Download Oftentimes, avoiding unnecessary commas is simply a

Oftentimes, avoiding unnecessary commas is simply a matter of
understanding the rules of correct comma usage.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Use commas correctly in your writing by avoiding common mistakes
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Adjectives (with their adjuncts) should be set off with a comma when something depends on them,
or when they have the import of a dependent clause.
The infinitive, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or when it depends on
something remote or understood, is generally, with its adjuncts, set off by the comma.
Participles (with their adjuncts) should be set off by commas when something depends on them,
when they have the import of a dependent clause or when they relate to something understood.
When an adjective immediately follows its noun, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma
should not be used before it.
Where a finite verb is understood, a comma is generally required.
The infinitive, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or when it depends on
something remote or understood, is generally, with its adjuncts, set off by the comma.
Participles (with their adjuncts) should be set off by commas when something depends on them,
when they have the import of a dependent clause, or when they relate to something understood.
When a participle immediately follows its noun, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma
should not be used before it.
Adverbs, when they break the connection of a simple sentence, or when don't have a close
dependence on some particular word in the context, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the
comma.
Conjunctions, when they are separated from the principal clauses that depend on them, or when
they introduce examples, are generally set off by the comma.
Prepositions and their objects, when they break the connection of a simple sentence, or when they
do not closely follow the words on which they depend, are generally set off by the comma.
Interjections that require a pause, though more commonly emphatic and followed by the
ecphoneme, are sometimes set off by the comma.
A word emphatically repeated, is generally set off by the comma.
A quotation, observation, or description, when it is introduced in close dependence on a verb, (as,
say, reply, cry, or the like,) is generally separated from the rest of the sentence by the comma.
Nouns or pronouns put absolute, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma.
When more than two words or terms are connected in the same construction, or in a joint
dependence on some other term, by conjunctions expressed or understood, the comma should be
inserted after every one of them but the last; and, if they are nominatives before a verb, the
comma should follow the last also.
When only two words or terms are connected by a conjunction, they should not be separated by
the comma.
When the two words connected have several adjuncts, or when one of them has an adjunct that
relates not to both, the comma is inserted.
When two connected words or phrases are contrasted, or emphatically distinguished, the comma
is inserted.
When there is merely an alternative of names, or an explanatory change of terms, the comma is
usually inserted.
When the conjunction is understood, the comma is inserted; and, if two separated words or terms
refer alike to a third term, the second requires a second comma.
When successive words are joined in pairs by conjunctions, they should be separated in pairs by
the comma.
When several words, in their common order, are used as onecompound name, the comma is not
inserted.
When a common and a proper name are closely united, the comma is not inserted.
When a pronoun is added to an other word merely for emphasis and distinction, the comma is not
inserted.
When a name acquired by some action or relation, is put in apposition with a preceding noun or
pronoun, the comma is not inserted.
A simple sentence does not, in general, admit the comma.
When the nominative in a long simple sentence is accompanied by inseparable adjuncts, or when
several words together are used instead of a nominative, a comma should be placed immediately
before the verb.
The simple members of a compound sentence, whether successive or involved, elliptical or
complete, are generally divided by the comma.
When a relative immediately follows its antecedent, and is taken in a restrictive sense, the comma
should not be introduced before it.
When the simple members are short, and closely connected by a conjunction or a conjunctive
adverb, the comma is generally omitted.
When two simple members are immediately united, through ellipsis of the relative, the
antecedent, or the conjunction that, the comma is not inserted.
TERMS [ edit ]
preposition
Any of a closed class of non­inflecting words typically employed to connect a noun or a pronoun,
in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun
(in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
participle
A form of a verb that may function as an adjective or noun. English has two types of participles:
the present participle and the past participle.
comma
Punctuation mark, usually indicating a pause between parts of a sentence or between elements in
a list.
EXAMPLES [ edit ]
— Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will save you thirty
percent of the membership cost.— Correct: Registering for our fitness programs before
September 15 will save you thirty percent of the membership cost.
— Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will save you thirty
percent of the membership cost.
— Correct: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15 will save you thirty percent
of the membership cost.
Rule: Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its predicate.
— Incorrect: I hope to mail to you before Christmas, a current snapshot of my dog Benji.
— Correct: I hope to mail to you before Christmas a current snapshot of my dog Benji.
Rule: Do not use a comma to separate a verb from its object or its subject complement, or a
preposition from its object.
— Incorrect: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof but, the family was used to the noise and paid it no
attention.
— Correct: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof, but the family was used to the noise and paid it no
attention.
Rule: Do not misuse a comma after a coordinating conjunction.
— Incorrect: The fingers, on his left hand, are bigger than those on his right.
— Correct: The fingers on his left hand are bigger than those on his right.
Rule: Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements.
— Incorrect: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain, due to rising production costs and
the increasing popularity of online news sources.
— Correct: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain due to rising production costs and
the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Rule: Do not use a comma before a dependent clause that comes after an independent clause. This
is called a disruptive comma.
— Correct: Before the parade I want to eat pizza.
Rule: Do not use a comma after a short introductory prepositional phrase unless you mean to add
extra emphasis.
— Incorrect: I like your dancing, cat t­shirt.
— Correct: I like your dancing cat t­shirt.
Rule: Do not use a comma between adjectives that work together to modify a noun.
— Correct: Participating in a democracy takes a strong stomach because "it requires a certain
relish for confusion," writes Molly Ivins.
Rule: Do not use a comma to set off quotations that occupy a subordinate position in a sentence,
often signaled by the words that, which, or because.
— Correct: The next presidential election will take place in November 2008.
Rule: Do not use a comma when naming only a month and a year.
— Correct: Write to the program advisor at 645 5th Street, Minerton, Indiana 55555.
Rule: Do not use a comma in street addresses or page numbers, or before a ZIP or other postal
code.
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [ edit ]
Avoiding Unnecessary Commas
Oftentimes, avoiding unnecessary commas is simply a matter of understanding the rules of
correct comma usage. By knowing when to use commas, you'll also know when not to use
them.
Still, it's never a bad idea to keep a few rules of thumb in mind:
Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its predicate. For example:
Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will save you thirty
percent of the membership cost.
Correct: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15 will save you thirty
percent of the membership cost.
Do not use a comma to separate a verb from its object or its subject complement, or
a preposition from its object. For example:
Incorrect: I hope to mail to you before Christmas, a current snapshot of my dog Benji.
Incorrect: She traveled around the world with, a small backpack, a bedroll, a pup tent
and a camera.
Correct: I hope to mail to you before Christmas a current snapshot of my dog Benji.
Correct: She traveled around the world with a small backpack, a bedroll, a pup tent and a
camera.
Do not misuse a comma after a coordinating conjunction. For example:
Incorrect: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof but, the family was used to the noise and paid
it no attention.
Correct: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof, but the family was used to the noise and paid it
no attention.
Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements. For example:
Incorrect: The fingers, on his left hand, are bigger than those on his right.
Correct: The fingers on his left hand are bigger than those on his right.
Do not use a comma before a dependent clause that comes after an independent clause. This
is called a disruptive comma. For example:
Incorrect: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain, due to rising production
costs and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Incorrect: Some argue that print newspapers will never disappear, because of their many
readers.
Correct: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain due to rising production costs
and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Correct: Some argue that print newspapers will never disappear because of their many
readers.
Do not use a comma after a short introductory prepositional phrase unless you mean to add
extra emphasis. For example:
Correct: Before the parade I want to eat pizza.
Do not use a comma between adjectives that work together to modify a noun. For example:
Incorrect: I like your dancing, cat t­shirt.
Correct: I like your dancing cat t­shirt.
Do not use a comma to set off quotations that occupy a subordinate position in a sentence,
often signaled by the words "that," "which" or "because. " For example:
Correct: Participating in a democracy takes a strong stomach because "it requires a
certain relish for confusion," writes Molly Ivins.
Do not use a comma when naming only a month and a year. For example:
Correct: The next presidential election will take place in November 2008.
Do not use a comma in street addresses or page numbers, or before a ZIP or other postal
code. For example:
Correct: The table appears on page 1397.
Correct: The fire occurred at 5509 Avenida Valencia.
Correct: Write to the program advisor at 645 5th Street, Minerton, Indiana 55555.