Commas
Commas
- Use commas to separate items in a series.
- We like apples, oranges, bananas, and strawberries.
- We drove to zoo, saw many animals, and bought souvenirs.
- Do not separate items that are used as pairs.
- We had hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and Coke for dinner.
- Use commas to separate two or more adjectives before a noun. If you can use the word “and” between the words and reverse the order of the words without the sentence sounding odd, use commas.
- Montresor leads Fortunato to the dark, cold vaults (cold, dark vaults works)
- Brian is an honest, warm person. (Brian is a warm, honest person also works.)
- He bought her an expensive diamond necklace. (He bought her a diamond, expensive necklace does not work).
- Use commas before and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet (FANBOYS) when they join two independent clauses (phrase that could stand alone as a sentence).
- We wanted to go fishing, but the pond was frozen.
- She had to get her hair cut, so she drove downtown.
- A good money manager controls expenses and invests surplus dollars. (Invests surplus dollars is not a complete thought, so a comma is not used.)
- I fed the dog and put it out for the night.
- Use commas to set off nonessential (unimportant) clauses and phrases. Do not use commas for essential clauses.
- Our YMCA, which was built in the 1950’s, is undergoing remodeling and repairs.
- My brother attends Warm Springs Middle School, which has an enrollment of 541.
- I spoke with Marilyn Greer, who manages the bank.
- For camp the children needed clothes that were washable.
- For camp the children needed sturdy shoes, which were expensive.
- The woman with the red flower is my mother.
- Use commas after introductory elements.
- Oops, I dropped the ketchup.
- Yes, I’ve seen that movie.
- Well, she should have asked her parents first.
- Having read the book Cold Mountain, we went to see the movie.
- Until he meets Juliet, Romeo is madly in love with Rosaline.
- Because she was late, she had to get a tardy note.
- While you were sleeping, I went to the store.
- Angered by her brother’s remarks, she stormed out of the room.
- Use commas to set off elements that interrupt a sentence or contrasting elements.
- Dr. Ganderbai, in fact, worked very hard.
- The storm, the worst this winter, raged for days.
- Linda, pass me the salt.
- I’ve heard, Clara, that dentists make a large salary.
- He was not angry, on the contrary, he was quite nice.
- Human beings, unlike oysters, frequently reveal their emotions.
- However, in many Eastern cultures the snake is revered.
- Hindus, for examples, have deep respect for the snake.
- Alfred Hitchcock, the well-known director, died in 1980.
- The climax of this movie, a scene at a carousel, thrills audiences.
- Use commas for dates, addresses, salutations, and abbreviations.
- On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke before a crowd of a quarter of a million people in Washington, D.C.
- Dear Al,
- Sincerely,
- Hunter applied for the job on Wednesday, June 12th, 1996 but turned it down on June 14th because it paid only minimum wage.
- The letter from Trinity was in a purple envelope.
- The letter from Springfield, Illinois, was dated December 2nd, 1998.
- Our address is 25 Peralta Road, Oakland, CA 94611 (Commas are not placed between the state and zip code.
Chomp Chomp Online Comma Practice
from Spriggs