Comma Rules

By: Julia Selwa

My biggest problem has always been commas. I was pretty confident with the rest of my paper, but I was never sure if I put a comma in the right place or if I forgot one altogether. Commas gave me that anxious feeling when I turned my papers in to be graded. When I got a paper back, I always forgot at least one comma. Teachers would keep me after class so that they could give me papers on the comma rules. Sadly, I never had the motivation to really memorize them. I was then given the opportunity to choose a grammatical element to write about in this Thought and Writing class. I only had a few moments to choose which grammatical element I wanted to write about, and the comma rules stood out to me. This way, I could kill two birds with one stone. I could get a paper done for my class while learning something beneficial. I began my research looking for specific rules that I could look at. According to the website grammar.ccc.commnet.edu, there are 11 comma rules to remember. It shouldnt be that hard if there are only 11. Lets take a look at these rules and see how easy they really are.
to separate elements. Example: I want a dog, a cat, and a horse. A comma and a little conjunction that connects two independent clauses. Example: Jesicca was happy with her cake, but she was upset with her sisters. To set off introductory element

Rule 1 says that a comma should separate elements. Simple enough, right? I want a red, blue, and green bow. Most of us know to put a comma between red, blue, and green. Lets clarify what an element is before we jump the gun.

According to www.io.com, sentence elements include nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives.

Rule 1 Rule 2

In other words, if there are more than two of these elements, then you need to put a comma in between them. You dont want confusion when youre writing I ran, danced, and jumped by forgetting the commas and writing I ran danced and jumped. What is ran danced? Is it some kind of dancing while running? By putting the comma in, you separate the elements so that they make sense to the reader. Rule 2 explains that you need to put a comma between two independent clauses that are connected with a little conjunction. Lets find out what independent clauses and conjunctions are.

Rule 3 Example: Being well known in his town already, John had no issue finding a job.

According to owl.english.purdue.edu, An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence. Also, grammar.ccc.commnet.edu says that the little conjunctions are called coordinating conjunctions and they include the words and, but, or, yet, for, nor, and so.

An example of rule 3 could be Before the game, Peter has to pick up his clothes. The reason that this works is because Before the game, includes an introductory element.
To set off parenthetical elements Rule 4 Jackie, a small kindergartener, has a creative mind. To separate coordinate adjectives Rule 5 The cold, hungry, poor man nocked on our door. To set off quoted elements Rule 6 Bill told me, "you better not run off to Texas and get yourself killed."

For example, if you were writing the sentence She ran to the store, but she forgot the gallon of milk you have to have a comma between store and but. This is because She ran to the store and She forgot the gallon of milk are both independent clauses. You then need a comma when the little conjunction but is inserted between them. Rule 3 says that you need to put a comma after an introductory element. An introductory element could also be called an introductory clause.

Rule 4 says that you use a comma to set off parenthetical elements. According to grammar.ccc.commnet.edu, this is one of the hardest rules to remember because it is sometimes unclear what is "added" or "parenthetical" and what is essential to the meaning of a sentence. I dont know about you, but I had no idea what a parenthetical element was.

According to owl.english.purdue.edu, Introductory clauses start with adverbs like after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when, etc.

An interrupter, or parenthetical element, is any sentence element that interrupts the forward movement of a clause. An interrupter is set off from the clause it interrupts by parenthetical punctuation. -grammartips.homestead.com

The website web.uvic.ca also says that If something comes before the subject (other than adjectives), then put a comma after what comes before the subject and its adjectives.

For example, Alex, a boy I met on the street, is quite annoying. The sentence could simply be Alex is quite annoying but an interruption is included to help clarify who Alex is. There are commas around a boy I met on the street because it interrupts the main sentence.

Rule 5 says that a comma is used to separate coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are just multiple adjectives used to describe one thing. For example, The cold, dark home was a place where no one wished to be contains the adjectives cold and dark to describe the noun home. This is why you must put a comma between cold and dark. This rule can be confusing at times. For example, in the sentence the warm July sun fills a heart with joy, "A comma is needed so you wouldnt put a comma between that it does not sound warm and July because warm is as if the hero is running now describing July sun as a whole. Rule 6 says that a comma should be used to set off quoted elements. This just means that, if there is a quoted section, it might need a comma. I say it might because there are exceptions to this rule. First let me give you a sentence from this paper that shows when to use a comma; According to www.io.com, sentence elements include nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives. In this example According to www.io.com sets off the quoted portion of the sentence. Like I said before, there are exceptions to this rule. One exception is if you use the word that before the quoted portion. You wouldnt include a comma in this sentence; Bill said that we need to leave this country now. Another exception is if it is imbedded in the text. This would include sentences such Henry always seems to be sick when theres work to be done.

Rule 7 says that a comma is used to set off phrases that express contrast. For example, Phils intelligence, not his looks, got him the girl. This could also relate back to rule 4 because not his looks interrupts the flow of the sentence Phils intelligence got him the girl. I used it, however, because his looks contrast his intelligence. This is another reason why we have to put commas in the sentence. Rule 8 says that you use a comma to avoid confusion. I thought this was obvious. When a comma is not put in its proper place or is completely absent, there may be confusion. When I first read this rule I didnt know why they included it. I then realized that grammar.ccc.commnet.edu might have included it because they wanted to stress the fact that if you use all of these rules they will eliminate confusion. So if youre stuck, lean towards the one that makes more sense. Rule 9 tells us never to use only one comma between a subject and its verb. The website grammar.ccc.commnet.edu uses the example "Believing completely and positively in oneself is essential for success." They also mention that although readers might pause after the word oneself, there is no reason to put a comma there.
Typographical Reasons Rule 10 I was born on July 14, 1987. Rule 11 Use comma's with caution!

into the audience." Judi

Fisher

To set off phrases that express contrast Rule 7 My application, not my personality, seemed to get me that job. to avoid confusion

Rule 8

Never use only one comma between a subject and its verb Rule 9 Believing completely and positively in oneself is essential for success.

Rule 10 says that you have to put a comma in a sentence if there is a typographical reason for it. Let me show you the example that grammar.ccc.commnet.edu gives.

Note that we use a comma or a set of commas to make the year parenthetical when the date of the month is included: July 4, 1776, is regarded as the birth date of American liberty.

These rules are helpful, but am I going to remember all 11 of them? No, Im probably not going to. I might look them up again, though. They are useful if you feel like you need help determining if a comma should or should not be used. I decided to look for something a little simple. Thats when I found the book English Simplified at home on my shelf. I read through the comma rules and I found the quote I was looking for.

Without the date itself, however, the comma disappears: July 1776 was one of the most eventful months in our history.

In international or military format, no commas are used: The Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776.

Some punctuation marks separate words or ideas; others emphasize them; still others group and keep together related ideas. In all, punctuation marks clarify written material that would otherwise confuse and perhaps mislead.

These are easier because weve been writing dates and addresses since we were small children. The problem with commas might occur if they are written in different formats. That is why it is usually a good idea to find an example of that format to use while writing. Rule 11 is pretty simple. Use the comma with caution. I always either forgot a comma or put a comma in a place where it didnt belong. Dont let this happen to you. If you cant find a rule that tells you why you would need a comma in a certain sentence, then dont put one.

If you can remember these two sentences, your writing will improve dramatically. This sentence reflects most of the comma rules. Commas are used to separate different elements. Rules 1,4,5,6 and 7 are all examples of how the comma does this. Commas also emphasize different elements. You will notice that rules 2 and 3 are examples of this. Sometimes the absence of a comma can group and keep together related ideas. Rule 9 is an example of this because it says you must keep a subject and its verb together. It does not want you to separate it with a comma. Commas also help to clarify written material that would otherwise confuse and perhaps mislead. All of the comma rules can be simplified into these sentences. It would have taken a lot of grief out of my life if I had learned that quote in high school

I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out.
Oscar Wilde

Throughout my entire high school career, my English teachers would always tell me I could do better. My mother also always hounded me to learn my comma rules. Shes read the first drafts of my papers. Theyre never any good; just like the first draft of this paper. I usually rely on peer editing or teachers. I shouldnt do this and neither should you. People make mistakes. I dont mean to say you should never use peer editing or ask a teacher for help. In fact, these are great tools to help make your paper better. I have used multiple different tools for this paper. It is always a great idea to get an outside viewpoint, but you should always have a backup. Sorry, but that backup is going to have to be you. Its your job to go back through your paper again and check to make sure everything is spot on. Now that you know all the comma rules and you have a simple quote to remember, it should be easier to make your papers spot on. It will take practice and youll probably need help from outside sources to get the hang of all the rules. However, once you have them down pat, your writing will be far better than it was before. No one should live in fear of commas for their whole life.

Work cited Blue, Tina. (July 8, 2005). Parenthetical Elements: Use a Complete Set of Commas or Dashes to Enclose an Interrupter. Retrieved October 11, 2009, from http://grammartips.homestead.com/interrupters. html Capital Community College Foundation. Conjunctions. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conjun ctions.htm Capital Community College Foundation. Rules for Comma Usage. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ commas.htm Ellsworth, Blanche. (1990) English Simplified. In Sixth Edition, Punctuation (pp. 14-21). New York: Harper & Row. Fisher, Judi (2008). GCSE Handbook. Grantham College. Stonebridge Rd, Grantham, NG31 9AP, UK Online Technical Writing: Basic Patterns and Elements of the Sentence. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2009, from http://www.io.com/~hcexres/textbook/ twsent.html Purdue University. (March 27, 2008). Independent and Dependent Clauses. Retrieved October 11, 2009, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ resource/598/01/