COMMARULES

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Whether you have a specificquestion about comma usageor you're staring at a pagelittered with those pesky

commas and feeling slightlyoverwhelmed, our list of

comma rules will have youwriting and editing like a pro

in no time at all.

1. Use a comma to separate items in a list

(but beware of the serial comma).

The English language uses a comma to separatethree or more items in a series:

That girl is obsessed with commas, semicolons,and em dashes.

See that comma before "and," the conjunction?That's called a serial comma, and it separatesthe last two items in a list. While U.S. andCanadian English favor the use of a serialcomma, U.K. and Australian English do not.

2. USE A COMMA TO

JOININDEPENDENT CLAUSES.

An independent clause is a group of words that can standalone as a sentence. When two independent clauses arejoined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for,so, and yet), a comma precedes the coordinating conjunction.

Take a look at the two independent clauses below.

I really like using commas.I really like using proper grammar.

When we join these, we use a comma. See?

I really like using commas, and I really like using propergrammar.

3. Use a comma to join a dependent clause and an independent clause.

As the name implies, a dependent clause depends on another clause to forma complete sentence. If a dependent clause follows an independent clause, nocomma is needed!

Please leave the bar if you're going to use improper grammar.

However, a comma is needed when a sentence begins with a dependentclause, as shown in the following example.

If you're going to use improper grammar, please leave the bar.

4. Use a comma following anintroductory word group.

Some sentences open with a wordor group of words in order toprovide more information. Acomma follows this introductoryword or group of words andexplains to the reader that the mainpart of the sentence is about tobegin. Get ready, reader! Herecomes a comma!

When I see too many commas, Iturn into an enormous green rage­monster.

5. USE A COMMA TO INTERRUPT

A SENTENCEor to provide additionalinformation.

Any phrase that interrupts a sentence and isnot grammatically tied to the sentenceshould be set off by commas. For example,commas should be included in the case of anonrestrictive clause, which providesinformation that is not essential to thesentence's meaning.

That man, who used too many commas, wasarrested by the grammar police.

6. Use a comma with

DIRECT QUOTATIONS.

Whenever a direct quotation is used, youshould find commas. Have at it, comma­obsessed friends!

"I wouldn't want to mess with that editor," saidone reader to another.

Whether the comma goes inside or outside ofthe quotations depends entirely on what flavorof English you've chosen. (In the U.S. andCanada, the comma tends to come before thequotation marks, while the Brits place thecomma after the closing quotation marks.)

7. Use a comma with coordinate adjectives.

If two adjectives modify a noun independently, a commamust be placed between those two adjectives. Ask two

questions:

1. Does the sentence make sense if you insert and betweenthe adjectives?

Commas are a fun and exciting type of punctuation.

2. Does the sentence still make sense if you rearrange theadjectives?

Commas are an exciting and fun type of punctuation.

Since the sentence passes these tests, comma away, friend.

Commas are a fun, exciting type of punctuation.

Use commaswith dates

8.

Sure, a comma separates the month and dayfrom the year.

There have been no misplaced commas sinceApril 23, 4034.

However, if the date is written in the invertedstyle or if only the month and year are given, nocomma is needed. Take heed!

There have been no misplaced commas since 23April 4034.

9. Use a commawith titles.

We'll allow you some more commas. If a title follows a name, a pair ofcommas separates it from the rest of the sentence.

Don Blathers, a comma misuser, will rue the day he included that comma.

WITHNUMBERS.

10. Use a comma

In numbers longer than four digits, commasseparate the numbers into groups of three,starting from the right side.

20,000 (correctly placed comma)

990,000,0 (incorrectly placed commas)

Use a comma

when a conjunctiveadverb

begins, interrupts, or concludes a sentence.

11.

If a conjunctive adverb is used to begin, interrupt, or conclude a sentence, thena comma, not a semicolon, must come before and/or after the adverb(depending on whether it is at the beginning, middle, or end).

The company is having serious trouble managing all of these misplacedcommas. Further, we can't seem to eliminate them.

She had always wanted to use a comma correctly; because of her commaobsession, though, she hadn't yet figured out how.

He knew that the commas were coming. He never thought that his life was injeopardy, however.

The conjunctive adverbs are further, though, and however, respectively.

12.

APPOSITIVE ADJECTIVES.

USE A COMMA WITH

An appositive adjective is an adjective thatemphasizes the description of a noun orpronoun, and it is placed after thenoun/pronoun. You guessed it: it's set off bycommas.

The commas, correctly placed and happy,finally found their home.

Appositive adjectives are mostly used foraesthetic purposes in fiction or casual writing.Comma­obsessed writers and editors shouldwatch for these constructions. Appositiveadjectives should be used sparingly in academicor more formal writing because they slow thereader's pace.

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