LESS IS, MORE

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter FitzSimons doesn’t know how commas work.

Punctuation Pete in his trademark literacy-resistant headwear

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter FitzSimons doesn’t know how commas work.

Two examples from his latest column:

Aficionados of the David Letterman show, back in the day, will remember how he recruited his aged mother Dorothy Mengering, to make regular appearances on the show.

Pauline Hanson, gives us the good word. 

Of the four commas in those extracts only two are used properly. Peter is one of Australia’s best-selling authors.

UPDATE. Reader Amy in comments: “When you read, out loud, the prose, of someone, who uses too many commas, you sound, like William Shatner. You, know, what, I mean.”