Commas help organize
sentences. They have 3 main purposes:
·
Separating
·
Enclosing
·
Introducing
Separating
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Independent Clauses
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses. For example:
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses. For example:
1. I like hockey.
2. I do not like baseball.
·
I
like hockey, but I do not like baseball.
Use one of the
following conjunctions after the comma: for,
and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Here are some more
examples:
·
Jason spent fifteen
minutes doing his homework, but it felt like an hour.
·
I hadn't gone to class
for most of the year, so I failed my exam.
With So?
"So" can be
confusing when deciding to use a comma or not.
Sometimes it follows a comma and other times it does not. Here is the rule:
When you would like to
say "so that", don't use a comma.
·
Please
complete the evaluation by Friday so (that) we can send it to the client.
·
I
gave her money so she could buy the shoes.
When you would like to
use "so" as a word similar to "therefore", you should
include a comma.
·
It
is cold today, so we will not go to the park.
·
She
works until 5 pm, so she will not be able to attend the conference.
Lists
Commas separate items in a list.
·
I need bread, milk, eggs, and cheese.
·
The company has
offices in Paris , Barcelona , and Madrid
Two Adjectives
Commas separate two adjectives before a noun.
Commas separate two adjectives before a noun.
·
I bought a new, red car.
·
The big, black dog is barking.
Dates
Commas separate similar items in a date. They are used between two numbers or two words.
Commas separate similar items in a date. They are used between two numbers or two words.
·
December 12,
2006
·
Monday, July 4
·
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
If the date is in the
middle of a sentence, a comma goes after.
·
He arrived on July 25, ready to begin.
Place Names
Commas separate two place names, including the following:
Commas separate two place names, including the following:
·
City, Country
·
City, Province/State/Region
·
City, State, Country
Los
Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Numbers
Commas separate numbers in groups of 3.
·
563,500
·
4,546,789
Enclosing
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Non-Defining Relative
Clauses
Commas separate a non-defining relative clause from the rest of the sentence. This is used to add extra information.
Commas separate a non-defining relative clause from the rest of the sentence. This is used to add extra information.
·
The man, who had never
been to Paris
·
Ricky's Pizza, which
is my favourite restaurant, is always open late on Sundays.
To determine if you have a non-defining relative
clause, check if you can read the first and last section as one sentence. Take a look at the example below:
·
Jeremy, who usually
worked on Monday, was not available on Tuesday.
·
Jeremy was not
available on Tuesday.
Introductory Words or Phrases
Use a comma after an introductory phrase including transitional words, times, and dependent clauses.
1. Transitional
Words
·
However, her bank had
been closed for over a year.
·
Furthermore, the form
must be signed.
2. Times
·
On Monday, we will
meet earlier than usual.
·
The last time we had a
meeting, John did not attend.
·
In 1978, the
government changed the policy.
3. Dependent
Clauses
·
Although Monday is a
holiday, our call centre is still open.
·
If you need any
assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.
Common Words
Starting Dependent Clauses
(Dependent
Clause Markers)
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After
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Although
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As
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Before
|
Considering
|
Despite
|
If
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Since
|
Unless
|
Until
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When
|
Whenever
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Commas are NOT used when the sentence is reversed and the clause
or phrase is second.
·
We faxed the document on Thursday.
·
Please do not hesitate to ask if you need any
assistance.
·
We are unable to send the package until you send us
your address.
Titles
A person’s title is separated with a comma. This includes titles at the end of a sentence
and in the middle.
·
I would like to
welcome Robert Palmer, Executive
Director, to our office.
·
Please forward all
inquiries to Gina Davies, Accounts
Manager.
Addressing People
Use a comma to directly address someone:
·
Lisa, please call the
customer to apologize.
·
Mike, could you send
the file tomorrow?
Introducing
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Quotations
Commas introduce quotations.
·
Fred said, “The fire
was caused by old newspapers.”
·
“The fire was caused
by the newspapers,” said Fred.
Letter
Salutations and Complimentary Closings
Use a comma after an informal greeting in an
email or letter.
·
Hello Diane,
·
Hi Jeremy,
Use a comma after all complimentary letter
closings.
·
Sincerely,
·
Regards,
·
Take care,
Comma Mistakes
The following are common mistakes made with
commas:
Do
not use a comma to separate two independent ideas. This is called a "comma splice".
·
The weather next week
should be warm, it will be a good time to go to the park.
·
The only person I met
was James, he was kind and helpful.
Do not separate a subject and verb with a comma.
·
The human resources
and accounting managers, are
considering requesting a meeting with the CEO.
·
Jessica and Linda,
work at the main office.
Do not separate a predicate verb phrase with a
comma. If it is two actions, it does not
need a comma.
·
The receptionist
received the phone call, and booked
the appointment.
·
He will call the
company, and request a refund.
Do not separate compound objects or subjects.
·
The most recent
quarterly report, and last year’s
report for the same quarter are saved on the disk I gave you yesterday.
·
David's manager, and
Rachel's manager have an office on the same floor.
Do not use commas before dependent clauses
·
The initial meeting
was cancelled, because most of the
team members were on vacation.
·
Please call me, if you
have any questions.
Do not enclose restrictive words.
·
My friend, Paul, plays
guitar.
Commas Test
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Add commas to the list.
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Add
commas to the following sentences.
1. I
will bring glasses plates and ice.
2. Last
year the company hired two new employees.
3. If
it rains tomorrow I will not go to the beach.
4. I
would like to welcome Owen Flack Director of Sales to our new
office.
5. He
moved to
6. He
has lived in
7. Although
he has not seen the movie he understands the
story.
8. The
large black van was parked outside.
9. If
you need any help do not hesitate to ask.
10. She
fixed the photocopier on Friday and it has worked well
since
then.
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Add
or remove commas to correct the sentences.
Some sentences are already correct.
1. Although
he had never worked in this office he felt
comfortable on his first day.
2. Kimberly
Clarkson, CEO, met with all department managers.
3. The
document was misplaced last week so Jacob is re-
writing
it today.
4. The
staff holiday party is scheduled for Tuesday December,
15,
2011.
5. The
company’s new office will hopefully attract more
foreign
investment, because it is located in
6. You
are prohibited from wearing jeans or shorts in the
office;
however you are able to wear jeans on the last
Friday
of each month.
7. Brian
Jessica and Raymond will answer the phones this
week.
8. My
co-worker sent me the file, and emailed the new client.
9. If
you have any questions please let me know.
10. Please
feel free to contact me, if you have any concerns
regarding
the package I sent you.
11. Please
send the email to human resources, accounting, IT,
and
production.
12. The
newest staff member in the quality control department, has
only worked in this office since last week.
13. Her
executive assistant usually files all documents, she does not
record them electronically.
14. Lisa
is able to work on Friday afternoon, but she is unable to work Saturday morning.
15. While
listening to the speaker Tom was using his Blackberry constantly.
16. She
was listening to the presentation while texting her son
on
her Blackberry.
17. He
was prepared for the meeting, although he was late.
18. Since
starting the new project Rebecca has been working
late
every day.
19. As
well she would like to take next Tuesday off.
20. On
the first day of employment new employees are required to
meet with Cheryl Jones Human Resources Manager.
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