Cambridge Commas
Hi, I’m Thomas, a professional proofreader living near Cambridge in the UK.
Welcome to Cambridge Commas, my online home.
Presentation matters.
There’s more to writing than having good ideas or a way with words. Like it or not, your text will be judged on its neatness, consistency, clarity of expression and, of course, the quality of its grammar and punctuation. Polishing a document to the highest standards, though, is difficult. It takes skill and training – and a fresh eye. So, if you want your writing to be as good as it can be, it’s worth engaging the help of a professional proofreader.
Perhaps you’re trying to perfect a dissertation, put together an information leaflet, or finalize a 500-page tome. Whatever the document you’re working on, its success depends in part on being properly presented.
I offer various services tailored to the needs of different clients: publishers, authors, students and organizations. To see how I can help you, please click on the appropriate tab above.
TESTIMONIALS
‘Thomas’s work was brilliantly detailed and caught many of my infelicities ... He also gave me a truly important structural idea, which transformed the balance of my manuscript.’
Philippa Harrison (former MD of Macmillan London and Little, Brown UK Ltd)
‘Thomas’s editing was extremely accurate and clear. His overall intelligence was reflected in every single word of the book, and I am very grateful to him.’
Alba Ercolino (Rai TV)
So, what is a Cambridge comma?
Commas are tricky little things, and none is trickier than the Cambridge variety. Ask what a Cambridge comma is online, and you’ll end up hopelessly confused. One website says it’s the same as an Oxford (or serial) comma, which it certainly isn’t. Another defines it simply as a comma ‘used incorrectly’, which is a ridiculous slur on Cantabrigian writers. Then there’s the suggestion that, whereas the Oxford comma comes before the ‘and’ that introduces the last item in a list, the Cambridge comma comes after it, to indicate a dramatic pause, as in: ‘For breakfast I had eggs, tomatoes, bacon and, caviar!’ Unfortunately, this delightful idea was posted on 1 April.
The truth is that the Cambridge comma doesn’t exist, either before the ‘and’ or after it, or indeed anywhere else. This makes it the most useful and versatile comma there is. After all, knowing when to leave something out is just as important as knowing when to put it in.
The Cambridge comma, then, is the perfect symbol of the proofreader’s art.