The comma appears to be a harmless little fellow, but don't let
appearances deceive you. Sure, the little guy never shouts, never
declares, never questions, never even finishes a sentence, but that
doesn't mean he holds no power. In fact, he is the hardest working of
all the punctuation marks—the
only one often appearing more than once in a single sentence. He holds
the power to change the meaning of a sentence and to disrupt the flow
of prose. Therefore, isn't it time to give the little guy his due and
quit misunderstanding him? Here's his M.O.:
Use
a comma to separate the clauses of a compound sentence connected by a
coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so and yet).
The comma is placed before the coordinating conjunction, not
after. Example:
The students ate spaghetti for dinner, but
they had no dessert.
However,
do not use a comma before and, but, or and nor
when they link pairs of words, phrases or elements other than main
clauses. Example:
The
trick here is to recognize whether the conjunction separates a main
clause (or major thought), or if it simply links pairs of words or
phrases. Writers may omit the comma in short compound sentences when
the connection between the clauses is close, but it is required when
linking the elements of a compound sentence. If the sentence is clearly
understandable without the comma, it's probably okay to omit it, too.
Here's an example:
Use
the comma to separate two or more adjectives modifying the same noun if
and could be used between them without changing the
meaning. Example:
Janine pushed her long, straight hair out of
her eyes.
However,
do not use a comma between unequal adjectives or when an adjective
modifies another adjective (instead of the noun):
The
comma also separates the items in a list or a series. Example:
Jasmine visited the park, the museum, the
court house, and the historical hotel on the last day of her vacation.
Note
that the comma before the last item in the series (the one directly
before and) is optional. Also, note that no comma appears
before the first element in the list (the park), nor after the last
element in the list (the historical hotel).
The
comma is used in setting off transitional expressions (however,
regardless, of course and so on) from the rest of the sentence.
Examples:
The weight of the ball, however, was greater
than the strength of the boy.
Of course, we could have eaten after they
arrived.
Use
the comma with introductory elements:
No, he didn't wear a hat.
When the bell rings, the students race through
the halls.
A
comma sets off long phrases that precede a principal clause:
Before we could call Great Aunt Mary, we had
to locate her phone number.
The
comma sets off words or phrases that rename nouns. Examples:
John, my oldest cousin, loves to garden.
However,
do not use a comma if the added information is essential to the meaning
of the sentence, such as:
The song "Unchained Melody" melts my heart.
People who dream in color are thought to be
clairvoyant.
The
test is whether the sentence makes sense if the renamed noun is removed
from the sentence.
A
comma can indicate the omission of a word or words:
To err is human; to forgive, divine.
Use
a comma to set off a word of direct address:
Thank
you, Wilma, for teaching me about commas.
A
comma is used to set off a quotation from a dialogue tag. Examples:
He said, "I didn't do it."
"I don't believe it," Jason replied, "but
maybe if you prove it, I will."
A
comma sets off a tag question from the rest of the sentence:
I didn't see it there, did you?
You
can also use a comma to set off any sentence element that might be
misunderstood if the comma were not used, such as:
To me, Millie would always be my best friend.
And
finally, use a comma to set off a city from a state, the year from a
full date, a series of four or more numbers, and to set off titles and
degrees from surnames and from the rest of a sentence:
My children were born in Winneconne, Wisconsin.
My oldest daughter was born on November 21,
1986.
I wish my husband made $625,000 a year.
My husband's full name is Sherden C. Tritt,
Jr., although he goes by "Butch."
As
you can see, the innocuous little fellow known as the comma can be
quite cantankerous. Study this little guy—once
you've mastered him,
you've accomplished a great feat.
