COMMA USAGE

Online Writing Center

Darton State College

USING COMMAS TO SEPARATE ITEMS IN

SERIES

Pete has recently visited Bulgaria, Turkey, and

Greece. (three items, two commas)

He visited museum, toured battlefields, and tasted

local cuisine. (three items, two commas)

On his next trip to Europe, he will visit Russia,

Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia. (four items, three commas)

He will decide shortly when to travel, what sites to

visit, where to stay, and what guidebooks to buy.
(four items, three commas)

WHAT ABOUT THAT COMMA BEFORE AND?

The comma connecting the last two items when there are three
or more items in a series is somewhat controversial.
According to some people, the comma is not necessary.
According to some, it is.
According to some, it is necessary when it avoids confusion by clarifying
the meaning of the sentence.

Look at this sentence: Jim, David and Bill are here. (It is an
unclear sentence because we cannot be sure how many people are
here. Are there three [Jim, David, and Bill], or only two [David and
Bill], and Jim is being told of the other twos arrival? Each possibility
requires different punctuation.)

Look at this sentence: My brothers favorite foods are

spaghetti, garlic bread, and macaroni and cheese. (macaroni
and cheese identify one single food, so no comma is needed)

According to the above, I suggest that you

Use the comma in front of the conjunction connecting the last

two itemsespecially when it avoids confusion.

WHEN NOT TO USE COMMAS WITH SERIES

OF ITEMS

Two items in a series do not require a comma.

The most tasty Hungarian foods are goulash and stuffed

cabbage. (only two items, no commas)

When inserting conjunctions between all the items,

do not use commas:

Paprika and garlic and pepper are staple ingredients of

Hungarian dishes.

SEPARATING ADJECTIVES OF EQUAL WEIGHT

WITH COMMAS

When two or more adjectives modify (describe) the

same noun, separate the adjectives with commas:
Have you read the engaging, fascinating novel Tess of
the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy?

Sometime it looks like two adjectives are modifying a

noun, but the first word is actually an adverb modifying
the adjective, which, in turn, modifies the noun.
That faded blue carpet must be thrown out. (no comma)

USING A COMMA TO JOIN TWO INDEPENDENT

CLAUSES

Put a comma in front of the coordinating

conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when it joins
independent clauses (Independent clauses are groups of
words that can stand alone as sentences.)

Flowers are still blooming, but winter is fast approaching.

Veronica has seen the Grand Canyon, so now she is off to

the Rockies.

The deadline has passes, yet his application still has not
arrived.

USE COMMAS WITH NONESSENTIAL

SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

Nonessential clauses can be omitted from sentences without

altering the meaning of the sentences because they do not
add necessary information. Separate such nonessential
clauses with commas.
Ronald Reagan, who was the 40th President of the
United States, is buried in Simi Valley, California. (If you
remover the red words, the meaning of the sentence remains
intact.)
Sitting on a bench, which was positioned to overlook St. Peters
Basilica, I marveled at the structure in reverent silence.

On the contrary, essential information should not be separated

with commas because its omission will affect the meaning of
the sentence:

Students who registered late should contact their instructors

immediately. (Without the identifying information, we would not know
which students should contact their instructors; therefore, the
information is essential.)

COMMAS AFTER INTRODUCTORY SENTENCE

ELEMENTS

Insert a comma after sentence-opening words:

Yes, I would like more cake.

Insert a comma after a sentence-opening participle

or a participle phrase (a participle is a word formed
from a verb and is used as an adjective or
adjectival phrase):
Married, Tom and Lacey embarked on their honeymoon.
Burying their loot under a big tree, the robbers plotted
their escape.

COMMAS WITH MORE INTRODUCTORY

SENTENCE ELEMENTS

Use a comma after sentence-opening prepositional

phrases:
About an hour after midnight, the restaurant was still
crowed, noisy, and smoky.
In my line of sight just on the edge of the horizon, I
spotted the lone wolf.

Insert a comma after sentence-opening dependent

clauses:
When it is time to retire, Sheila will move to Tenerife,
Spain, to enjoy the perpetual summer.
Although she will miss her family, she is looking forward
to the next chapter of her life.

COMMA USAGE WITH INTERRUPTERS

Interrupters break the natural flow of sentences.

Nonessential clauses (discussed in detail on Slide 7):

Thomas Bayes, a talentless vicar but brilliant
mathematician, lived in the 18th century (Bryson 2).

Direct address:
Fluffy, please take your paws off the table.
Can I help you, madam?
Sir, yes, Sir!

COMMAS WITH DATES AND ADDRESSES

Look at the following variations and note the

presence and absence of the comma:
July 19, 2012
19 July 2012
July 2012

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC

The most common, erroneously omitted comma is
the one that comes after a date or an address:

My paternal grandfather was born on October 2, 1916,

during the tumultuous years of World War I.
Kate has just bought the house at 75 W. 31st Street,
close to downtown Chicago.

WORK CITED
Bryson, Bill. Seeing Further: The Story of Science,
Discovery, and the Genius of the Royal
Society. New York, HarperCollins, 2010. Print.