How to Use a Comma Correctly
The comma is a common punctuation mark that indicates a pause or a separation of ideas or concepts within a sentence. Used correctly, the comma will help ensure clarity in your writing. Be aware, however, that the rules for comma usage can vary somewhat depending on what style guide you are using in school or college, or in your profession.
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Instructions
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Put a comma after an introductory phrase. For example, you might write, "When Bob went walking through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone was watching him." Here the comma comes after "night."
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Put a comma at the beginning and end of parenthetical phrases. Such clauses can be eliminated from the sentence and not change the sentence's main point. For example, you might write, "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." The clause "which is something he had always wanted to do" is set off with commas.
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Use a comma to separate items in a series. For example, you would write, "The band consisted of the brass, woodwind and percussion sections." Here no comma is placed before the "and" in this series, but some style guides may require a comma before "and" or "or."
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Use a comma between two independent clauses of a sentence. An independent clause represents a complete thought, with a subject-verb combination. When following this rule, look for conjunctions such as "and," "but" and "yet." For example, you might write, "Ruth took the train only to Santa Barbara, but Dave stayed on board until the train reached San Luis Obispo." You may omit the comma if the two independent phrases are very short.
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Use a comma to attach information to the end of your sentence. For example, you might write, "When Bob walked through the woods that night, he didn't realize someone would be watching him, too."
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Use a comma to separate cities and states. For instance, you would write, "Bob lived in Santa Barbara, California, for five years." You should also separate dates with commas, as in "The Feb. 20, 1959, earthquake ..."
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Use a comma to separate quoted entries. For example, you might write, "When Bob walked through the woods that night, he said aloud, 'I'm really getting tired of walking through these woods.' "
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Use a comma for clarification. For example, you would write, "Outside, the porch remained full of mourners." Without the comma after "outside," the meaning might not be clear.
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Tips & Warnings
Commas usually come at the point in sentence when the reader would pause if he were speaking aloud.
Beware of overusing commas.
References
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