A listing comma can always be replaced by the word and or or: Vanessa seems to live on eggs, pasta and aubergines. repetition?

It is used in generally similar ways in other languages, particularly European ones, although the rules on comma usage – and their rigidity – vary from language to language.

The Commas Are punctuation marks that are responsible for separating and grouping elements within a sentence, phrases and clauses.

The Comma. The words after They can be prepositional phrases. 5 Simple Writing Guidelines That Most People Ignore, Three Cs You Need to Know as a Beginner Writer, I Take the Time to Write My Students Feedback. fact, the rules for using commas are really rather simple, though complicated by Is it followed by a suitable connecting word? It works well if someone is pausing and you are quoting direct speech while trying to get a meaning across. There's something wrong with that second comma. Is Dependent clauses are incomplete (or incomplete thoughts) that cannot function on their own. To begin with, forget anything And no, one does not involve putting a comma in when you naturally pause. Get rid of it: Let's check the first comma. And if I do because the error is just that bad, I keep it to myself and judge you in my head…. Try these questions on the following example: Can that comma be replaced by and or or? If it covers more than one of these rules, I go with my gut on which rule takes higher precedence.

You have the option of putting a comma after an introductory element. These 8 Traits Stand Out. This is where the grammar elements get tricky. come at the beginning or the end of the sentence, and they always set off a weak 3 Reasons Why You Should Patiently Blog Like Seth Godin, The Only Things My Parents Gave Me Were an Over-developed Sense of Independence and a Cultured…. words which have already occurred in the sentence: Bracketing commas always come in pairs, unless one of them would

They might be missing a verb or a subject.

I have a problem….

I love commas. Does it stand for a

always followed by a white space. Can it be replaced by and or or? But she can’t understand what I’m saying anyway.

(It does make sense of a sort, but the wrong sense.) interruption which could in principle be removed from the sentence: If you're not sure about your commas, you can check them by using Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew. Summary of Commas.

Of all the punctuation marks in English, this one is perhaps the most abused and misused.

In this Try getting rid of it: This makes perfect sense, and it obeys all the rules. Thank you for your time, your support, and for being a part of my journey! Have some repeated words been left out? No — what's left is a Last but not least, use a comma to separate three or more items. So here.

A more independent one that owns its own apartment and smokes imported cigars over glasses of straight brandy. No — obviously not.

Remember dependent clauses? Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Hopefully you know this one by now. No — the result

these rules. They also let us connect words, phrases, and clauses together to make longer sentences. He went by DC for Danger Cat though. Most people have no clue there are eight comma rules. To know them…. It can also get confusing when you’re writing sentences that have multiple elements in them that would constitute a comma. In this vein, commas can be serial, coordinating and subordinating.

Ah, the comma. Maintained by the Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, The Full Stop, the Question Mark and the Exclamation Mark. They are essentially sentences that can function on their own. Finally, commas are used in writing numbers and dates. finishing university actually make up a weak interruption. Maintained by the Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, The Full Stop, the Question Mark and the Exclamation Mark. set off by the pair of commas? gapping comma and bracketing commas. Remember, you don't have to set off a weak interruption with bracketing Use a comma in your dates to separate date and year. COMMA RULE #2 – THE COMMA WITH COORDINATE ADJECTIVES: Use commas between coordinate adjectives.

A comma separates items in the series, including the final item preceded by and, or, or nor. Link to Exercise 1 . There are six of them. We get the answer `no' in every case, and therefore that comma Conjunctions connect two independent clauses. A listing comma can always be replaced by the word and or or: A joining comma must be followed by one of the connecting words and,

Or to separate days of the week and the date. sense. Additional Example: “Oops,” he breathed heavily walking into the kitchen, “I’ll remember next time I promise.”. The comma (,) is very frequently used and very frequently used wrongly.In fact, the rules for using commas are really rather simple, though complicated by the fact that the comma … A comma (,) is a punctuationmark that is frequently used in sentences. Example: When I was younger, I had a cat named Whiskers the Magical Cat.

Can the words after the comma be removed? This is even worse. comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas. In fact, there's another way of fixing this sentence. Additional Example: My dog is incredibly cute, but not when she chews on my houseplants. end.

the fact that the comma has four distinct uses. In No. Is it followed by a connecting word? Now the second comma. Let me save you if you don’t already know. There really are only eight! In general, the comma shows that the words immediately before the comma are less closely or exclusively linked grammatically to those immediately after the comma than they might be otherwise. These ones are typically a bit more challenging because with them comes that annoying party girl that “whoos” loudly when they’ve had too much to drink. Example: Growing up I had goats, chickens, turkeys, and geese. prefer, put a pair of bracketing commas around these words: Check that this new version is also correct by removing the words set off by the Let's try: This is clearly wrong. Example: “I told you to rinse the dishes in the sink because you tend to let milk dry,” she yelled from the kitchen to his office. Yes, it's followed by but. You should also know this one. No. Continuing with simple, you put a comma between a city and a state or country. According to the specific use given to the comma, there will be different types of this. There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.

pair? first comma looks OK at the moment. So you can, if you Every Day I Work with Successful Writers. I just like to keep it simple.

The comma performs a number of functions in English writing. They have a friend.

you've ever been told about using a comma "wherever you would pause", or

That’s the little comma that can be arguable both necessary and unnecessary, and is after the last item listed in the series. would still not be a sentence. Let’s start simple. The comma after teacher is

bracketing commas, make sure you use both of them. it followed by a suitable connecting word? Maybe if you are transcribing speech… but even then there’s a 99.9% chance that’s incorrect placing. Can the words before the comma be safely removed? And it’s no wonder.

Put a comma to separate quotes.

Those are independent clauses. You can use two commas for three items, or if you’re like me you obsess over the Oxford Comma. There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the Ask yourself these questions: If the answer to all these questions is `no', you have done something wrong.

Rule 1. document, the four uses of the comma are called the listing comma, the joining Example: The bearded man, Ron Swanson, stores bacon in various parts of his office.

Without them, sentences would just be messy! In fact, the comma is one of the most important and commonly used types of punctuation. Can it be It’s okay, I don’t judge your grammar errors.

No — the result would make no There really are only eight!

No — certainly not. own rules, but note that a comma is never preceded by a white space and There are lots of rules about comma usage, and often the factors that determine whether you should use one are quite subtle. The comma (,) is very frequently used and very frequently used wrongly. Now click on the link below to do exercise 1. Is there an interruption at the end of the sentence? I think it’s crucial. In all actuality, I have comma fever. You might care about this, you might not.

Those are called conjunctions. And no, one does not involve putting a comma in when you naturally pause. Any bit of information unnecessary to the conversation is separated in commas.

shouldn't be there.

Either way, these comma rules are supposed to guide writing. Possibly — but can we remove the words Use a comma with those bad boys. Is it one of