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Extended Rules for Using Commas

Summary:

This resource presents a number of pages about comma use.

Comma Use

1. Use commas to separate impartial clauses when they are joined by any of those seven coordinating conjunctions:
and, however, for, or, nor, so, yet.

The game was over, however the crowd refused to go away.

The student explained her question, yet the teacher still didn't appear to grasp.

Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come earlier than the principle clause.

a. Common starter phrases for introductory clauses that ought to be followed by a comma embody
after, though, as, as a result of, if, since, when, whereas.

While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

Because her alarm clock was damaged, she was late for class.

If you might be unwell, you must see a health care provider.

When the snow stops falling, we'll shovel the driveway.

However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (apart from instances of extreme distinction).

INCORRECT:The cat scratched at the door, whereas I was consuming.

CORRECT:She was still fairly upset, although she had received the Oscar. ( Improve English online is appropriate, as a result of it is an example of extreme contrast.)

b. Common introductory phrases that ought to be followed by a comma embrace participial and infinitive phrases, absolute phrases, nonessential appositive phrases, and long prepositional phrases (over four phrases).

Having finished the take a look at, he left the room.

To get a seat, you'd higher come early.

After the check however before lunch, I went jogging.

The solar radiating intense warmth, we sought shelter within the cafe.

c. Common introductory words that must be adopted by a comma embrace
sure, nevertheless, well.

Well, maybe he meant no hurt.

Yes, the bundle should arrive tomorrow morning.

However, you will not be happy with the results.

three. Use a pair of commas in the course of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not important to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the start of the pause and one on the finish to indicate the end of the pause.

Here are some clues to help you resolve whether or not the sentence component is important:

• If you leave out the clause, phrase, or word, does the sentence nonetheless make sense?
• Does the clause, phrase, or phrase interrupt the flow of phrases within the unique sentence?
• If you progress the component to a unique place within the sentence, does the sentence nonetheless make sense?

If you reply "sure" to a number of of those questions, then the factor in query is nonessential and must be set off with commas. Here are some instance sentences with nonessential elements:

Clause:That Tuesday
, which occurs to be my birthday,is the one day once I am available to meet.

Phrase:This restaurant has an exciting environment. The food
, however,is quite bland.

Word:I appreciate your hard work. In this case
, however,you appear to have over-exerted yourself.

four. Do not use commas to set off essential parts of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with
that(relative clauses).
Thatclauses after nouns are all the time important.
Thatclauses following a verb expressing mental motion are all the time important.

Thatclauses after nouns:

The e-book
that I borrowed from youis superb.

The apples
that fell out of the basketare bruised.

Thatclauses following a verb expressing mental action:

She believes
that she is going to have the ability to earn an A.

He is dreaming
that he can fly.

I contend
that it was wrong to mislead her.

They wished
that heat climate would lastly arrive.

Examples of different
essentialelements (no commas):

Students
who cheatsolely harm themselves.

The child
wearing a yellow jumpsuitis my niece.

The candidate
who had the least moneymisplaced the election.

Examples of
nonessentialelements (set off by commas):

Fred
, who typically cheats,is simply harming himself.

My niece
, sporting a yellow jumpsuit,is enjoying in the lounge.

The Green party candidate
, who had the least cash,misplaced the election.

Apples
, which are my favorite fruit,are the primary ingredient in this recipe.

Professor Benson
, grinning from ear to ear,introduced that the exam would be tomorrow.

Tom
, the captain of the staff,was injured within the sport.

It is up to you,
Jane,to finish.

She was,
nonetheless,too drained to make the journey.

Two hundred dollars
, I suppose,is adequate.

5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.

The Constitution establishes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

The candidate promised to decrease taxes, defend the environment, reduce crime, and finish unemployment.

The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime, who had a strong revenge motive, and who had access to the homicide weapon, was guilty of murder.

6. Use commas to separate two or extra coordinate adjectives that describe the identical noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives with equal ("co"-ordinate) standing in describing the noun; neither adjective is subordinate to the other. You can determine if two adjectives in a row are coordinate by asking the following questions:

• Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in reverse order?
• Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written with
  andbetween them?

If you answer yes to those questions, then the adjectives are coordinate and should be separated by a comma. Here are some examples of coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives:

He was a tough, stubborn baby. (coordinate)

They lived in a white frame home. (non-coordinate)

She typically wore a gray wool shawl. (non-coordinate)

Your cousin has a straightforward, joyful smile. (coordinate)

The 1) relentless, 2) powerful 3) summer season sun beat down on them. (1-2 are coordinate; 2-3 are non-coordinate.)

The 1) relentless, 2) highly effective, three) oppressive solar beat down on them. (Both 1-2 and a couple of-3 are coordinate.)

7. Use a comma close to the top of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to point a distinct pause or shift.

He was merely ignorant, not stupid.

The chimpanzee appeared reflective, virtually human.

You're one of the senator's shut friends, aren't you?

The speaker appeared innocent, even gullible.

8. Use commas to set off phrases at the end of the sentence that discuss with the start or center of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers that can be positioned wherever in the sentence without inflicting confusion. (If the location of the modifier causes confusion, then it isn't "free" and must remain "sure" to the word it modifies.)

Nancy waved enthusiastically at the docking ship, laughing joyously. (right)

INCORRECT:Lisa waved at Nancy, laughing joyously. (Who is laughing, Lisa or Nancy?)

Laughing joyously, Lisa waved at Nancy. ( Learn English language course )

Lisa waved at Nancy, who was laughing joyously. (correct)

9. Use commas to set off all geographical names, objects in dates (besides the month and day), addresses (besides the road quantity and name), and titles in names.

Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England.

July 22, 1959, was a momentous day in his life. Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC?

Rachel B. Lake, MD, would be the principal speaker.

(When you employ just the month and the 12 months, no comma is critical after the month or year: "The average temperatures for July 1998 are the very best on record for that month.")

10. Use a comma to shift between the principle discourse and a citation.

John mentioned with out emotion, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I was ready," she answered, "to complete the project."

In 1848, Marx wrote, "Workers of the world, unite!"

eleven. Use commas wherever needed to forestall possible confusion or misreading.

To George, Harrison had been a sort of idol.

Comma abuse

Commas in the wrong locations can break a sentence into illogical segments or confuse readers with unnecessary and sudden pauses.

12. Don't use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.

INCORRECT:An eighteen-yr-outdated in California, is now considered an adult.

INCORRECT:The most important attribute of a ball player, is fast reflex actions.

13. Don't put a comma between the two verbs or verb phrases in a compound predicate.

INCORRECT:We laid out our music and snacks, and commenced to check.

INCORRECT:I turned the nook, and ran smack into a patrol automotive.

14. Don't put a comma between the two nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses in a compound topic or compound object.

INCORRECT ( English class ):The music teacher out of your high school, and the soccer coach from mine are married.

INCORRECT (compound object):Jeff told me that the job was nonetheless available, and that the supervisor wished to interview me.

15. Don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (aside from circumstances of utmost contrast).

INCORRECT:The cat scratched on the door, while I was eating.

CORRECT:She was nonetheless fairly upset, although she had received the Oscar. (This comma use is correct, as a result of it's an example of extreme contrast)