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A comma is a “soft stop”. It’s not a final as a period. It’s used to connect new ideas to old
ones, and to tell the reader when to pause a moment in their thinking (or in their speaking,
if they’re reading out loud). In long sentences, it’s also used to separate clauses, so the
reader understands which modifiers apply to which words, etc.
I only slept for three hours last night , but I’m not tired today.
For dinner , there’s pasta , garlic bread , and green salad.
Despite the snow , the buses are running on time.
Anna’s parents are very , very proud of her.
Comma usage
Commas separate ideas or nouns (as in a list).
He’s bundled in a wool coat , mitts , hat , scarf and snow-boots because it’s so cold.
Katherine did the shopping , cleaned the house , and finished the laundry.
Durer , daVinci , and Michelangelo are all famous painters.
If you’re repeating words for emphasis, a comma will separate the repeated words so it’s
clear you haven’t made a typo.
A comma can change the person to whom you are speaking into the person about whom
you are speaking, and determine the rest of the punctuation in the sentence.
A comma can tell the reader to pause for a brief moment because what you’re about to say
will add another mind-boggling idea.
The gymnast leapt several feet into the air , and then he did a triple twist and a somersault!
The subject of this sentence is the things which cause me joy, and its verb is may cause.
Not only does this comma separate the verb from its subject, but the comma isn’t even
required for clarity. We should definitely get rid of this comma.
The method of ensuring you are driving on the right route , is to check your G.P.S.
Exception: The only time you may separate a subject from its verb is if the verb from the
subject clause is repeated.
If we didn’t have the comma in this sentence, the reader might sound like a broken record.
The slight pause emphasizes the repetition of the phrase.
The twins , and their mother went shopping for shoes for school.
The compound subject of this sentence is the twins and their mother. By putting a
comma after twins, we’re separating twins from its modifying verb went shopping.
The comma in this sentence separates the compound object Mark and Michael. Just as
with the previous sentence, this comma separates Michael from his modifying verb.
The twins and their mother went shopping for shoes , and clothes for school.
You can give the books , and papers , to Mark or Michael.
You , and I , need to go shopping for shoes and clothes for school.
Mark despaired both finding a job , and having a decent place to live.
The verbs in this predicate are finding and having. There’s no need for a comma to
separate them as it separates having a decent place from Mark despaired.
Have you read Sense and Sensibility , and seen Pride and Prejudice?
This sentence doesn’t need a comma because the italics clearly identify the conjunctions
which are part of the titles.
Comma Splice
If two independent clauses are to be joined into one sentence, they should be separated by
a conjunction or a semi-colon, or possibly even a conjunction and a comma. They can also
be separated into two sentences by a period. Using a comma causes a comma splice.
Exceptions: Comma splices can be used for artistic or poetic effect, as when one is
connecting several short independent clauses. Don’t do this in a formal composition,
though; it’s only for creative writing. (If you’re going to pull this off in formal writing, try using
a semi-colon.)
Comma splices may also be used if the two independent clauses are somehow
contrasting, as when following a statement with a question.
The comma after because should be removed; the comma after rain is properly used as it
separates the introductory clause from the independent clause.
After , flunking her Victorian Literature class, Martha decided to do the assigned reading.
When and if , it gets delivered, please bring the package into my office immediately.
So , that the water didn’t get in, we attached rubber seals around the windows.
Because the introductory phrase by flashlight is short and begins with a preposition, a
comma is not required; regardless, it wouldn’t be considered incorrect if there were a
comma after flashlight.
Commas After Introductory Words
After an introductory word, we use a comma to separate the introductory word from the
independent clause. The introductory word in the sentence will frequently be an adverb.
The comma after lighter should be removed so it does not separate the two items – the
boxes – which are being compared.
The box containing the hardcover books is really quite heavy , while the box containing the
paperbacks is relatively light.
Hardcover books weigh more , than paperback books.
The box on the table , which contains the hardcover books , is really quite heavy while the box
containing the paperbacks is relatively light.
This sentence is correct because the commas are being used around the non-restrictive
clause which contains the hardcover books.
The interrupter as they say needs a comma before and after it to emphasise its separation
from the rest of the sentence.
Having demonstrated a decided lack of ethics, the CEO was , needless to say, dismissed from
the company.
It does , indeed , look like rain.
Names can also be interrupters.
Here are some more common interrupters: in fact, to say the least, however, generally
speaking, sadly, happily, and unfortunately.
Run-on Sentences
When two independent clauses are joined by a co-ordinating conjunction (e.g. and, but, or,
so), there must be a comma before the conjunction, or it will be a run-on sentence.
Independent clauses are complete sentences; if you could put a period after the clause but
have instead used just a conjunction, then you’ve created a run-on sentence.
Matthew went to the library , and I headed back to the science lab.
The wind was brisk , but the sun was strong.
The man’s business was failing , so he was searching for alternative income.
Anna went to make a strong cup of coffee , for she was falling asleep at her desk.
The paintings were striking , yet they were also pleasant to look at.
The citizens of the world all want clean water do drink , do they not?
Do they not is a question tag. It needs to be separated from the statement by a comma.
Legends about werewolves, vampire and other monsters from are considered to be some of the
scariest stories around , no?
Those willow trees are beautiful , aren’t they?
That movie was really good , yeah?
Sometimes there will be a linguistically unintelligible question tag. These tend to differ from
country to country. These are not likely to be used in formal writing, but they should still be
considered when writing informally. Here’s an example that is purely Canadian:
The appositive a brilliant young painter isn’t required to understand this sentence; there
should be a comma after painter (but not at the beginning of the appositive, as it is at the
beginning of the sentence).
The rose , a deep red blood drop , stood out amongst the tiny white flowers.
Martha , yawning with exhaustion , sat down at her desk to finish her last paper.
The professor , Dr. Kendrick , was a wonderful teacher.
The appositive Dr. Kendrick, is necessary in order to understand which professor was a
wonderful teacher, so there is no need for commas around it.
Comma in Dates
When writing a date, a comma is used to separate the day from the month, and the date
from the year.
Exception:
Although inappropriate for use in formal writing, this format does not require any commas.
The second clause, because there is nothing to eat in the house, is dependent; there is no
need to use a comma between the two clauses.
It makes no sense to study Advanced Pure Math , if the student will not use the math at a later
date.
I’ll put the book down and sleep , when I can no longer keep my eyes open.
Exception: If the sentence is too long or confusing without a comma, one may be used for
purposes of clarity.
In the background of the painting there are a boat, a river, and a sunset , which attract the
viewer’s attention.
Here, a comma is used before the dependent clause because otherwise the reader may
think only the sunset attracts the viewer’s attention.
Some frequent causes of headaches are, stress , lack of exercise and dehydration.
The comma between are and stress should be removed because it separates the predicate
from the subject. The other comma is grammatically correct.
The compound predicate, is to clarify lists and conjoin ideas, does not require a comma.
The comma should be removed.
The comma in the last sentence is correctly placed as it is being used to clarify the
elements in a list.
A comma should also be placed before and if and is at the beginning of an independent
clause.
In this sentence, but is being used to mean except. Because but isn’t starting an
independent clause, the comma isn’t required.
Because it’s at the beginning of an independent clause, the comma before but is
necessary.
N.B. American English requires the use of a comma before the last and in a list; British
English does not. Be sure to follow local protocol, particularly in formal writing.
I cleaned the house and the garage , raked the lawn , and took out the garbage.
The list in this sentence categorises items by verb. Without the comma after and, readers
would be looking for another item which was being raked: I…raked the lawn and ___.
This sentence doesn’t need a comma before the and because the three colours refer to the
shirt Mary bought. The final comma should be removed.
For the bouquet of roses , I selected three red ones , three white ones , and two black ones.
Here, the categories are being defined by the numbers and colours of roses. Becausetwo
black ones is a different category than three white ones, we need the comma before
the and.
N.B. American English requires the use of a comma before the last and in a list; British
English does not. Be sure to follow local protocol, particularly in formal writing.
Teenagers are often anxious to grow up , get a job , and move out of their parents’ house.
If you look carefully, there are three things teenagers want to do: 1) grow up, 2) get a job,
and 3) move out of their parents’ house. These are similar things (they’re all things
teenagers are anxious to do), so we need both commas.
I still have to buy a gift , pack the suitcases , and arrange for someone to water the plants while
we’re at the wedding.
Mary needs bread , milk , and butter at the grocery store.
Comma Separating Verb And Its Object
A verb should not be separated from its object (the thing or person which is receiving the
verb). To figure out what the object of the sentence is, ask yourself this: what is the subject
doing? Let’s look at the sentence, Mary likes chocolate. The verb is likes, so we would
ask, What does Mary like? She likes chocolate, so the object of the verb ischocolate. Now
that we can identify the verb and the object in the sentence, we know not to put a comma
between them.
Mary said , she likes chocolate.
The teacher claimed , she was too busy to help her students outside of class.
The verb is claimed and its object is she was too busy to help her students; the comma
between them shouldn’t be there.
After finding her classes’ grades were slipping , the teacher decided to stay, for an extra hour
after school each day.
Non-restrictive clauses are generally separated from the rest of the sentence by commas
(while restrictive clauses are not).
That box of apples , which I picked this morning , can be used to make the pie.
The non-restrictive clause which I picked this morning needs to have a comma on either
side of it because this information is not required to identify the box; that is the word which
identifies the box (we can assume the speaker is pointing to it).
Three years ago, the house on the corner , which was of historical interest , was torn down.
As the house is already identified as the one on the corner, the fact that it was of historical
interest is not necessary.
The box of apples , that has the red label on it , can be used to make the pie.
The restrictive clause that has the red label on it should not have a comma on either side
of it. The label is required to identify the box.
Three years ago, the house , on the corner , was torn down.
The plants , that are wilting , need more water.
Either the blue shirt , or the red sweater will look good with your jeans.
Either…or is a correlative pair of conjunctions. The comma should be removed from this
sentence so the conjunctions are not separated from each other.
Exception: If two commas are around a non-restrictive clause, they may be used between
the correlative pairs of conjunctions.
Neither the job as a cashier , which only paid minimum wage , nor the washroom attendant’s
job interested the woman with two PhDs.
If there is a question mark, there is no need to use a comma as well; in this case, the
attributive tag should come immediately after the closing quotation marks. The same rule
applies to exclamation points, which are required if the reader is to understand the tone the
speaker is using.
“Do you want to come to the movies with us?” , Mary asked.
The comma between the quote and the attributive tag is not required, and should be
removed.
This last sentence is correctly punctuated because the attributive tag is at the beginning of
the sentence; the comma is used to separate the attributive tag from the beginning of the
quote so there is no conflict between two punctuation marks.
After opening the new cookie tin , (and eating several of the cookies), Mary had a hard time
replacing the lid.
The comma after tin should be removed. The comma after the closing parenthesis is
correctly used as it separates a dependent clause (after opening the new cookie tin) from
an independent clause (Mary had a hard time replacing the lid).
After opening the new cookie tin (and eating several of the cookies , ) Mary had a hard time
replacing the lid.
After opening the new cookie tin (and eating several of the cookies) , Mary had a hard time
replacing the lid.
Peter cleaned his room , (grumbling all the while , ) before going out to play basketball.
This sentence does not require any commas; both should be removed.
The company managers accidentally scheduled the , weekly meeting for Saturday.
The comma between the and weekly should be removed because it separates the
articlethe from the noun meeting.
A , bouquet of flowers may be created using more than one type of flower.
I’ll have an , apple.
When speaking, we will often pause while we think of the next word. While a speaker may
pause after an article, it is not a grammatically correct pause; when written down, there
should be no comma after an. Generally, this example will not come up in formal writing
but if it should, the pause can be indicated with an ellipsis: I’ll have an… apple.
Oxford Comma
Originally used by Oxford University Press, this is the comma which is used before and in a
list. British English doesn’t use the Oxford comma. It certainly has its purpose when used
to eliminate confusion, but it is used consistently – whether it’s required for clarity or not.
This sentence does require the commas around the non-restrictive clause.
Both sentences clearly mean that I like both kinds of cake; the comma use is probably not
necessary. We’d probably only use the comma in the second sentence if we were writing
dialogue and wanted to show where the speaker paused.
I like carrot cake as well as chocolate cake, but lemon cake is my favourite.
This sentence doesn’t need a comma in front of as well as; the meaning is quite clear.
These sentences clearly demonstrate where a judgment call is required. The first sentence
means that I prefer chocolate cake. The second sentence means that I don’t like either of
them.
Such as Comma
The phrase such as only requires a comma in front of it if it’s part of a non-restrictive
clause.
There are many different types of coniferous trees , such as pine and spruce.
The comma in this sentence isn’t necessary, as it’s only giving examples.
The Grade 5 class studied ancient cultures such as Greece and Rome.
Fresh fruit provides many nutrients such as vitamin C.
The Grade 5 class studied ancient cultures , such as Greece and Rome , before they studied
different forms of government.
Fresh fruit provides many nutrients , such as vitamin C , and tastes good too.
These two sentences require the commas because such as is part of the non-restrictive
clauses.
Comma Before Too
When using the word too, you only need to use a comma before it for emphasis.
You can tell by the position of too that emphasis is required in this sentence, so we use the
commas to offset it.