It is probably a mental illness, this constant need/desire to correct grammar and punctuation. And for those instances (many, I'm sure) where I fall short in this area, feel free to correct my misspellings, etc. Must practice what I preach. And with that introduction, segue to the fact that there are most definitely two distinct groups of people in the world: Group A writes using sparse, if any, commas, while Group B uses commas intentionally - to emphasize, pause, set apart, highlight a certain phrase and/or to follow grammatical protocol. While I am obviously an unapologetic groupie of the second category, as my dear friend and author John Aubrey Anderson said, "I'm very legalistic about grace" -- so no judgment here if you're a Group A type.
Do grammar and punctuation - the order and structure of words - have any application beyond being critical of one's writing? I happen to believe they do.
In COMMAS: The Biggest Little Quirks in the English Language, Andy Gramlich offers some interesting history on the evolution of written language, and both extolls the virtues of the indomitable comma while simultaneously warning against misuse/overuse. "The earliest known examples of actual writing are Sumerian logographs from about 4000 BC. These were simple pictures of objects and symbols representing quantities and time periods. (For tax records!) About 2000 BC, the Phoenicians developed a system of symbols to represent the spoken language, the first alphabet. This alphabet consisted entirely of capitalized consonants and there was no punctuation or even spaces between the words. This sentence would have looked like this: THSSNTNCWLDHVLKDLKTHS Try and sound that out."
"The Greeks added vowels to the alphabet about 1000 BC, making the words much more clear. Although they still had no punctuation or word spacing, this is basically the system we use today and is considered to be one of humanity's greatest achievements. The Greeks also brought punctuation along about 200 BC, and upper and lower case letters around 700 AD. . . . Word spacing and punctuation certainly have made enormous progress in the understanding of the written language but confusion has also proliferated as more complex ideas could now be written and many people underestimate the power of the lowly comma in altering the meaning of written sentences." AHA . . . validation. Of a sort.
Alas, Andy goes on, seemingly endlessly, infinitely, boundlessly, pervasively and thoroughly to warn of the perils of careless, ubiquitous, ambiguous, pervasive, copious, lackadaisical or cursory comma usage. Thankfully, he does offer a few rays of hope to thesaurus-wielding comma-lovers like me:
"[B]efore you dispense with commas altogether, however, remember that commas are required for clarity. This need for clarity is especially necessary in legal documents such as warranties. Consider the plight of the high-rise building owner with a broken elevator. The elevator warranty read: 'This company shall repair or replace worm and gear bearings and housings.' It was the worm and gear that wore out, not their bearings or housings. His attorney ruefully explained that he should have signed a contract that read: 'This company will repair or replace worm and gear, bearings and housings' (Romm, 1984). The owner was responsible for thousands of dollars in repair costs plus attorney's fees, all because of a missing little comma." Yikes. Well ... it seems at least I can blame my comma-obsession on my lawyer background.
To answer my earlier question, YES. Absolutely, yes. Structure, order, design - whether in the universe, in scientific laws and principles, in the human body, or in language - not only point unmistakeably to the Creator of all things, but also have application in that they can help us better understand that which has been created.
Today is Saturday. The world is paused, waiting for the completion of the sentence. Today is the comma between the day Jesus was crucified and surrendered his spirit in the most magnificent and incredible rescue attempt in human history, and the day he rose from the grave, defeating death and sin for all time -- with a hearty kicking-in of Satan's teeth in the process. Friday happened, but Sunday's coming.
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