When to Use a Comma

1. Linking main clauses.

Keynes was an economist. Keynes was intelligent. Keynes was born in England

Each of these 3 sentences is grammatically correct, however, it makes for stilted reading. We can combine these 3 clauses into one sentence.

• Keynes was an intelligent economist, who was born in England.

2. After an introductory element of a sentence.

Monetarism is the study of Money supply. We could add an introductory sentence to this.

• Popularised by Milton Friedman, Monetarism is the study of Money Supply.

These introductory phrases are often known as prepositional phrases; it literally means, “to go before”.

• One more example: In many different countries, economists often fail to predict recessions.

3. Adding a subordinate clause at the end of a sentence.

A subordinate clause is a phrase that couldn’t make a sentence on it its own.

• Economists are very bad at predicting the future, although occasionally they get it right.

The first phrase is a sentence on its own, the last phrase adds to the initial statement, and so is a subordinate clause.

4. Parenthetical Elements in a sentence.

These involve words like “however”, “in fact”, “of course”, and “for example”. These words help to link a sentence together; they need a comma before and after.

• Economics is termed the dismal science, however, occasionally it can be fun to study Economics.

A common mistake, however, is to only include one comma after the “however,” and not before.

• The latest inflation news was disappointing, in fact, the Bank of England was very concerned.

5. Appositive.

This is a term used to rename a noun.

• John Maynard Keynes, Britain’s most famous economist, died in 1946.
• Economics, the study of scarcity, is growing in popularity.

6. Link Between lists.

• The benefits of studying economics include: higher pay, understanding of life, and boundless joy.

7. Comma before quotation

• Milton Friedman repeatedly said, “to control inflation, you must control the money supply”

Sometimes you can use a semi colon, or even colon, before a quote.
8. Surrounding the name or title of a person

• Will you, Tom, do that essay?
• No, Richard, I have better things to do.

9. Use comma to separate statement from question.

• Monetarism is rubbish, do you agree?

10. Use a comma for sentences beginning with yes, well, or now.

• Well, it would be unusual to pass Economics without studying.

11. Use a comma between two adjectives when the word and could be put between them.

• Keynes was an intelligent, innovative economist.

12. Use a comma between independent clauses.

• Keynes was a member of the Bloomsbury set, and he studied hard to become a great economist.

Note: Each phrase could stand alone as a sentence.

Books on Using The Comma

• How To Use a Comma – Teaching Guide

• Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Related Links

• When to Use a Comma.
• When to use a comma before “And”
• The Oxford Comma

• 40 Rules for Gooder English - humorous look at Grammar
• Essay Writing Advice at Economics Help

1. What would be Useful for You?

Are there any questions you would like answered? What do you wish you had known when you started blogging? Don’t worry if these things seem obvious to you now. There will be many who still search for the basic answers. Also, if you can write from personal experience your articles will have more authenticity.

2. Area of Expertise.

Some niches are crowded with similar articles. Think about areas where you have specialised knowledge. What do you know most about? What topics can you write effortlessly without having to research ideas from others

3. Comments.

Sometimes when writing comments on other blogs, I realise I could easily make this comment into an article. Don’t give all your best ideas as comments on other blogs. Expand it into your own post.

4. Get into A routine

I find that if I leave a blog for a week, it becomes harder to find ideas. However, once I start writing a blog entry I find new ideas start to flow. The more time I spend on a niche, the more ideas come.

5. Write A List of Articles to Write

Because I have several blogs, I have a document called titles to write. Whenever a good idea comes I add it to the relevant section. Therefore, I always have at least 10 suggestions for topics to write.

6. Brainstorm

Sometimes I just spend time thinking of good article titles. I may not use all of them, but, when I feel in a creative mood I use it to consider titles. Another benefit of thinking of titles before you start writing is that you have time to crystallise the essence of your article in your mind.

7. Readers Questions

I use this on my economic blog quite a lot. Readers leave economics questions and so I don’t have to think of titles – I just answer. There are several ways to invite questions. Perhaps people have already left questions in the comments of posts.

8. Related Keyword Searches.

Find out how people come to your site, then write on related keyword searches. I often find that statistics can give many good ideas for titles. Another advantage is that these titles tend to be good for attracting search engine traffic. You don’t have to always target search engine traffic, but I don’t think many webmasters would mind a  bit more traffic from Google.

9. Read books on your topics

There is inspiration beyond the internet. Read books / magazines related to your topic. After reading these you will get several ideas.

10. Lateral Thinking.

Just because your blog is about Blogging, that doesn’t mean you have to stick religiously to your niche. Think about recent events can you make a link between a situation and your own niche. For example, What economics taught me about blogging. 

This is part of the Litemind Group Writing project – Worth entering. Only requirement is to write a list post.

You can find details here – group writing project 

My initial reaction was:

• I wouldn’t do my blog on mortgages. But, I would continue my blog on self improvement (which doesn’t have any ads anyway)
• I would continue other commercial blogs, but less intensely more quality less quantity. My favourite blog at the moment is my Economics Blog. I receive several questions per day, and spend time answering them
• And I wouldn’t have to care about Google wanted at all!

This is How My Writing Would Change if I had plenty of Money

• Titles I wouldn’t worry about Choosing SEO titles, with lots of keywords
• Quality vs Quantity. I wouldn’t worry about quantity. I would only write where I could really offer something unique and interesting.
• Topics I would not worry about writing on profitable keywords like mortgages, credit cards, debt, and insurance.
• More Pictures. With more money (and therefore time) I would probably take more time with each post. I would like to spend more time learning how to use a digital camera and improve my photography. These would be used to illustrate my posts.
• More Research. I would like to spend more time researching certain articles. i.e. some articles need more research and background reading. If you want to be a problogger, you can’t afford to take 1 day per article (I try to have 10 posts per day at the moment)
• More Time. The first thing about having more money is that I would be able to retire from teaching. Therefore, I would have more time to spend writing.
• Less Comments I think I would comment less on other people’s blog. (When I comment, part of the motivation is to get traffic, not all the time, but quite often)

Of course, the hope is that one day blogging will enable me to earn passive income to support myself and be a full time writer. Therefore, in the future, I might like to try and write to publish a book rather than just publishing on a blog.

Note: I have been stretched for time recently. I have been spending my time adding short comments on other blogs, rather than posting on my own. Therefore, after adding a comment on problogger, I thought – why not make it into a post.

Quite often, bloggers can spend too long commenting and not enough time posting. This was definitely the case with me last week.

Another note on comments. I like what Doug said about how his blogging would change after becoming rich

“I’m not sure but I would gladly accept a sponsor to find out!

Recently I was looking through an old SEO blog I had on another domain. The posts were written over a year ago, but, there was nothing that I particularly wanted to use here. The writing wasn’t particularly high quality and there were quite a few mistakes.

In the past year, I have been writing regularly every day. I can’t say writing has got much easier, but, I think the constant practise has enabled, at least, a small improvement.

If you were playing the piano, you wouldn’t expect to play your best straight off. You would expect it to take several years. Writing is not quite the same, but, there still is that element of progress.

Tips for New Writers 

• Be Patient
• Keep practising.
• Don’t be in a rush to submit your early articles to Digg. Make sure they are your best efforts until you try to promote them.
• Don’t spend too long going back to improve old posts. It is better just to leave them and go on to creating new posts.
• Don’t expect to write superb articles at your first attempts.
• You may find 6 months later, you can have another go at an article. This time it will be more polished because you have more experience and have developed your writing style.

How to Avoid Losing blog Posts.

(notes to me)

• Use Microsoft Word which has autosave. – It’s annoying that after spending $2000 on a mac, you still need to buy Microsoft product. (Why do I have to pay for mac mail?)
• Have a separate file for each document, there is less chance of losing several at once.
• Once written, back up to disc or upload to internet and save as draft.
• I could write directly in blog which has autosave, but, I usually write without internet. In fact I feel it is a benefit to write without internet access.

What to do After losing Blog Posts

1. Don’t hit your head against a wall. It hurts and for some reason the wall can’t help retrieve your posts from cyberspace.
2. Try Writing what you remember. The problem is that it is impossible to remember what you said exactly, and anything seems to be inferior to what you originally wrote.
3. No blog post is indispensable to life. Remain detached.
4. Make sure it doesn’t happen again…

How to Improve Your Writing

Independence of Thought.

Independence of thought is an essential part of developing a unique writing style. Every writer gains inspiration from other sources. But, a great writer is able to add something of his own or look at concepts from different angles. To develop independence of thought we need to be well read, but also able to see beyond the bias and opinions of other writers. To have true independence of thought we need to forget the needs and expectations of the reader entirely.

Writing for the sake of writing

When writing there is a tendency to consider the needs, expectations and even prejudices of the readers. This occurs quite often in certain newspapers. To develop our own unique style we need to be free of constraints about what people expect. We should write from the heart, because we feel it is worth writing, not because we feel it is what other people want.

Writing with Ego.

Sometimes writing may involve writing about yourself. However, when we bring the ego into writing we reduce its readability considerably. A good writer allows his personality to shine through his writing without having to force it. The writing should speak for itself. It is not necessary to include self promotion.

Effortlessly simple.

Great writing does not have to be complicated. If it is effortless and easy to read then this is the sign of a great writer. Writers such as Hemmingway and Orwell encourage the use of simple language; avoid unnecessary and long words where possible.

The difference between writing with passion and emotion.

When you write with passion the natural enthusiasm for your subject comes through effortlessly. Passion means that you take the time to research and understand your subject. Your writing goes deeper than a surface treatment based on second hand experience. When you have passion for a subject you can write from personal experience, which enables a distinctive approach and a unique insight.

Quite often, emotional writing relies on appealing to people’s fears and prejudices. An emotional approach to writing often involves injecting personal feelings which colour the argument. A skilled writer can avoid this, he creates the necessary emotion without having to spell it out. For example, if you wish to convey a sense of disgust at a certain situation. The writer should be able to do this through the construction of the words and arguments. Only a weak writer would feel the need of saying at the end: this is a disgusting situation.

For example, if you were a journalist covering a terrible calamity, we should let the description of the event create the necessary sense of sadness / suffering. The key thing here is that good writing leaves the reader to form his own judgement. Emotional writing feels the necessity of telling people how they should be feeling. This is why we usually dislike the tone of emotional writing. It is quite possible for us to develop our own opinions on these subjects.

Be Bold, Be direct

Good writing is clear, there should be no prevarication and dithering. No sentence should be wasted. As George Orwell says “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.” In particular we should seek to start short articles with purpose and clarity. We should engage the reader as soon as possible. Be Bold or go home at Copyblogger

The mantric effect of words

We should look upon words as a means to an end rather than an end in themselves. We use words to create a certain atmosphere and experience for the reader. At times the greatest writers can use words to create an effect which is greater than the sum of the parts. It is good to consider using quotes from respected writers where appropriate. Take time to find the right word:

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. 

~Mark Twain

Related 

• 7 Tips to make your writing more interesting
• George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing
• How to Write Something worth reading at Pick the Brain

It was an interesting experience which taught me a few things.

1. Develop Concentration.

If you focus on only one thing, to the exclusion of everything else you can really concentrate on that particular task. When your only objective is writing, you can get into a groove of writing

2. It is worth Specializing in something.

A Blogger has be good at many tasks. Design, writing, css, article promotion, commenting e.t.c. Because there are so many things to be good at, there is a danger of becoming a Jack of all trades master of none. Yet, to really stand out in the blogosphere, it is essential to stand out from the crowd. This can only occur if you rise above mediocrity and become well known in something. By spending a day on writing you can give this a high priority and help to improve the quantity and quality.

3. Focus on One Thing at a Time

It is useful to spend one day working on the design of the blog, get it to a good standard, and then leave it for a while. Another day you could spend on commenting, or promoting your articles.

4. An Article Bank

It is good to have a bank of articles, especially if you have a regular posting schedule. If you post everyday, you create a daily interest. To do this, can be difficult. However, if you have a bank of articles then you can use them whenever necessary.

5. Does quantity adversely affect quantity?

The problem with writing alot of articles is that if you aim for quantity then you may feel quality suffers; however, this need not be the case ( I hope anyway!). Sometimes when you focus on quantity, quality can be just as good.

Questions to ask yourself before writing an Article:

1. What is the aim / purpose of this post?

It is important to have a clear idea in mind what you wish to achieve with the post. Don’t try to mix several ideas, if you get sidetracked the article will lose its focus. If you have a few different angles, write different posts.

• For example, I often write about house prices. One day I will write why house prices are doomed to fall, the next day I will write why they will never stop rising. I could combine the arguments in a single post, but then it would become complicated with lots of “however” and “on the other hand”

2. What words will express it?

The aim here is clarity and simplicity. Consider these ideas:

• Use a short word rather a long word.

You may be able to dazzle readers with your perspicacity and adroitness, but why not use words they will understand?

• Drop unnecessary words.

“Superfluous words, should, in general be avoided as they tend to add unnecessarily to the complexity of the sentence, making it more difficult and tiresome to read; in fact the reader may have given up by the time you finally get to the end of your sentence.”

= “drop Unnecessary words”

• Use positive phrases rather than negative.

That isn’t really an unimaginative idea at all.”

This means “That is an imaginative idea”

• Can You use images to give greater descriptive power.

On a blog this can involve actual images. But, it also means the ability to portray your ideas using mental images. For want of a better example see this post on a Blogging in formation, lessons from a goose.

• Have I got a Descriptive and Interesting Title?
  

If the title is no good, many readers may skip it altogether.

See: Try these enticing titles

• Creating eyecatching titles
  

Can I find a way to start a post with a bang

Never underestimate the first sentence. This first sentence can make or break your post; it determines whether people will keep reading or not.

See: The importance of your first sentence

• Have I written what I want to convey?

Throughout the article, keep referring to the title; are you keeping to its remit? Does it make sense? Can you add a conclusion to bring it all together.

Have

A quote is a way of setting your advice against the wisdom of established experts. A well chosen quote also breaks up the monotony of your own prose. There are many quotes on writing here is one illustrating how we should never allow a lack of talent to dissuade us from writing.

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.

~Robert Benchley

2. Choose an Engaging Title.

Titles are of great importance for setting up a short article, more so on the internet, than anywhere else. A Title should be clear and also catch the attention of the reader.
See: Choosing eyecatching titles

3. Get Rid of Superfluous Words.

Don’t start an article with phrases like, “I haven’t felt like writing much recently.” If you can remove a word and the meaning stays the same, the word can go.

4. Ask questions of your Reader.

Is there any reason why you cannot improve your own writing, with these simple tips? Look at a recent article; is there a suitable quote you could add? Can you add your own personal experience? By asking questions, it turns the article from a lecture into a conversation. Although you would not want to overdo this method.

5. Take a strong point of view: be Bold, don’t sit on the fence. Make a convincing case for a particular point of view. see: How to stand out from the crowd

People may disagree with you, but it’s better to be bold than placid.

6. Give personal examples.

This is one of the most effective ways of giving added interest to an article. If you can give personal examples you can turn theory into practise. People respond to personal example because it shows that you are writing from experience. My experience with overcoming a google penalty

Nate’s experience in getting 400 RSS subscribers

7. Humour.

Humour can sometimes simply involve taking a contrary view, which is both absurd and unlikely. It makes a change from the formulaic writing that seems to flourish on the internet.
Category – humour

If you can increase the quality of your articles by 10 – 20% you can get a much bigger % return. This is because the distribution of quality tends to follow the standard Bell curve of distribution. Most people are concentrated in the middle.

If you can get into the top 10% of quality, the number of competitors falls drastically. If you can get into this category, you have a chance of being picked up by experts in your field, getting on the front page of Digg e.t.c. It is these articles that can push your blog to the next level.

The main point here is to aim for excellence; for some articles you should try to make them as compelling and well written as possible. They may take longer to write, but, the return can be much greater. Average content is likely to slip into anonymity. It is excellent content that enables you to stand out from the crowd and create a powerful impression.

• How to Write compelling content.