I'm not sure if you've noticed, but President Obama has a distinct way of talking. I have found it wonderfully refreshing to hear someone speak who enjoys writing. But it is with his style of speech that I am so enamored.
He often begins his sentences with "listen" or "look".
During the President's recent town hall meetings he has said, "Look, I would love not to spend money right now." and "Look, we've got to get this bill passed."
It's not so much the word "look" that I am fixated upon. It is that lovely comma that follows. He doesn't say, "Look we've got to get this bill passed." all in one hurried breath. What I hear is, "Look (whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whether you voted for me or not, whether you've lost your job and your health care or not) we've got to get this bill passed."
It is the pause of that comma; the beauty of a breath taken that gives me hope.
I read somewhere (I think it was Bird-by-Bird by Anne Lamott) about a large gathering around a dining room table... it went something like this: "The men rose from the table, and retired to the living room." We can debate the placement of that comma... But I say it gives the men time to rise and push in their chairs.
Today, let's celebrate the comma. The spaces we leave unfilled; the breath in and the breath out.
I love comma's, and I love to use them, i know I use them way to much. A comma gives me a chance to think, to learn to spell, to breathe, to scratch, to drink, I do love them
ReplyDeletemom
I love commas too; though, I have also fallen in love with semi-colons! It was only recently that I even realized how they are used; now, I can't stop myself! They connect and transition; that's a beautiful thing! I have, on several occasions, and by various colleagues, been told that I use commas and semis too frequently. No matter. I'm a grammar dork, I know, but the power of words to communicate, to create beauty, and to inspire...well... it's just amazing!
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