Ah, A I

Without asking my permission Grammarly — the spelling and grammar checker — has proofread my writing since 2016. At least that’s their claim. They inform me that I’ve used 23,896,330 words during this time. Not sure I believe that. They further instructed me that my primary writing problem is commas. That, I believe. In particular, they say I am inept at putting in commas after introductory clauses. Also — they say — I’m messy with using commas in compound sentences. But they are happy to teach me proper usage.

Did you know (according to Grammarly) that commas are used in the following ways?

Separating items in a list of three or more Connecting two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction Setting apart non-restrictive relative clauses Setting apart nonessential appositives Setting apart introductory phrases Setting apart interrupters and parenthetical elements Setting apart question tags Setting apart names in direct address Separating parts of a date Separating parts of a location, like a city and its country Separating multiple coordinating adjectives Separating quotations and attributive tags

In truth, I could have not written those rules. I’ll try to do better. But I’d feel a lot better if, when using A I, they would insert a V between those letters.