The Comma

The comma is a punctuation mark.  It is used to separate things.  Comma comes from the Greek word komma which means something cut off or a short clause.

Punctuation that separated things, like the comma does, was originally used so that the writing could be read aloud properly when reading aloud was a prestigious and professional activity.

The comma as we recognize it today was not used until the development of printing.  It comes from an obsolete punctuation mark called the virgula suspensiva, which was used to indicate a brief pause in a text.  The virgula suspensiva looked like this /

Besides the virgula suspensiva there are other obsolete punctuation marks.

Even today the proper use of commas is debated and to some extent is a matter of personal preference. 

Information from The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language

Here are some I wonder questions...

Re-write something without commas. Does it change the way you read it? Does it change the meaning? Does it still make sense?



Write sentences without commas for your friends to correct. Did they follow the rules? Did they all correct it the same way?



Do some further research on the comma or other punctuation marks. Do other languages use the comma? Does it look the same as the English language comma?



What were some other punctuation marks that we no longer use? Are there any you think we should add? If so, what would they look like? What would they do?



Why do you think it has been harder to standardize the use of punctuation like the comma than to standardize spelling?