C OMMA U SAGE

C OMMAS Students have trouble identifying where to put commas: they either put in too many or they don’t put in enough. Some essays look as though the student loaded a shotgun with commas and blasted away. There are several rules to using commas that will make you a better writer. We won’t learn all of the rules today—just the most common. The GED writing test has a section on comma usage.

C OMMAS A comma is a guide for readers. It tells when to pause in a sentence or which elements in a sentence need to be separated in a meaningful way.

R EVIEW We already know some of the rules. For instance, compound sentences, those with a fanboy separating independent clauses, need commas. Let’s look at some others.

R ULE 1: I TEMS IN A SERIES Use a comma to separate items in a series—a list of three or more. The items in the series may be words or phrases. When there are only two items, do not use a comma. When three or more items are all separated by the conjunction and or or, do not use commas.

E XAMPLE People eat turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving day. After eating, people watch football, eat dessert, and talk with their families. I want pumpkin pie and a coffee. I would like to bring a dessert and a salad and juice.

R ULE 2: C OMPOUND SENTENCES Use a comma between the clauses in a compound sentence. Remember that a compound sentence contains two or more complete thoughts, called independent clauses, joined by a coordinating conjunction: and, but, or, for, nor, so, or yet. Do not use a comma to separate two subjects in a compound subject or two verbs in a compound predicate.

E XAMPLE I cooked on Thanksgiving, so you should wash the dishes. Mary and Jim brought dessert. Jim cooked and cleaned.

R ULE 3: I NTRODUCTORY ELEMENTS Use a comma to separate introductory elements—words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence—from the rest of the sentence.

E XAMPLE As a result of overeating, I fell asleep. No, I did not eat too much. Quickly, I ran across the room and answered the phone.

R ULE 4: D EPENDENT CLAUSES Use a comma after a dependent clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence. Remember that a dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but is not a complete thought and cannot stand alone. It begins with a subordinating conjunction such as before, if, when, after, or even though.

E XAMPLE After I eat dinner, I am going to watch football. If you like eating Thanksgiving dinner so much, maybe you should help cook! When I go to my family’s house, we always end up arguing.

R ULE 5: A PPOSITIVES Use commas to separate a nonessential appositive from the rest of the sentence. An appositive is a noun phrase that further explains or describes another noun or pronoun.

E XAMPLES Ron, my brother-in-law, is Jewish and does not eat pork. Pork, the other white meat, is delicious. Math, my least favorite subject, is difficult for me to understand.

R ULE 6: PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS Use commas to set off parenthetical expressions. A parenthetical expression is a word or phrase that adds nothing essential to the meaning of a sentence. Many parenthetical expressions are transitions. Some common parenthetical expressions are for example, incidentally, of course, however, and on the one hand.

E XAMPLES Of course, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. On the one hand, you get to eat good food. On the other hand, I find American football to be boring. Incidentally, all of my favorite holidays involve cooking and eating.