1. Commas & the Semicolon

2. Comma Rule #1 To separate two contiguous clauses with a conjunction.
Tom went to the store, and he bought milk.

3. Comma Splice
To separate two contiguous clauses with a comma and no conjunction
Tom went to the store, he bought milk.

4. Semicolon Rule #1
To separate two contiguous clauses without a conjunction.
Tom went to the store; he bought milk.

5. Comma Rule # 2 To indicate an introductory word, phrase or clause.
First, she went to school.
After eating dinner, Passion went to go read a book.
Since Passion did not have a book, she went for a walk.
I believe that if she wanted to read, she could have found something.

6. FYI Remember, the following is a fragment:
But I have homework tonight.
Then, I said that there is a quick fix which is shown below:
But, I have homework tonight.
The introductory word “But” is still conditional, and should have been answered in a previous sentence.

7. Comma Rule #3 To indicate nonessential or nonrestrictive phrases.
Rachel, who broke her leg, had to stay in bed for a week.
Her mother, Jane, went to the store for her.

8. Comma Rule #4 To separate items in a list or series.
He bought milk, eggs, and butter.
She went to the school, the store and her job.

9. Comma Rule #5 To separate two adjectives.
He rode the old, red bicycle.
He rode the old and red bicycle.

10. Comma Rule #6
To indicate dialogue
John said, “hello.”