Comma Down–Commas in a Series / Commas with Adverbs
Commas with adverbs function much the same as commas in any other series of words. We have no choice but to separate a series of words of any category from each other with commas. But we have to ask ourselves two questions.
- Do we use the Oxford Comma? (See the previous post titled Commas in a Series / The Oxford Comma.) I do not. You may want to. Whatever your choice, be sure to be consistent.
- What do the words in the series really modify?
Question #1 is covered in the previous post that I mentioned. If you’re still undecided on this (or if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about) check there for your answers.
Question #2 requires some thought. Consider the following sentence:
She walked quickly, confidently and quite stylishly.
Our adverbs are quickly, confidently, quite and stylishly. Quickly, confidently and stylishly each show us how she walked and so are adverbs that modify the verb walked. Easy. The main job of an adverb is to modify a verb.
But what about quite? Quite doesn’t show us how she walked. Instead, it shows us how stylishly she did it. Adverbs also modify other adverbs and, since it shows a degree of style and not a level of how she walked, we need no comma there. Quite stylishly is its own little unit and works as a two-word item in the series.
So, if you’re anti-ox like me, the sentence as it originally appears is punctuated correctly. If you decide that you’re pro-ox, do it this way:
She walked quickly, confidently, and quite stylishly.
But there’s one more use of adverbs to know before you can dispense with this topic. See if you can see it in this sentence.
The bear was stealthily quiet, alarmingly large and frighteningly close.
If you said that quiet, large and close are adjectives that modify the noun bear, hats off to you! But what does that make stealthily, alarmingly and frighteningly?
Yup. Adverbs. The last job of the multi-talented adverb is to modify an adjective. So, our series here consists of three two-word units, each with an adjective and an adverb that modifies it. We don’t put commas between the adjective and its adverb, but we do separate the two-word units from each other.
So, if you’re anti-ox like me, the sentence as it originally appears is punctuated correctly. If you decide that you’re pro-ox, do it this way:
The bear was stealthily quiet, alarmingly large, and frighteningly close.
That’s all you need to know.
Here’s some practice. (Find suggestions on the Commas After Nouns and Pronouns of Direct Address post.)
Add three adverbs to each sentence to modify the verb. (If you’re not sure how to do this, make the first adverb answer how the verb is done. Make the second one answer when it was done. Make the third one answer where.) Place the commas. (Find suggestions on Nouns in Direct Address post.)
- She spoke___________________________________________________
- He wrote____________________________________________________
- Cats sleep ___________________________________________________
- We travel____________________________________________________
- They dressed ________________________________________________
If you are an Ox enthusiast, be sure to place a second comma before each “and.”
In the blanks, add an adverb to each adjective. Then place the commas. (Find suggestions on Nouns in Direct Address post.)
- The _____bug book was ____large _____illustrated and _____ true-to-life.
- The _____baker’s cookies were _____sweet _____small and_____ expensive.
- The _____pizza man made pies that were _____saucy ____spicy and _____tiny.
- Our _____little pup’s yips are _________babyish_____ relentless and ______adorable
- His _____new boss was _____ young_____ inexperienced and _____arrogant.
If you are an Ox enthusiast, be sure to place a second comma before each “and.”
Author’s Note: This exercise has three goals:
- To solidify your ability to identify adverbs.
- To cement your understanding of commas in a series, regardless of the parts of speech included in the series.
- To illustrate the fact that it doesn’t take much to overuse adverbs in our writing. If you’re writing sentences like the ones in this exercise, laden with adverbs that clutter your writing with “lys” and lots of extra syllables, stop. Stop now. (Overusing adverbs, that is. Don’t stop writing!)
Answers Compound Subjects Wherever You Find Them
- Green grass, purple crocuses, blue skies and red-breasted robins are all signs of spring in New England.
- Where are the petits fours, the deviled eggs, the stuffed grape leaves and the smoked trout croquettes that I made for the party?
- If you think about it, subjects in a series. predicates in a series, adverbs in a series and adjectives in a series all follow the same rules.
- Paying the bills, making the bed, mowing the lawn and scrubbing the bathtub are all tasks for which homeowners are responsible.
- To me, skiing, understanding football, running anywhere ever, and not eating all the chocolate are all harder than putting commas in this sentence.
- There are anchovies, pineapple chunks, spicy sausage and hunks of potato to be picked off that pizza before I’ll deem it edible.