THE COMMA
COMMA TRAUMA!
Use commas: To separate three or more items in a series except the last one. A series is a group of three or more items of the same kind.
Examples He is a dancer, a singer, and an actor. Clothing, books , pens, calculators, and papers were piled on the table. Children were playing behind the house, on the porch, and in the yard. The bus driver honked the horn, slammed on the brakes, and swerved sharply to the left.
Do not use a comma if all parts of the series are joined by and, or, or nor. Many children will not eat turnips or beets or spinach. All summer Sue read and swam and relaxed.
Comma To separate two independent clauses joined by and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet: (the FANBOYS) Example: Ms Knapp is stunningly beautiful, yet she is also highly intelligent!
It snowed all night, and the schools were closed the next day. Craig must leave now, or he will miss his plane.
Comma After introductory words such as yes, no, well, oh, and or to set off words of direct address. Example: Yes, I think I would like some pizza. Well, I haven’t actually finished the assignment. Mark, please stop humming that song. Would you please leave the room, Miss Martin?
Comma To separate two or more adjectives before a noun when and could be placed between the adjectives. Example: It was a dark, cold, rainy evening
Comma To separate elements in a date or an address Example: She comes from a small town in Ontario. (no comma) She comes from Millbrook, Ontario, Canada. The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066. (no comma) It was on July 15, 1066, that the Battle of Hastings changed British history.
Comma To set off a nonessential: a) adjective clause b) appositive or appositive phrase c) adjective phrase Decide what is essential or nonessential to the meaning and thus, to the grammatical structure.
A clause or phrase is essential or restrictive if it cannot be dropped without confusing the meaning or making the meaning incomplete. These are not set off by commas.
Examples: essential The car that I told you about is parked over there. ( The clause tells which car.) We need a car that can seat eight people. (The clause tells an essential characteristic of the car needed.) The woman who makes her own clothes is never shabby. (Without the clause, the sentence has no specific meaning.)
A non essential or non restrictive clause or phrase does not contain information essential to the meaning of the sentence; it presents merely added information. It can be dropped without confusing the meaning of the sentence. These are set off by commas.
Examples: nonessential Shading my eyes, I peered across the room. Tony, holding a huge cake, entered the room. The protesters, circling in front of city hall, sang freedom songs.
Examples: Adjective clauses and phrases A student who cheats only hurts himself. (essential: no comma needed) The neighbour’s dog, irritated by a cat, barked all night. (nonrestrictive phrase)
Appositives: Use commas to set off words that mean the same thing as something else in the sentence.
Stephen Leacock, a famous Canadian humourist, was a professor of economics at McGill. The phrase “a famous Canadian humourist,” means the same as Stephen Leacock because the two expressions refer to the same person; therefore, the second is set off by commas.
Appositives: Popsicles, the favourite refreshment of children between the ages of four and sixty-five, are not nutritious. The guest speaker, David Suzuki, was not amused. Brubacher, our quarterback, injured his shoulder.
Parenthetical Expressions Used to qualify a statement Some expressions used parenthetically are: of course, as a matter of fact, I believe, I hope, I think, for example, on the other hand
Examples: English class is, of course, the most interesting and useful class this year. Tom, on the other hand, does not agree. This credit is necessary, I believe, to graduate from high school.
Parenthetical Expressions These words may also be used as part of the basic sentence, and then do not require commas Example: I believe our car is over there. I hope we will arrive on time.
Transposed words, phrases, and clauses Words and phrases moved to the beginning of a sentence from their normal position are usually set of by a comma Put a comma after any word or group of words that comes before an independent clause.
Examples He is usually dressed in blue jeans. (normal order) Usually, he is dressed in blue jeans. (transposed order ) Call Serena for directions if necessary. (normal) If necessary, call Serena for directions. (transposed)
Under the rug, we found Dad’s keys Under the rug, we found Dad’s keys. (transposed phrase: phrase before an independent clause) When the sun rose, we discovered that our sleeping bags were covered with dew. (transposed clause before an independent clause)
Clarity Use commas to separate words and phrases that might be mistakenly joined in reading.
Examples: CONFUSING: Before waxing Jill swept the floor. CLEAR: Before waxing, Jill swept the floor. CONFUSING: Outside the courtyard was in chaos. CLEAR: Outside, the courtyard was in chaos.
CONFUSING: To walk a cat must withdraw its nails. CLEAR: To walk, a cat must withdraw its nails.
Learn to use the comma! Don’t get comma trauma!