COMMA RULES

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COMMA RULES

• REVIEW Junior English

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1 - Commas in a series3 OR MORE only

• Words
• I have a dog, a bird, and a cat.
• I went to the store, gas station, and dry
  cleaner.
• Phrases
• I like to eat macaroni and cheese, peanut butter
  and jelly, and grilled cheese for lunch.
• Clauses
• The coach told the players that they should get a
  lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much,
  and that they should do some warm-up exercises
  before the game.

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2 - Commas separate adjectives

• Use commas to separate two or more adjectives
  that modify the same noun.
• She is a young, dynamic student.
• RULE If you can switch the order of the
  adjectives and it does NOT affect the sentence
  clarity, use a comma. Do not use a comma if you
  cant switch the order.
• For example He wore green tennis shoes. NO COMMA

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3 - FANBOYS

• When you use a coordinator (for, and, nor, but,
  or, yet, so) to join two independent clauses,
  ALWAYS use a comma BEFORE the coordinator.
• I love dogs, and I love cats. (2 main clauses)
• I love dogs and cats. (NO COMMA one clause)
• I hate wasting time, but I still love watching
  reality TV.

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4 - Set off introductory elementsABBI SAW A
WUWU!

• While I was eating, the cat scratched at the
  door.
• Because her alarm clock was broken, she was late
  for class.
• If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.
• When the snow stops falling, we'll shovel the
  driveway.
• HINT After ABBI SAW A WUWU
• As, because, before, if, since, after, when,
  although, whenever, until, while, unless

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More introductory elements

• Words like well, yes, no, why
• Well, I guess Ill join you for dinner.
• Yes, I do like grape jam.
• After introductory verb phrases
• Reading late into the night, I enjoyed the peace
  and quiet.
• After a longer prepositional phrase
• From the beginning of our relationship, Jamie and
  I have felt a strong connection.

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5 - Set off nonessential clauses(Parenthetical
Words)

• Nonessentials add information that is not CRUCIAL
  to the sentence. (Interrupters)
• The average world temperature, however, has
  continued to rise significantly. (nonessential
  word)
• My great uncle, who is eighty years old, walks
  three miles every day. (nonessential clause)
• Essential The woman who interviewed you is my
  sister. (clause)

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Set off participle phrases (nonessentials)

• (Participle phrases) The president, knowing the
  need for dramatic action, declared the entire
  state a disaster area.

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6 - With DIRECT quotations

• Separate direct quotes from your own writing.
• Hockey, explained Hera, is my favorite sport.

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7 Dates, Cities, and Numbers

• December 1, 2011
• 2,346,190
• 1, 245
• New York, New York
• Chicago, IL