--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As with other paired bracketing devices…" description: "\"“As with other paired bracketing devices (such as parentheses, dashes and quotation marks), there is actual mental cruelty involved , incidentally, in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/lynne-truss-4153_commas_as-with-other-paired-bracketing-devices_2573296.jpg" --- # As with other paired bracketing devices (such as… ![“As with other paired bracketing devices (such as parentheses, dashes and quotation marks), there is actual mental cruelty involved , incidentally, in opening up a pair of commas and then neglecting to deliver the closing one. The reader hears the first shoe drop and then strains in agony to hear…” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/lynne-truss-4153_commas_as-with-other-paired-bracketing-devices_2573296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/lynne-truss-4153_commas_as-with-other-paired-bracketing-devices_2573296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/lynne-truss-4153_commas_as-with-other-paired-bracketing-devices_2573296.jpg) > ““As with other paired bracketing devices (such as parentheses, dashes and quotation marks), there is actual mental cruelty involved , incidentally, in opening up a pair of commas and then neglecting to deliver the closing one. The reader hears the first shoe drop and then strains in agony to hear the second. In dramatic terms, it's like putting a gun on the mantelpiece in Act I and then having the heroine drown herself quietly offstage in the bath during the interval. It's just not cricket.”” [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaving a comma unclosed creates mental tension, similar to an unfinished dramatic cue, causing reader discomfort. **In simple terms:** Unclosed punctuation unsettles readers. Key Takeaway Close punctuation properly. Themes grammar punctuation reading experience literary style communication Mood irustr analytical Type literary instructional When to use this quote - editing - writing - publishing - public speaking - literary criticism Key Concepts syntax cognitive tension reader expectation Questions to Reflect On - How does punctuation affect narrative flow? - Can you spot other unclosed pairs in text? A Different Perspective If the surrounding sentence is weak, the impact may be minimal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas/) [Commas Neglecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas-neglecting-1710917/) [Pair Commas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pair-commas-1710918/) [Parentheses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parentheses/) [Quotation marks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quotation-marks/) ## Related quotes > [I like commas. I detest semi-colons — I don’t think they belong in a story. And I gave up quotation marks long ago. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-like-commas-i-detest-semi-colons-i-don-t-think-they-belong-in-a/) [E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/) > [The rule is: dont use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-dont-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-don-t-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usable-of-all-the-stops-it-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [I leave my editor to put the periods and commas in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-leave-my-editor-to-put-the-periods-and-commas-in/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [“Commas: commas for everyone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hughes/commas-commas-for-everyone/) [Aaron Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-hughes/) > [Neither death nor wisdom has a full stop. There are only commas-no destinations, only waiting rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/neither-death-nor-wisdom-has-a-full-stop-there-are-only-commas-no/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [“1) I’m, a, comma, whore. Apparently, I throw them around like confetti. Or glitter. The title of my next book: WHY COMMAS RULE THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/1-i-m-a-comma-whore-apparently-i-throw-them-around-like-confetti-or/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [Commas, like nuns, often travel in pairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/commas-like-nuns-often-travel-in-pairs/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [“You mean that's your idea of desire, with all those commas?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palmer/you-mean-that-s-your-idea-of-desire-with-all-those-commas/) [Michael Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palmer/) > [“I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/i-tried-to-put-the-displacement-between-parenthesis-to-put-a-last/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Chicken pot pie sounds like such a good idea. If you add commas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chicken-pot-pie-sounds-like-such-a-good-idea-if-you-add-commas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anyone who finds himself putting down several commas close to one another should reflect that he is making himself disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-watson-fowler/anyone-who-finds-himself-putting-down-several-commas-close-to-one/) [Henry Watson Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-watson-fowler/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Explore all 115 Lynne Truss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## More Commas quotes > [Anyone who finds himself putting down several commas close to one another should reflect that he is making himself disagreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-watson-fowler/anyone-who-finds-himself-putting-down-several-commas-close-to-one/) [Henry Watson Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-watson-fowler/) > [Chicken pot pie sounds like such a good idea. If you add commas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chicken-pot-pie-sounds-like-such-a-good-idea-if-you-add-commas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“I tried to put the displacement between parenthesis, to put a last period in a long sentence of the sadness of history, personal and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/i-tried-to-put-the-displacement-between-parenthesis-to-put-a-last/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-rule-is-don-t-use-commas-like-a-stupid-person-i-mean-it/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“You mean that's your idea of desire, with all those commas?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palmer/you-mean-that-s-your-idea-of-desire-with-all-those-commas/) [Michael Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palmer/) > [Commas, like nuns, often travel in pairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/commas-like-nuns-often-travel-in-pairs/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [“1) I’m, a, comma, whore. Apparently, I throw them around like confetti. Or glitter. The title of my next book: WHY COMMAS RULE THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/1-i-m-a-comma-whore-apparently-i-throw-them-around-like-confetti-or/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [Neither death nor wisdom has a full stop. There are only commas-no destinations, only waiting rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/neither-death-nor-wisdom-has-a-full-stop-there-are-only-commas-no/) [Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/) > [“Commas: commas for everyone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hughes/commas-commas-for-everyone/) [Aaron Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-hughes/) > [I leave my editor to put the periods and commas in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-leave-my-editor-to-put-the-periods-and-commas-in/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-commas-are-the-most-useful-and-usable-of-all-the-stops-it-is/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Now, you lose something in your life, or you come into a conflict, and there's gonna come a time that you're gonna know: There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/now-you-lose-something-in-your-life-or-you-come-into-a-conflict-and/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [“Smiles are commas and full stops... and few are those who still know how to put commas and full stops into their words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malek-haddad/smiles-are-commas-and-full-stops-and-few-are-those-who-still-know-how/) [Malek Haddad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malek-haddad/) > [I hate commas in the wrong places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-hate-commas-in-the-wrong-places/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) [Browse all 43 Commas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As with other paired bracketing devices (such as parentheses, dashes and quotation marks), there is actual mental cruelty involved , incidentally, in opening up a pair of commas and then neglecting to deliver the closing one. 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