LESSON THREE: COMMAS
A general rule of thumb - when a pause is needed in a sentence for the
meaning to be clear, you probably need a comma. Many
people rely on this rule of thumb entirely. However, the rule of thumb method
does not always work. Here are some things to keep in mind around comma use.
The Uses of Commas
Commas are used in these 6 main ways:
♦ To separate introductory parts of sentences from the main sentence.
A comma is used after introductory words, phrases or clauses. Another way to look
at it is that commas come before the main subject of a sentence. In this way,
the comma is a sign to the reader that the main subject is coming.
Examples:
Words:
Unfortunately, our picnic was rained out.
Phrases:
Laughing to himself, he drew a cartoon.
At 6:00, the family sat down to dinner.
In conclusion, the law needs to be changed.
Clauses:
After she finished her paper, she fell into bed and slept.
If I won the lottery, I would travel. Because we had never met, we felt awkward at first
♦ To separate items in a list. Commas are used to separate
items in a list of 3 or more items.
Examples:
She invited Amanda, Amy, Nick and Claire to her party.
Strawberries, watermelon and apricots are my favorite fruits.
A student has to go to class, take notes, read textbooks and write exams.
The shift changes at midnight, eight in the morning and four in the afternoon.
Note: In these lists, a comma has not been used before the and.
However, some people prefer to use commas before the and.
For example:
She invited Amanda, Amy, Nick, and Claire to her party.
Although either with or without the comma is acceptable,
it is good to be consistent.
♦ With a coordinator (and, so, but, for, yet, or, nor) to separate two complete thoughts.
These are your FANBOYS conjunctions.
Commas are Used with Coordinators to Separate Two Complete Ideas
A comma is used before a coordinator which joins two independent clauses.
An independent clause expresses a complete thought, like a simple sentence.
The only coordinators are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.
A good way to remember these coordinators is to remember the phrase FAN BOYS.
Examples:
For They went to a fancy restaurant, for it was his birthday.
And He ordered salmon, and she ordered pasta.
Nor He didn’t have soup, nor did he order anything to drink.
But She wanted to have oysters, but the restaurant had run out of them.
Or Would you like dessert, or would you prefer to get your bill?
Yet They loved the chocolate cake, yet the pieces were too big to finish.
So The service was excellent, so they left a big tip.
Note: The comma is optional when both independent clauses are short.
Remember that commas are used only when the coordinator joins two separate
subject/verb combinations. If a sentence has one subject with two verbs, you should not use a comma.
For example, She sat down and ordered a coffee.
This does not need a comma as there is only one subject.
Similarily, if the sentence has two subjects but only one verb, no comma is used.
For example, The angry woman and her crying children left the store without any groceries.
♦ To separate words that interrupt the flow of a sentence
Commas Separate Ideas
Which Interrupt the Flow of a Sentence
When information is added to a sentence and that information interrupts the flow of ideas of the sentence,
commas are used to separate the interruption from the rest of the sentence.
Here are some examples:
♦ Julie Payette, for example, is an excellent role model for girls.
♦ Marc Garneau, on the other hand, is famous because he was Canada’s first astronaut.
♦ A salmon, its sides gleaming, struggled up the river.
♦ Nick, who struggled with grades in high school, is doing quite well in college.
To decide whether something is an interrupter, you should try taking those words
out of the sentence. If you can take them out and the meaning of the sentence is
still clear, you have an interrupter. However, if you take the words out and the meaning
is no longer clear, there is no interrupter, and you don’t need commas.
For example:
Sir Wilfred Laurier, who was a past prime minister of Canada, is pictured on our five
dollar bill. Notice that if you take out who was a past prime minister of Canada,
the meaning of the main sentence is still clear. Who was a past prime minister of
Canada is extra information, not essential to understanding the main sentence.
Even without it, we know whose picture is on the five dollar bill.
However, look at this sentence: The man who lives down the street got arrested.
Notice if you take who lives down the street out of this sentence, you don’t know
anymore who was arrested. Who lives down the street is needed to identify the man.
For this reason, who lives down the street is essential information, and no commas are used.
♦ To separate a direct quotation from the rest of a sentence.
Commas separate direct quotes from your own writing.
Examples:
She said, “Pasteur really made a difference.”
“Expect snow overnight,” predicted the TV weather reporter.
“Hockey,” explained Sam, “is my favorite winter sport.”
Commas are used when you directly quote a complete idea.
When only a word or phrase is quoted, you don’t need commas.
Example:
She described the television as an “idiot box”.
Commas are also not used when you report what someone said using indirect speech.
Example: Sam explained that hockey was his favorite winter sport.
♦ To separate components of dates, numbers and addresses.
Time:
September, 1980 January 1, 2000
Monday, June 14, 1999
4:30, December 31
6:42 a.m., July 27, 1985
Numbers: 1, 364 23,900,000
Note that commas with numbers have become optional in science and mathematics.
Place:
Paris, France
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
3652 Main Street, Vancouver
700 Royal Ave., New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2, Canada
Proofreading for Commas
The most straightforward way to proofread for commas is to read your writing out loud.
When you need to pause slightly to make the writing make sense, you probably need a comma.
However, be cautious because over-use of commas is a more common problem than under-use.
Whenever you are in doubt about whether a comma is needed, refer back to the rules in this
handout to help you make your decision.
adapted from: http://www.douglas.bc.ca/services/learning-centre/pdf/gr/GR7_10_Commas_without_exercises.pdf Time to Practice:http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/commas01.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/commas01.htm
meaning to be clear, you probably need a comma. Many
people rely on this rule of thumb entirely. However, the rule of thumb method
does not always work. Here are some things to keep in mind around comma use.
The Uses of Commas
Commas are used in these 6 main ways:
♦ To separate introductory parts of sentences from the main sentence.
A comma is used after introductory words, phrases or clauses. Another way to look
at it is that commas come before the main subject of a sentence. In this way,
the comma is a sign to the reader that the main subject is coming.
Examples:
Words:
Unfortunately, our picnic was rained out.
Phrases:
Laughing to himself, he drew a cartoon.
At 6:00, the family sat down to dinner.
In conclusion, the law needs to be changed.
Clauses:
After she finished her paper, she fell into bed and slept.
If I won the lottery, I would travel. Because we had never met, we felt awkward at first
♦ To separate items in a list. Commas are used to separate
items in a list of 3 or more items.
Examples:
She invited Amanda, Amy, Nick and Claire to her party.
Strawberries, watermelon and apricots are my favorite fruits.
A student has to go to class, take notes, read textbooks and write exams.
The shift changes at midnight, eight in the morning and four in the afternoon.
Note: In these lists, a comma has not been used before the and.
However, some people prefer to use commas before the and.
For example:
She invited Amanda, Amy, Nick, and Claire to her party.
Although either with or without the comma is acceptable,
it is good to be consistent.
♦ With a coordinator (and, so, but, for, yet, or, nor) to separate two complete thoughts.
These are your FANBOYS conjunctions.
Commas are Used with Coordinators to Separate Two Complete Ideas
A comma is used before a coordinator which joins two independent clauses.
An independent clause expresses a complete thought, like a simple sentence.
The only coordinators are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.
A good way to remember these coordinators is to remember the phrase FAN BOYS.
Examples:
For They went to a fancy restaurant, for it was his birthday.
And He ordered salmon, and she ordered pasta.
Nor He didn’t have soup, nor did he order anything to drink.
But She wanted to have oysters, but the restaurant had run out of them.
Or Would you like dessert, or would you prefer to get your bill?
Yet They loved the chocolate cake, yet the pieces were too big to finish.
So The service was excellent, so they left a big tip.
Note: The comma is optional when both independent clauses are short.
Remember that commas are used only when the coordinator joins two separate
subject/verb combinations. If a sentence has one subject with two verbs, you should not use a comma.
For example, She sat down and ordered a coffee.
This does not need a comma as there is only one subject.
Similarily, if the sentence has two subjects but only one verb, no comma is used.
For example, The angry woman and her crying children left the store without any groceries.
♦ To separate words that interrupt the flow of a sentence
Commas Separate Ideas
Which Interrupt the Flow of a Sentence
When information is added to a sentence and that information interrupts the flow of ideas of the sentence,
commas are used to separate the interruption from the rest of the sentence.
Here are some examples:
♦ Julie Payette, for example, is an excellent role model for girls.
♦ Marc Garneau, on the other hand, is famous because he was Canada’s first astronaut.
♦ A salmon, its sides gleaming, struggled up the river.
♦ Nick, who struggled with grades in high school, is doing quite well in college.
To decide whether something is an interrupter, you should try taking those words
out of the sentence. If you can take them out and the meaning of the sentence is
still clear, you have an interrupter. However, if you take the words out and the meaning
is no longer clear, there is no interrupter, and you don’t need commas.
For example:
Sir Wilfred Laurier, who was a past prime minister of Canada, is pictured on our five
dollar bill. Notice that if you take out who was a past prime minister of Canada,
the meaning of the main sentence is still clear. Who was a past prime minister of
Canada is extra information, not essential to understanding the main sentence.
Even without it, we know whose picture is on the five dollar bill.
However, look at this sentence: The man who lives down the street got arrested.
Notice if you take who lives down the street out of this sentence, you don’t know
anymore who was arrested. Who lives down the street is needed to identify the man.
For this reason, who lives down the street is essential information, and no commas are used.
♦ To separate a direct quotation from the rest of a sentence.
Commas separate direct quotes from your own writing.
Examples:
She said, “Pasteur really made a difference.”
“Expect snow overnight,” predicted the TV weather reporter.
“Hockey,” explained Sam, “is my favorite winter sport.”
Commas are used when you directly quote a complete idea.
When only a word or phrase is quoted, you don’t need commas.
Example:
She described the television as an “idiot box”.
Commas are also not used when you report what someone said using indirect speech.
Example: Sam explained that hockey was his favorite winter sport.
♦ To separate components of dates, numbers and addresses.
Time:
September, 1980 January 1, 2000
Monday, June 14, 1999
4:30, December 31
6:42 a.m., July 27, 1985
Numbers: 1, 364 23,900,000
Note that commas with numbers have become optional in science and mathematics.
Place:
Paris, France
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
3652 Main Street, Vancouver
700 Royal Ave., New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2, Canada
Proofreading for Commas
The most straightforward way to proofread for commas is to read your writing out loud.
When you need to pause slightly to make the writing make sense, you probably need a comma.
However, be cautious because over-use of commas is a more common problem than under-use.
Whenever you are in doubt about whether a comma is needed, refer back to the rules in this
handout to help you make your decision.
adapted from: http://www.douglas.bc.ca/services/learning-centre/pdf/gr/GR7_10_Commas_without_exercises.pdf Time to Practice:http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/commas01.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/hotpotatoes/commas01.htm