Centerfield

Commas Count

The ranks of those eager to argue that punctuation and grammar don't matter as long as you get the gist of things have just been thinned. No contract lawyers on that bandwagon, for sure:

million dollar comma

Canada's telecommunications regulator said the case hinged on the placement of the second comma in this clause:

"This agreement shall be effective from the date it is made and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."

Rogers had insisted the contract was good for at least five years; Aliant said the comma denotes that the deal can be terminated at five years -- or before, as long as one year's notice is given.

The ruling commission said that the comma should have been omitted if the contract was meant to last five years in its shortest term.

I'm not a lawyer, but I AM an editor, and Aliant is right. The 2nd comma means that the portion of the sentence which follows it applies to both parts which precede it. That's how commas work. So next time someone tells you that "plain meaning" is manifest, remember this story. In the eyes of the law, a contract doesn't necessarily mean what you meant to communicate when you wrote it.

Mind your p's and q's? Indeed. One comma can provide a million bucks worth of wiggle room.