Commas are simpler

I use commas to set off phrases, like this one, that add a little something to a sentence. But then (sometimes) I'll use parentheses instead, to place less emphasis on the interrupting phrase. And sometimes -- more noticeably -- I'll set a phrase off with dashes because I want more emphasis on it.

But if I have a sentence that I want to be very, very clear, I only use the commas. The other forms add or subtract emphasis, and the change in emphasis gives the reader something else to think about. I don't want that. Even though the phrase in parentheses is least emphatic, it is the comma that is least noticeable and least distracting.

Sometimes you need them; sometimes you don't.

Oddly, I try to avoid colons and semicolons. They make sentences depend on other sentences in a burdensome way. I think they create difficulty for the reader. They create difficulty for me when I proofread: What is the mysterious connection between these sentences, that the author is trying to convey? And why doesn't he just say it outright?

Oddly, I try to avoid colons and semicolons; they make sentences depend on other sentences in a burdensome way. I think they create difficulty for the reader: They create difficulty for me when I proofread.