This tiny piece of punctuation saves lives.

One of the best things about punctuation is that when it’s used correctly it’s invisible in plain sight. It’s like driving a road you know so well that you get home without recalling the journey.

But when it’s misused? Those misplaced commas, semicolons and dashes can be jarring!

The vocative comma, however, is often completely invisible. That is, writers tend to leave it out of their sentences altogether. This can have disastrous implications for your characters!

Allow me to explain. 

What is a vocative expression? 

Honey, sweetheart, darling, love – your pet names for your loved ones can be a vocative; so too their actual names. Any word you use to address someone directly is a vocative (also known as a vocative expression), whether it’s kind, disrespectful or neutral. Mate, sir, madam, prime minister … the list is endless! It’s how you use it that matters.

For instance, in the sentence, “Hey, you!”, you is the vocative expression because that’s the word used as a direct address.

Although you might not hear it in your speech, a comma is needed with a vocative expression in writing. In fact, it’s an incredibly powerful piece of punctuation.

Consider the difference between these sentences: 

“Shoot Pete,” the policeman cried. 

“Shoot, Pete,” the policeman cried. 

In the first example, without the vocative comma, Pete’s life is in grave danger! In the second, a vocative comma saves his life, showing us that the policeman is, in fact, directing Pete to shoot someone or something. 

Similarly, the below sentence can take your story in a wild direction without a vocative comma: 

“Eat children!” the woman urged. 

Unless your story is exploring cannibalism, you’re going to need a comma with that: 

“Eat, children!” the woman urged. 

The comma makes it clear that the woman wants to feed the children, not feed on them.

At its simplest, the vocative comma offers instant clarity. For example:

“I don’t know Alison,” said Judy.

has a completely different meaning to:

“I don’t know, Alison,” said Judy.

How to use the vocative comma

Where you place the vocative comma depends on where the vocative expression lands in the sentence. 

If the vocative expression starts the sentence, you need a comma after it (the vocative and its comma are in bold): 

“Kate, bring me that file,” Alice ordered. 

“Simone, is that your new bike?” Fred asked.

If the vocative expression arrives at the end of the sentence, use the comma before the vocative. 

“Give me my bag, you thief,” Ann said.

“Where did you get that cool shirt, bro?” James asked.

If the vocative expression is placed in the middle of the sentence, it needs commas before and after it. 

“Well, Pete, you shouldn’t have fired that gun,” the policeman said.

“Hello, darling, would you like a cup of tea?” Jenni offered.

When does a vocative expression not need a comma?

You don’t need a comma when the vocative expression is standing alone. Instead, you need a full stop, an exclamation mark, or a question mark. Here are some examples. 

“Pete! The policeman told you to shoot!” cried Mark. 

“Darling? Are you there?” Jenni called. 

“You thief. Bring me that bag,” Anna snapped.

Embracing the vocative comma

It can be easy to miss this one when you’re in the flow of writing, and in many cases most people will understand what you mean when you fail to add a vocative comma. It’s not actually life or death!

But, using the vocative comma is a good habit to get into. Firstly, using punctuation correctly makes for clearer sentences and a seamless experience for your reader, allowing them to fully immerse in your world. And secondly, if you’re working with an editor, getting these little details right will save them time and you money.

So, keep the vocative comma in mind when you’re polishing your manuscript – and see if you save any lives while you’re at it.