The 4 Most Violated Comma Rules Caitlin Pyle Alrighty, we re gonna talk about the four most violated comma rules in transcripts, and what you can do to fix them. I really feel like these four rules are the most rampant in transcripts. And so I kind of narrowed down all the different comma rules in the English language, and figured if our clients can get these four right, then they will avoid a lot of pitfalls, especially if they try to proofread themselves, and things like that. So these are the four, and we re gonna go through them together. Alright, so number one is using the Oxford comma. This one can make you sound really, really funny in a transcript. You can t really hear it in your sentences when you speak them, but if you see it on paper, they, depending on what the transcript is about, can sound kind of silly. If you don't believe me, go to Google and write Oxford comma memes and see what pops up, and you ll see exactly what I mean. So yeah, the Oxford comma is used whenever you're listing things, between the last two items of things. So like this example sentence: For breakfast, I like to eat fruit, oatmeal, and toast. Now, if you're like me and you read things, it
sounds different. Even if you're only reading it, it sounds different in your head. And so if that comma were missing, you would read it: For breakfast, I like to eat fruit, oatmeal and toast. So without that comma, it just sounds different in your head. If you're like me, if you ve got those eagle eyes and you're a stickler for the Oxford comma, you know exactly what I mean. Next up, using commas before conjunctions. This is probably -- and this list is in no particular order. But in transcripts, I am adding commas before conjunctions more than anything else. And leaving them out can just make the witnesses sound like they're just blathering on and on and on when you're reading the transcripts. So here s an example sentence. And I m going to read it to you the way it sounds in my head, okay? When I first got to the store I went over to the produce but they didn t have any so I turned around and I walked back to the front and that s when I slipped but I didn t see any water on the floor. That is how I would read that sentence. And so that s why this comma is -- would make a huge difference. And if you ve got an attorney reading a transcript, that might be exactly how they would read it to you.
If reporters -- and this is a real thing, so pay attention. If reporters purposely leave out punctuation because they think it s a proofreader s job to add in the punctuation for them, make sure you don't let them bully you into fixing all of it for them. You get paid, you know, $.35 to $.45 a page for a regular-timed job, depending on your region, and it s not your job to stop and start over and over again to add comma after comma because they're too lazy to figure it out. So don t let them bully you. Number three, using a comma after introductory elements. So we ll look at what those are and why they're important, especially for questions. And it s another thing that can make a sentence sound like a run-on. So let s read the sentence together. And you can read it out loud to yourself. Pause the video, do that. When you got to the hospital, were you immediately seen by a doctor? Now, you heard the little pause in there for the comma. If there isn t a comma, it sounds like this: When you got to the hospital were you immediately seen by a doctor? Pause -- the comma is useful when you don't want to rush through the sentence. And it might not even occur to you that the comma is even necessary, but as part of the English language comma rules, you ve got to have one in those introductory elements.
Same goes for if/then. So the if part of the sentence is an introductory element, and you have to have a comma following that. If I had known the stove was on, then I would ve turned it off before leaving the house. It s kind of separating the two independent clauses, as well. Number four, using commas to set off parenthetical elements. If you don't know what those are, don t worry. You ll know after this first example. So your father-in-law, if I m understanding you correctly -- you hear those two pauses before and after that element in the middle? That is a parenthetical element. I like to call them mid-sentence side notes. Here s another example: My boss was, for a lack of a better word, a jerk. And another one, this is a big one that happens in transcripts, and it bugs the heck out of me to put commas in there because adding the stamps so close together can be kind of annoying. How many times, if any, did you see her after that? Another one that I didn t list here, but is important, instead of if any you d see if you know. So how many times, if you know, did you see her after that, would kind of be the same thing, there.
And that s it for the lesson on the four most violated comma rules in legal transcripts. Go ahead and download the handout. All this, if you were confused, will make a little bit more sense than just explaining it in a short video. So go ahead, download the handout, print it out, do the worksheet. Because the more practice you do with this kind of stuff, the better it ll become more like second nature, if it isn t already. We ll see you in the next lesson.