Comma Usage

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Comma Usage

• A guide to correctly utilizing the comma in
  sentences.
• By Alfred Taylor

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Comma Usage

• The comma is the most misunderstood piece of
  punctuation in English. To master the comma,
  students must remember that comma placement is
  determined by specific rules. Comma placement is
  not determined by how the sentence sounds or what
  the sentence looks like.

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Comma Usage

• Generally, commas and semicolons are used to
  separate grammatical elements within sentences.
  A grammatical element may be a word, phrase, or a
  clause.
• Commas are often overused by inexperienced
  writers.

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Comma Usage

• Coordinating Conjunctions
• Use a comma to separate independent clauses
  joined by a coordinating conjunction.

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Comma Usage

• An independent clause contains a subject and a
  verb, and it may stand alone as a complete
  sentence.
• Examples of independent clauses are
• Spock drank a Pepsi.
• Captain Kirk had a Pizza.

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Comma Usage

• The seven coordinating conjunctions are and,
  but, or, for, nor, so, yet
• Please note the comma precedes the conjunction.
• Spock drank a Pepsi, so Kirk had a pizza.

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Comma Usage

• Spock drank a Pepsi, so I had water.
• Spock drank a Pepsi, and went home.
• Spock, and Kirk drank a Pepsi.
• Kirk, and Spock ran, and played through fields,
  and streams.

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Comma Usage

• Spock drank a Pepsi, so I had water.
• Correct
• Spock drank a Pepsi, and went home.
• Incorrect
• Spock, and Kirk drank a Pepsi.
• Incorrect
• Kirk, and Spock ran, and played through fields,
  and streams.
• Incorrect

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Comma Usage

• Introductory Elements
• Use a comma to set off introductory elements
  from the rest of the sentence.
• An introductory element can be a clause, word,
  or phrase.

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Comma Usage

• Joining an introductory phrase and a independent
  clause is called a complex sentence. The
  introductory element is often a dependent clause.
  When the dependent clause precedes the
  independent clause, use a comma. When the
  dependent clause follows the main clause, a comma
  is optional.

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Comma Usage

• The best way to spot an introductory phrase,
  clause, or word is to find the independent
  clause. Knowing the type of clause or phrase
  being separated is unimportant, since the commas
  go in the same place in all cases.

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Comma Usage

• After the spacewalk, the astronauts drank a
  glass of Pepsi. Subordinate
• Thinking about space, the student fell asleep in
  class. Present Participle
• Under the stars, the boy kissed the girl.
• Prepositional Phrase
• To be the best astronaut possible, Ken studied
  during his free time. Infinitive
• Of course, he wants to fly in space.
• Transitional Phrase

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Comma Usage

• Nonrestrictive or Nonessential Elements
• Use a comma to set apart a nonessential or
  nonrestrictive element from the rest of the
  sentence. If the phrase or clause can be removed
  from the sentence without changing the meaning of
  the sentence, then the phrase is nonessential and
  should be set apart with commas.

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Comma Usage

• Dogs over sixty-five must have their vision
  checked before driving at night.
• Missy who wont eat Alpo ate three tacos with
  hot sauce.
• Moviegoers who buy tickets before six oclock
  get in for half price.

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Comma Usage

• Dogs over sixty-five must have their vision
  checked before driving at night.
• Essential or Restrictive
• Missy, who wont eat Alpo, ate three tacos with
  hot sauce.
• Nonessential or Nonrestrictive
• Moviegoers who buy tickets before six oclock
  get in for half price.
• Essential or Restrictive

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Comma Usage

• Sometimes the nonessential or nonrestrictive
  element may come at the end of a sentence.
• A Pegasus flew over UCF, with a flowing white
  wings and a lovely pink tail.

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Comma Usage

• Titles or degrees following a name are
  nonessential or nonrestrictive elements and
  should be separated with a pair of commas.
• Alfred Taylor, MA, is your instructor.
• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is the main character
  of the play.

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Comma Usage

• An appositive is a form of nonessential element.
  An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that
  follows a noun and renames the noun or gives
  additional information about the noun.

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Comma Usage

• Missy Taylor, our neighborhood watch
  coordinator, was arrested last night for
  shoplifting.
• The Pepsi was stolen by two Starfleet officers,
  Kirk and Spock.

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Comma Usage

• Separating Items in a Series
• Items in a series may be single words or complex
  phrases. There must be three or more items in
  the series. The last item is set apart from the
  others by the word and as well as a comma. The
  final comma is not optional.

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Comma Usage

• The types of flags were red, blue, yellow and
  green.
• Without the last comma the reader isnt sure if
  there were four types of flags or three. Was the
  last one yellow and green? Or was it a yellow
  flag and a green flag. Without the last comma
  the reader wont know.

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Comma Usage

• The types of flags were red, blue, yellow, and
  green.
• With the final comma in place, it is clear that
  there were four flags, not three.

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Comma Usage

• Coordinate Adjectives
• Use a comma between two or more adjectives that
  modify the same word equally.
• She was a faithful sincere friend.
• They are dedicated medical students.

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Comma Usage

• There are two tests to determine if the
  adjectives are coordinate.
• 1) can the word and be inserted between the
  adjectives?
• 2) can the order of the adjectives be reversed?

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Comma Usage

• Test 1 And
• She was a faithful and sincere friend.
• They are dedicated and medical students.

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Comma Usage

• Test 1 And
• She was a faithful and sincere friend.
• Yes
• They are dedicated and medical students.
• NO

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Comma Usage

• Test 2 reverse order
• She was a sincere faithful friend.
• They are medical dedicated students.

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Comma Usage

• Test 2 reverse order
• She was a sincere faithful friend.
• Yes
• They are medical dedicated students.
• No

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Comma Usage

• So in this case
• She was a faithful, sincere friend.
• coordinate adjectives
• The are dedicated medical students.
• not coordinate

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Comma Usage

• Commas with Quotations
• Use a comma to separate a direct quotation from
  the clause that names the source of the
  quotation.
• Remember commas and periods go inside quotation
  marks.

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Comma Usage

• When the source or tag line comes first, the
  comma goes before the leading quotation mark.
• Jeff said, Wow thats a big dog.

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Comma Usage

• When the signal phase or tag line follows the
  quotation, then place the comma inside the
  quotation marks at the end of the quote.
• Wow thats a big dog, said Jeff.

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Comma Usage

• When the tag line interrupts the quote, place
  the commas both before and after the tag line.
• Wow, Jeff said. Thats a big dog.

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Comma Usage

• A comma is not necessary if the quotation ends
  with a question mark or an exclamation point.
• Stop that! she said.
• Who ate my basketball? he asked.

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Comma Usage

• If the quotation is long, more than four lines,
  then introduce it with a colon.

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Comma Usage

• Comma of Contradiction
• Whenever a sentence contains a contradiction,
  separate the part that contradicts from the rest
  of the sentence.
• It was David, not Goliath, who won the fight.

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Comma Usage

• In some sentences that are elliptical, a comma
  may help to avoid ambiguity however, writers are
  better off avoiding these types of sentences.
• Those who can, sprint the final lap.
• Pam carried the box. Tim, the suitcase.

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Comma Usage

• Do not use a single comma to separate a subject
  from its verb. A pair of commas may be used to
  set apart a nonessential element or an
  appositive.
• Mr. Spock, who is a vulcan, ate pie.
• Missy, did not want to eat her Alpo.

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Comma Usage

• Do not use a single comma to separate a subject
  from its verb. A pair of commas may be used to
  set apart a nonessential element or an
  appositive.
• Mr. Spock, who is a vulcan, ate pie.
• Correct
• Missy, did not want to eat her Alpo.
• Incorrect.

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Comma Usage

• Do not use a comma to separate a verb from its
  object, or a preposition from its object.
• A dog bit, my arm.
• On, the planet I drank Pepsi.

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Comma Usage

• Do not use commas to introduce an indirect quote
  or an indirect question.
• Douglas MacArthur vowed, that he would return.
• Did she rip, your heart out?

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Comma Usage

• Do not use a comma to separate a compound
  subject, verb, or object.
• Kirk, and Spock had a pizza for lunch.
• They slurped, and gulped the food.
• They also ate beans, and franks.

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Comma Usage

• These rules may all seem difficult at first, but
  a with a little practice, comma usage will become
  second nature, and commas wont be the little
  monsters that they seem to be now.
• The End