3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation

3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation 3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation 3 Cases of Repetitive Punctuation By Mark Nichol In each of the sentences below, the number of commas is excessive, which can obscure comprehension because the reader is distracted from effortlessly recognizing the syntactical structure of the statement. Discussion and a revision follows each example. 1. The next step is to escalate the issue to the executive management, including the CEO, and, through appropriate channels, the board of directors. When repetition of commas or other punctuation marks within a sentence is overbearing, recast the sentence or, as shown here, change punctuation marks to reduce the number of identical occurrences: â€Å"The next step is to escalate the issue to the executive management (including the CEO) and, through appropriate channels, the board of directors.† 2. They will need to exercise their own judgment when considering whether a lower threshold is appropriate for a portion, or all, of their customers, which, again, may lead to inconsistent practices across the industry. If a word or phrase signals an abrupt or unexpected shift in a sentence, a dash is likely a more appropriate substitute when too many commas burden a sentence: â€Å"They will need to exercise their own judgment when considering whether a lower threshold is appropriate for a portion, or all, of their customers- which, again, may lead to inconsistent practices across the industry.† 3. The entrance of nontraditional competitors, such as fintech, or financial technology, companies into the financial services industry, is driving this recent evolution. The primary parenthesis in this sentence is misidentified: The phrase â€Å"or financial technology† is inserted into the parenthetical phrase â€Å"such as fintech companies,† which expands on the main clause â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† The parenthesis should therefore end at companies, not industry: â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors, such as fintech, or financial technology, companies, into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† However, the proximity of punctuation here is oppressive, and punctuation isn’t always required when additional information is inserted into a sentence; the statement is equally intelligible as punctuated here: â€Å"The entrance of nontraditional competitors such as fintech, or financial technology, companies into the financial services industry is driving this recent evolution.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†50 Nautical Terms in General UsePreposition Mistakes #3: Two Idioms