1. The Comma

2. *Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction
*And, But, Or, Nor, For, So, Yet
*Ex. Robert Frost never finished college, but he became a celebrated poet.

3. *Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series
*Ex. The evenings were cool, calm, and cloudless
*Ex. The lights dimmed, the conductor came to the podium, and the band began to play.

4. *The paired nouns are set off from other nouns or groups of nouns in a series, however.
*Ex. The menu at the Italian restaurant included spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and sausage, baked ziti, and veal and peppers.

5. *Place a comma between coordinate adjectives that precede a noun
*Ex. A tall, hungry, angry bear stood on the trail.
*Ex. The weather forecast calls for a hot, dry summer.

6. * Use commas to set off participles, infinitives, and their phrases if they are not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
*Ex. The audience, having risen, applauded wildly.
*Ex. I remained seated, waiting for the applause to end.

7. * Use commas to set off a nonessential adjective clause.
*Ex. Castroville, which is a city in northern California, is the artichoke capital of the world.
* Use commas to set off Interjections, parenthetical expressions, and conjunctive adverbs.
*Ex. Well, I do plan to visit Jamaica in July.
*Ex. Europe, on the other hand, is one place I will not be going.