Shades of Meaning: The Significance of Commas and Hyphens

The use of correct punctuation is sometimes seen as arbitrary or as simply an academic nicety, but sometimes what seems like only a “little” piece of punctuation can play a significant role in shaping meaning and interpretation—not only in personal communication, but also in business and in finance. If one considers, for example, the following sentences—all consisting of exactly the same words—one can see how the differences between using and not using commas or hyphens can amount to far more than just “shades” of meaning.

Commas:
Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Apposition, Direct Address

Example 1a. Restrictive Apposition:

My brother John is going to respond.

(This sentence means that I have more than one brother, but that the brother I am referring to is “John.” The lack of commas around “John” shows that “brother” is being used restrictively, restricting the meaning of “my brother” to be only that brother named John, and not to any other brother I might have.)

Example 1b. Nonrestrictive Apposition:

My brother, John, is going to respond.

(This sentence means that I have only one brother, and his name is “John.” The commas surrounding “John” indicate that “my brother” and “John” are one and the same person.)

Example 1c. Direct Address:

John, my brother is going to respond.

(This sentence implies less about “my brother” than it does about the person being addressed. The comma following “John,” as well as the name’s placement at the beginning of the sentence, indicates direct address; whoever the speaker is addressing must therefore be named “John.”)

Hyphens

Consider the difference in meaning between each of the following pairs of sentences:

Example 1a. Adjective modifying noun:

Rafferty is a short salesman.

(This sentence means that Rafferty is a salesman of short stature; the lack of hyphen indicates that the adjective “short” is modifying the compound noun “salesman.”)

Example 1b. Compound adjective modifying noun:

Papadopoulos  is a short-sales man.

(This sentence means that Papadopoulos is a man who engages in short sales; the hyphen indicates that “short” is modifying “sales” and that it is the compound adjective “short-sales” that is modifying “man.”)

_____

Example 2a. Two discrete adjectives modifying noun:

Deidre bought a little used car.

(This sentence means that Deidre bought a car that was both little and used.)

Example 2b. Hyphenated compound adjective:

Margot bought a little-used car.

(This sentence means that Margot bought a car that had been used very little.)



Whether or not you have occasion to engage in short sales or buy used cars, you get the idea. A comma or a hyphen may be no larger than a gnat, but its use or omission can create vast differences in meaning.

_______

Journalism Wall of Shame

The Journalism Wall of Shame displays errors in grammar, punctuation, or language that have appeared recently in the press. Submissions are welcome. Please include publication name and date, story title, and reporter. The publication of these errors in no way places blame for them on a particular person. Sometimes it is the reporter, sometimes the editor, sometimes the headline writer, but—somewhere in the system—somebody should have known better.

“Discrete” for “Discreet”: 
“Suspects are typically ushered into courthouses through discrete side entrances, out of view of the public.” —“French System Tints View of the Strauss-Kahn Case,” Scott Sayare, New York Times, May 28, 2011

[Ms. Picky comments: One might argue that in this case the writer’s use of “discrete” spelling was deliberate, and that he fully intended the meaning of “separate.” In this particular case, however, even if that had been the case, his choice of words was poor, because the sense of the sentence might also easily have called for “discreet,” meaning “inconspicuous.” In order to communicate clearly, one needs not only to use a word that is correct, but also to use a word that is unambiguous and not open to individual interpretation.]

“Impacting” for “Affecting”

The Department of Homeland Security “is aware of a cyber incident impacting” Lockheed. . . .” “U.S. Offers Lockheed Help After Cyber Attack,” Gopal Ratnam, May 29, 2011, Bloomberg.com

[Ms. Picky comments: This blog has previously addressed the use of impact for affect. For those interested in reading that post in greater detail, see the post Affect, Effect, and Impact, but, otherwise, suffice it to say that “impact” can be used as a verb form only in the past participle (“impacting” is a present participle), and then only in regard to a particular dental condition, i.e., an impacted tooth.]

_______

Bulletin Board

W.H. laments that he has been seeing the use of “better than” for “more than” more and more frequently. “It can,” he observes, “be accurate technically in some cases but clearly not in others, e.g.,

‘The flood waters rose better than four feet,’

or

‘The stock fell by better than 5 percent.’”

Ms. Picky feels W.H.’s pain and believes this usage might be Southern or Western U.S. regional dialect. Such regionalisms can be charming in country and Western song lyrics—but are inappropriate in serious news reporting and should be eschewed in public speaking (except of course for Southern and Western regional politicians trying to hit a “down-home” note in their campaign speeches).




This blog is now read in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, the U.A.E., the U.K., Ukraine, the U.S., and Vietnam.

______