Can I Get a Comma with that Clause?

"What is a zombie? How are they created? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their needs, their desires? Why are they hostile to humanity? Before discussing any survival techniques, you must first learn what you are trying to survive."

This lovely quote comes from Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead, one of my husband's all-time favorite reads (yeah, don't ask). While it is clearly not certain whether any of us will survive the inevitable zombie apocalypse, what is certain is that Mr. Brooks (or his copy editor) has a keen sense of comma usage.

When I was in high school, my English teacher told me that if you paused during a sentence, you put a comma there. That seems like rational advice, but now I know it is completely wrong. Commas have definite homes, and it is not always where we take a breath or end a mini-thought.

One of their homes is after an adverbial clause when it comes at the beginning of a sentence, such as in "Before discussing any survival techniques, you must first learn what you are trying to survive." I've notice many of my fellow writers fail to include this comma, so let's look at the rule.

First understand that a clause is not a phrase, and a phrase is not a clause. A clause contains a subject and a verb. A phrase does not. An adverbial clause begins with an adverb that is often called a subordinating conjuction, and while this moniker sounds offensive, it is appropriate if you consider that "subordinating" means "lessening" or "making something below something else." An adverbial clause begins with a subordinating conjunction because it can never stand on its own; it is reliant on another, more independent clause for meaning.

Therefore, I could never say, "Before discussing any survival techniques," and then stop. You'd ask me, "And?" while waiting for the rest of my thought. An adverbial clause is a dependent clause, and when it comes first, before the independent clause, it is always followed by a comma as in this example with "even if" as my subordinating conjunction ... and a bit more wisdom from Max Brooks.

Even if dependent clause, independent clause (sentence). =
Even if a zombie's body is severely damaged, it will continue to attack until nothing remains.


Here is a trunkated list of subordinating conjunctions that begin adverbial clauses:

After
Although
Even though
Though
As
As if
As though
As long as
Because
Before
If
So that
Since
Unless
Until
Whatever
When
Whenever
Where
Wherever
Whether
While


I can also flip this sentence around and keep the meaning. When these subordinating conjunctions are found in an adverbial clause that comes at the end of a sentence, DO NOT use a comma to separate the dependent and independent clauses.

Independent clause (sentence) even if dependent clause. =
It will continue to attack until nothing remains even if a zombie's body is severely damaged.

Having said all of that, understand that publishing houses often have their own editing rules based on how much they want to pay in ink during production. I've read several very successful books recently whose editors chose to drop the comma from the initial adverbial clause. However, when soliciting editors and agents, it's important to show them you know the rules. Otherwise, your novel excerpt, picture book manuscript, article or query letter will often be thrown into the trash -- and for a writer, that is a demise uglier and more vicious than any apocalyptic zombie attack.