--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Using the comma well announces that you…" description: "\"“Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader,”\" — Lynne Truss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png" --- # Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for… ![“Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader,” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png) > ““Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader,”” [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. Effective punctuation signals rhythm, confidence, and respect for readers. **In simple terms:** Good commas show style and respect. Key Takeaway Use commas to guide readers. Themes writing style communication Mood thoughtful educational Type advice instructional When to use this quote - editing essays - teaching writing - publishing books Key Concepts grammar rhythm reader awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do commas affect readability? - When might a comma be unnecessary? A Different Perspective Overuse can clutter prose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comma/) [Comma Announces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comma-announces-4068544/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Confidence Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence-style-766946/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-reader-1321297/) [Rhythm Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm-confidence-3446894/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Spain believe in what they do; they have absolute confidence in their style of play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-camacho/spain-believe-in-what-they-do-they-have-absolute-confidence-in-their/) [Jose Antonio Camacho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-camacho/) > [I'm trying different things, and I'm comfortable with who I am and not afraid of showing my confidence through my style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-skye/i-m-trying-different-things-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-am-and-not/) [Justine Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-skye/) > [Seeing the ball go in during the game, getting to your spots, getting spot-up shots. You have that rhythm and you have that confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-livingston/seeing-the-ball-go-in-during-the-game-getting-to-your-spots-getting/) [Shaun Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-livingston/) > [Shooting is all about rhythm and confidence, and sometimes those are the last things that get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-korver/shooting-is-all-about-rhythm-and-confidence-and-sometimes-those-are/) [Kyle Korver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-korver/) > [The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-main-thing-i-try-to-do-is-write-as-clearly-as-i-can-because-i/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [When you talk about a reader being emotionally moved, a feeling of empathy, I think that comes out of that line-by-line respect for reader.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/when-you-talk-about-a-reader-being-emotionally-moved-a-feeling-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“I have enormous respect for the reader. They are able to take symbols from a page that an author has invented, and turn them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynette-willows/i-have-enormous-respect-for-the-reader-they-are-able-to-take-symbols/) [Lynette Willows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynette-willows/) > [Well, start waving and yelling, because it is the so-called Oxford comma and it is a lot more dangerous than its exclusive, ivory-tower moniker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/well-start-waving-and-yelling-because-it-is-the-so-called-oxford/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Thurber was asked by a correspondent: "Why did you have a comma in the sentence, 'After dinner, the men went into the living-room'?" And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/thurber-was-asked-by-a-correspondent-why-did-you-have-a-comma-in-the/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [A comma . . . catches the gentle drift of the mind in thought, turning in on itself and back on itself, reversing, redoubling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/a-comma-catches-the-gentle-drift-of-the-mind-in-thought-turning-in-on/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“It is no accident, Ma, that the comma resembles a fetus— that curve of continuation. We were all once inside our mothers, saying with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ocean-vuong/it-is-no-accident-ma-that-the-comma-resembles-a-fetus-that-curve-of/) [Ocean Vuong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ocean-vuong/) > [I mean we cant even rock them shoes if it dont got a comma on the price tag ya know. I mean.. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-mean-we-cant-even-rock-them-shoes-if-it-dont-got-a-comma-on-the/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [“Never place a period in your life where God only meant to place a comma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-allen/never-place-a-period-in-your-life-where-god-only-meant-to-place-a/) [Gracie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-allen/) > [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Sometime yuh got to shut up, swallow yr pride and accept that yuh are wrong. It's not called giving up, it's called growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teary-persaud/sometime-yuh-got-to-shut-up-swallow-yr-pride-and-accept-that-yuh-are/) [Teary Persaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teary-persaud/) ## 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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Truss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you-have-an-ear-for-sense-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you-have-an-ear-for-sense-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/lynne-truss-4153_books_using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you_2892414.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a…” — Lynne Truss", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lynne Truss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Using the comma well announces that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you-have-an-ear-for-sense-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/using-the-comma-well-announces-that-you-have-an-ear-for-sense-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```