Should I use a comma before and after vocative? Do you need a comma to separate the day from the month, and the date from the year? Do you need a comma before or after "too"? When should I use a comma to separate numbers? Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before "then"? Should I use a comma after an introductory adverb like "apparently"?
Should I use a comma after a time phrase such as "in the meantime"? How should I use a comma with a subordinate clause? Should you use a comma before "whereas" and "although"? Should you use a comma before "while"? Should you have a comma before "because"? Should I use a comma before "for"? Should I use a comma before "since"? Should I use a comma between two adjectives? Should I use a comma with a participle or gerund phrase? When should a comma be used in a sentence? Should I use comma before "which", "where", and "who"?
Follow us. Share with Friends. Subscriber Account active since. In fact, precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. When followed, they lay the groundwork for clear written communication. We've compiled a list of all the times when you'll need the mighty comma — and we wrote sentences about ducks to show you their proper use:.
Rebecca Aydin and Christina Sterbenz contributed to a previous version of this post. An independent clause is a unit of grammatical organization that includes both a subject and verb and can stand on its own as a sentence.
In the previous example, "I went running" and "I saw a duck" are both independent clauses, and "and" is the coordinating conjunction that connects them. Consequently, we insert a comma. If we were to eliminate the second "I" from that example, the second clause would lack a subject, making it not a clause at all. In that case, it would no longer need a comma: "I went running and saw a duck.
A dependent clause is a grammatical unit that contains both subject and verb but cannot stand on its own, like "When I went running Commas always follow these clauses at the start of a sentence. If a dependent clause ends the sentence, however, it no longer requires a comma.
Only use a comma to separate a dependent clause at the end of a sentence for added emphasis, usually when negation occurs. Appositives act as synonyms for a juxtaposed word or phrase. In the above example — "While running, I saw a mallard, a kind of duck" — "A kind of duck" is the appositive, which gives more information about "a mallard.
If the appositive occurs in the middle of the sentence, both sides of the phrase need a comma. As in: "A mallard, a kind of duck, attacked me. Don't let the length of an appositive scare you.
As long as the phrase somehow gives more information about its predecessor, you usually need a comma. There's one exception to this rule.
Don't offset a phrase that gives necessary information to the sentence. Usually, commas surround a non-essential clause or phrase. For example, "The duck that attacked me scared my friend" doesn't require any commas. Even though the phrase "that attacked me" describes "the duck," it provides essential information to the sentence.
Otherwise, no one would know why the duck scared your friend. Well, perhaps he meant no harm. Yes, the package should arrive tomorrow morning.
However, you may not be satisfied with the results. The book that I borrowed from you is excellent. The apples that fell out of the basket are bruised. She believes that she will be able to earn an A. He is dreaming that he can fly. I contend that it was wrong to mislead her. They wished that warm weather would finally arrive. Students who cheat only harm themselves. The baby wearing a yellow jumpsuit is my niece. The candidate who had the least money lost the election. Fred , who often cheats, is just harming himself.
Tom , the captain of the team, was injured in the game. It is up to you, Jane, to finish. She was, however, too tired to make the trip. Two hundred dollars , I think, is sufficient. He was a difficult , stubborn child.
Your cousin has an easy , happy smile. He was merely ignorant , not stupid. The chimpanzee seemed reflective , almost human. You're one of the senator's close friends , aren't you? The speaker seemed innocent , even gullible. I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein.
The sentence above will almost certainly cause readers to do a double take. To put it another way, the writer seems to be saying that her parents are Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen, and Albert Einstein. Mary said, she likes chocolate.
Mary said she likes chocolate. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually introduced by which or who and should be set off by commas. My wife, whom I love dearly, is a brilliant physicist. A restrictive clause adds necessary information about something you have mentioned in a sentence. Restrictive clauses are often introduced by that or who and should never be set off by commas.
The cafe, that Chester recommended, is a fantastic restaurant. The cafe that Chester recommended is a fantastic restaurant. If you removed it, there would be no way to tell which restaurant you were talking about. Typically, commas are unnecessary with correlative conjunctions. Either the blue shirt, or the red sweater will look good with your jeans. Either the blue shirt or the red sweater will look good with your jeans.
You can wear a pashmina not only for warmth, but also for fashion. You can wear a pashmina not only for warmth but also for fashion. Attributive tags can come before, after, or even in the middle of a quote. Use commas to separate attributive tags from quotations. In American English, commas always go before closing quotation marks.
In British English, however, unquoted punctuation typically follows the quotation marks. If you are writing for a British audience, put the comma after the closing quotation mark.
Furthermore, British English tends to use single quotes rather than double quotation marks. Parentheses are used to give additional information to the reader—information that would disrupt the flow of the sentence if written as a nonrestrictive clause. Commas may be placed after the closing parenthesis but not before either the opening or the closing parenthesis. If the sentence would not require any commas if the parenthetical statement were removed, the sentence should not have any commas when the parentheses are added.
After opening the new cookie tin, Chester had a hard time replacing the lid. After opening the new cookie tin and eating several of the cookies , Chester had a hard time replacing the lid. After opening the new cookie tin, and eating several of the cookies , Chester had a hard time replacing the lid. After opening the new cookie tin and eating several of the cookies, Chester had a hard time replacing the lid. The company managers accidentally scheduled the, weekly meeting for Saturday.
A, bouquet of flowers may be created using more than one type of flower. The company managers accidentally scheduled the weekly meeting for Saturday. A bouquet of flowers may be created using more than one type of flower. When speaking, we often pause while we think of the next word we want to say. Please proofread for grammatical mistakes as well as spelling. Spelling mistakes, as well as grammatical errors, are distracting to readers. Coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce, do not drop their needles in the winter.
Trees such as pine and spruce do not drop their needles in the winter. I like bananas too.
0コメント