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Step 1
Put a comma after an introductory phrase.
Example: When Bob went walking through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone was watching him.
Example: Sometimes, Bob thought walking in the woods at night was crazy. -
Step 2
Put a comma at the beginning and end of parenthetical phrases (phrases that can be eliminated from the sentence and not change the main point.)
Example: When Bob went walking through the woods, which is something he had always wanted to do, he didn't realize that someone was watching him.
Example: When Bob, who was having second thoughts, went walking through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone was watching him. -
Step 3
Use a comma to separate items in a series.
Example: When Bob walked through the wood that night, he didn't realize someone was watching him, maybe even stalking him, and scaring the living bejesus out of him. -
Step 4
Use a comma between two parts of a sentence that could each stand alone if need be. When following this rule look for conjunctions such as and, but, therefore, however, etc..
Example: When Bob walked through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone was watching him, and he didn't like the idea of it.
Example: When Bob walked through the woods, he was scared, but he didn't run. -
Step 5
Use a comma to attach information to the end of your sentence.
Example: When Bob walked through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone would be watching him, too.
Example: Bob should stop walking through the woods, for real. -
Step 6
Use a comma to separate items in a list.
Example: When Bob walked through the wood that night, he brought a lantern, a knife, a lighter, a walkman, some extra food, and a basketball. -
Step 7
Use a comma to separate quoted entries.
Example: When Bob walked through the woods that night, he said aloud, "Jeez, I'm really getting tired of walking through these woods all night." -
Step 8
Use a comma for clarification. Using the steps above should take care of this, but, if it seems as if you're sentence isn't right, it's probably a comma problem.
Example: Outside, Bob paused before he walked through the woods.
This sentence, without the comma, would not be clear.
Example: Outside Bob paused before he walked through the woods. -
Step 9
Thanks, Bob. Sorry if I scared you.








