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Writers' Guide>
Brief Guide to Comma Usage
(THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE AN EXHAUSTIVE ACCOUNT OF COMMA USAGE, BUT IT DOES COVER MOST MAJOR AREAS OF CONFUSION.)
WHERE COMMAS NEVER GO
n A SINGLE COMMA NEVER GOES BETWEEN A SUBJECT AND ITS VERB.
n A SINGLE COMMA NEVER GOES BETWEEN A VERB AND ITS OBJECT OR COMPLEMENT.
n A SINGLE COMMA NEVER GOES BETWEEN TWO PARTS OF A COMPOUND SUBJECT, COMPOUND VERB, OR COMPOUND OBJECT.
IN ALL OF THE ABOVE CASES, USE TWO COMMAS OR NONE AT ALL.
WHERE COMMAS DO GO — MAIN USES
n A COMMA GOES AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY DEPENDENT CLAUSE.
n A COMMA GOES AFTER ANY LONG INTRODUCTORY PHRASE OR AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY PHRASE WHEN IT IS NEEDED FOR CLARITY.
n A COMMA FOLLOWS AN INTRODUCTORY PARTICIPIAL PHRASE.
n A COMMA FOLLOWS AN INTRODUCTORY TRANSITIONAL WORD OR PHRASE.
n COMMAS GO AROUND AN INTERRUPTER (PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSION); ONE PRECEDES THE INTERRUPTER, AND ANOTHER COMES AFTER IT.
n A COMMA ORDINARILY GOES BEFORE A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION IN A COMPOUND SENTENCE (ONE CONSISTING OF TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES). NOTE: THE LINKING WORD MUST BE A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION: AND, BUT, OR, NOR, FOR, SO, YET.*
n COMMAS ORDINARILY SEPARATE ITEMS IN A SERIES.*
WHERE COMMAS GO — OTHER USES
n TWO COMMAS SET OFF THE DATE WHEN THE FULL DATE IS GIVEN: ON MARCH 8, 1995, PAYMENT IS DUE. (NO COMMA IS USED WHEN ONLY THE MONTH AND YEAR ARE GIVEN: MARCH 1995 IS THE DEADLINE.)
n TWO COMMAS SET OFF THE STATE WHEN TOWN AND STATE ARE GIVEN: THE ACME IN LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., HAS OVERPRICED MEATS.
n A COMMA ORDINARILY PRECEDES A DIRECT QUOTATION: TOM SAID, "I THINK I'LL BUY A NEW CAR." IT IS ALSO USED AT THE END OF A DIRECT QUOTATION: "I THINK I'LL BUY A NEW CAR," TOM SAID.
n COMMAS MAY OCCASIONALLY BE USED TO EMPHASIZE THE WORDS SET OFF BY THE COMMAS, TO SHOW CONTRAST, OR TO PREVENT MISREADING (I.E., TO CLARIFY).
ALMOST ALL RULES FOR COMMAS FOLLOW THE LOGIC OF THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE.
EXCEPT WHERE THE RULES STATE THAT COMMAS ARE NEVER USED, IT IS GENERALLY BETTER WHEN YOU'RE IN DOUBT TO USE A COMMA THAN TO OMIT ONE THAT IS NECESSARY FOR CLARITY.
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*NOTE: JOURNALISTS TEND TO OMIT THE COMMA BEFORE THE CONJUNCTION IN A COMPOUND SENTENCE AND IN THE SERIES. SOME AUTHORS NOW FOLLOW THAT PRACTICE; HOWEVER, MANY SOURCES ADVISE THE USE OF THESE COMMAS FOR CLARITY.
Rich Turner
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