Download Haunted by Commas

Haunted by Commas?
I.
COMMAS AND CLAUSES
A clause has a subject and a verb (and usually an object). It can stand on its own as a
complete sentence.
Example:
Subject
Verb
Object
I
love
you.
There are three options when dealing with two related independent clauses:
1. Use a comma and a conjunction
Jane went to the store, and her husband Joe stayed at home with the baby.
2. Use a semicolon
Jane went to the store; her husband Joe stayed at home with the baby.
3. Make two separate sentences
Jane went to the store. Her husband Joe stayed at home with the baby.
A comma is not strong enough to join two independent clauses: Comma Splice!
Incorrect: Jane went to the store, her husband Joe stayed at home with the baby.
A comma follows a subordinate clause that comes before an independent clause.
Subordinators are words such as these:
If
When
As soon as
Unless
Before
Until
As long as
As if
Since
Till
As much as
Whenever
After
Ever since
Even as
Although
Though
Because
Whether or not
As
While
Whether
Even though
Example: If you want it, you can have it.
If the subordinate clause comes second in the sentence, it is not necessary to put a
comma between the two clauses, although some people still do.
Examples: You can have it if you want it. You can have it, if you want it.
II.
COMMAS AND PHRASES
A comma should follow most introductory phrases.
In dealing with short phrases of fewer than five words, the comma may be omitted if
the meaning of the sentence remains clear.
Examples:
Clear: In the end she decided to buy the book.
Unclear: By the tree house plants grew in the garden.
There are three basic types of introductory elements:
1. Adverbials:
—Words such as however, in conclusion, first, last, hitherto, thus, etc.
—Anything having to do with time
—Anything ending in –ly
2. Prepositional phrases:
—Words such as in, at, for, from, with, over, under, before, behind, after, etc.
3. Participle and gerund phrases:
—Participles are verbs ending in –ed or –ing that function as adjectives.
Use a comma if the participle phrase modifies the subject of the sentence.
Example: Walking down the street, I saw a motorcycle accident.
Example: Embarrassed by my accent, I stopped talking.
— Gerunds are verbs ending in –ing that are functioning as nouns.
Do not use a comma after a gerund phrase; it serves as the subject of the
sentence.
Example: Walking to class is good for your health.
III. COMMAS FOR LISTS, CITIES, AND DATES
Put commas in lists of three or more items:
Eggs, butter, and milk
Put commas between cities and states, between states and countries, and after such
locations in the middle of sentences:
I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, during spring break.
Put commas between month and year and after the year in the middle of sentences:
The August 30, 2005, class will have to be cancelled.
IV.
COMMAS AND NON-ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
When including non-essential descriptive or explanatory information, set the
information off with commas on both sides.
Example: Joe, my brother, is in the Marines.
Be careful with which / who clauses. Use commas around non-essential which / who
clauses that come after the subject and before the verb.
Example: My mother, who loves to cook, once traveled to Japan to find a recipe.
Do not use commas around which / who clauses if they are necessary to determine
the identity of the subject of the sentence.
Example: The old woman who lived in the shoe had more money than the old
woman who bought a fat pig.