The Complete Guide to Writing in English

Punctuation Commas

This section is devoted to commas and I cannot express enough how vital using a comma properly is to making your work clear, easy to read and professional looking. Using a comma correctly can save you from the horror of the run-on sentence and can make a big difference in making sure your reader knows who is doing what to whom and why. One little comma can change the entire meaning of your work so it is vital that you put them in the right place so that your sentence means exactly what you want it to.

The rules in this section talk a lot about clauses. Before you freak out and scream at me that this won't help you because you don't know what clauses are, relax. A clause is nothing more than a piece of a sentence. Yep, that's it. Sometimes a clause is a short one that could be a sentence by itself; that would make it an independent clause. Sometimes a clause is just a short description that clarifies something in another part of the sentence. Whichever it is, it's not a problem, read the examples and you will see where to put commas to make your writing correct.

Again, the rules are in regular type and the examples are in italics.

 

Commas (,)

Commas are used to separate things. It is the point in your writing where, if you were reading aloud, you would stop for a moment or take a breath.

Commas separate things in lists.

I love to read, hike, and take pictures.

I love to read, hike and take pictures.

Both of the above examples are correct. The first example uses what is known as a serial (or Oxford) comma, which is a comma used in a list before the final conjunction. This style is used when one would like to avoid ambiguity.

I received a call from the girls, Maria and Julia. (Was the call from two girls named Maria and Julia?)

I received a call from the girls, Maria, and Julia. (The call clearly came from the girls and Maria and Julia.)

Commas separate lists of adjectives before a noun.

His long, shiny, dark hair flowed over his broad shoulders.

Commas separate clauses in sentences.

A comma is used to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause if the dependent clause comes first.

After I ate lunch, I went to the cinema. (compare: I went to the cinema after I ate lunch.)

A relative clause takes a comma only if it is non-restrictive.

I threw away the dishes, which were chipped.

The above example says that the subject threw away all of the dishes and they were all chipped. If the writer had wanted to say that the subject had thrown away only the dishes that were chipped then there should be no comma.

I threw away the dishes which were chipped.

It is more commonly preferred to use the word that in the above instance to make the meaning clear.

I threw away the dishes that were chipped.

Two independent clauses joined by a conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or yet, so) may have a comma or not depending on whether the author chooses to put one or not. One may be used to keep within the preferred style of the author or to make the meaning clear. It is usually left out in very short sentences.