Words to Edit By
Consistency is key in the judicious use of commas after introductory words and phrases. Pick a simple set of rules and stick to it!
A Realist Take
Technically, this copyediting point is a subpoint of separating grammatical elements of a sentence, but it deserves its own editorial step and guidelines. (Note that introductory clauses are excluded here. Those will be lumped into the Punctuation 2.0 step linked above.)
Whether to use a comma after an introductory word or phrase is a question of style as much as punctuation, yet it’s more practical than aesthetic in nature. On the one hand, a comma separating any introductory word(s) from the rest of the sentence helps keep things clear and readable. On the other hand, having too many commas in a short space creates clutter and interferes with readability. Where, oh where, to draw the line?
Conventional style guidelines vary considerably. I’ll paraphrase a few I’ve encountered:
“Always put a comma, no exceptions.”
“Usually put a comma, unless the introductory phrase is very short and the comma isn’t necessary to keep the meaning clear.”
“Use a comma if there are more than X [number of] words/syllables in the introductory word/phrase.”
I admit to playing around with variations of these guidelines over the years, never entirely to satisfaction. Making no-comma exceptions for introductory adverbs, or for phrases ending in a numeral, seem right to me in most situations but not always.
Usually, I’m all for editorial discretion and situational nuance. When it comes to this aspect of punctuation, though, I find the ambiguity in the middle option above (“usually, unless…”) unduly difficult to apply consistently in practice. For me, it’s too slippery a slope to doing whatever feels right in the moment. Often, whatever feels right seems connected to whether or not I’d pause when reading the sentence aloud, despite my conviction that commas in writing don’t equate to pauses in speaking. That way lies chaos.
The longer I live the editor life, the more I sympathize with the harder rules on commas after introductory words and phrases: those based on a) a particular, arbitrary number of words or syllables (I’ve seen and used three as the cutoff) or b) on using the comma in every case. Even with the latter rule, however, I would argue for limited, discretionary exceptions, like omitting or including the comma when needed for clarity or omitting it when another, necessary comma already lurks in close proximity.
But y’all do y’all, on this point, within reason.
For Instance
Here are a few examples from snippets in my limited serial Sciito’s Song.
An introductory comma is definitely needed, if only for clarity:
From behind, Sciito heard an arrow whistle overhead, toward land.
An introductory comma (after Now) is debatable, depending on your chosen rule of thumb:
Now the wolfhound stood barking defiantly at their ship.
In the above instance, I omitted the comma for clarity, to keep readers from mistaking Now for its alternative meaning, as a colloquial transition word that conveys a vague sense of immediacy but has naught to do with the sequence of events. (“Now, see here!”)
An introductory comma (after Then) would seem excessive to me, but not incorrect:
Then he refocused on the jut of land in the middle distance.
Related Editing Guidelines & Tips
[Specific guideline and tip articles will be listed here as they’re published.]
Godspeed and happy rewriting, folks!
I was wondering how I was supposed to write "Now, see here!" properly- thank you for that.