onuilmar

(w)ride like the wind

brianjanuary

Carleree

Queen of Catastrophes

Carleree

Queen of Catastrophes

Kenn

New kid, be gentle!