by Larry Brody
I’m fascinated by overthinking. We all do it one way or another and at one time or another.
Mostly I overthink the reasons for scheduling and performing tasks that seem difficult or at best unpleasant. As a writer, I also tend to overthink English language usage, but not nearly as much as Derek Haines has in an article called “A Comma Before Because After a Negative Clause.” that I just read at justpublishingadvice.com.
Why, you ask, is that even a subject?
Well, I reply, because:
In general, you don’t use a comma before because in most sentences. When you add a second clause to a sentence starting with because the meaning is usually quite clear…. But there are times when you need to think about using a comma…[such as] when the first clause includes a negative verb.1
The article then goes on to explain in great detail what the hell it’s really talking about and exactly how to do whatever it is the article is telling us to do.
I say “whatever” because I admit that I got totally lost in the intricacies of the discussion. But two short paragraphs ultimately stood out as truly informative, and I feel it’s my duty to pass them on to other writers everywhere. So:
No matter how experienced you are as a writer, there will always be elements you are unsure about.
The only way to learn is to do your grammar research. Sure, you can certainly use a good grammar checker to help you.
So there you have it. Solid advice for writers of all kinds provided by an example of overthinking at its finest.
Thank you, Derek Haines, for actually coming to a conclusion. Most of the time my own overthinking evaporates into nothing.
Just as it’s done now.
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