The Comma: Five Rules to Make Its Use Easier

1. The Comma: Five Rules to Make Its Use Easier

2. The Comma: The Traffic Cop The comma regulates the flow of phrases and clauses in a sentence.

3. Five Main Comma Rules • After intros: Intro,SV. SV; TE, SV.

4. 2) Between clauses: SV, {fanboys} SV. SV, DC. SV, {fanboys} SV, DC.

5. To insert elements into clauses: S, phrase, V. S, clause, V.

6. 4) To separate items in a list: a, b, and c adj,adj noun

7. Tags: I said, “I quote.” “Frankly, my dear,” he said, “I quote, too.”

8. Let’s Examine the 5 in Detail

9. 1) Intro, SV. = Introductory word group, subjectverb.

10. Subject + Verb = Clause The subject is the person or thing that does the action. The verb=action.

11. Independent Clause A clause has a subjectand verb. An independent clause has enough information about the subject and verb that it can stand on its own and not leave a reader confused.

12. Introductory Word Group Anything before the subject of the first independent clause (IC) is the introductory word group.

13. Sentence Introduction Examples Believing she had plenty of time, the student put off writing her first paper until the night before it was due.

14. Sentence Introduction Examples Subsequently, the student’s paper was poorly organized and undeveloped. Although her initial performance was substandard,the student learned to do better the next time.

15. Sentence Introduction Examples The student drafted her second paper a week before it was due; as a result, she had time to revise it before turning it in.

16. 2) Comma Between Clauses Traffic-cop comma halts the end of a clause to make way for another clause: IC, for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so IC.

17. Comma Between Clauses I exist, for I cogitate. It sounds pretentious, yet I wrote it anyway. I could have written something simpler, butyou’re in college,andI wanted to challenge you!

18. Keep compound elements together! No commas in compound predicates: S V and V. I ate a sandwich and drank some ginger ale.

19. No Commas in Compounds A good money manager controls expenses and invests surplus dollars to meet future needs (Hacker 288). Marie Curie discovered radium and later applied her work on radioactivity to medicine (302).

20. No Commas in Compounds I was impressed that he knew how to cook an omelet and that he enjoyed helping others. She was pleased to note that the band had reunited and that the manager had been fired.

21. 2) Comma Between Clauses Clause, optional element. “optional” = nonrestrictive Nonrestrictive elements give the reader information, but they are not required for understanding.

22. Clause, optional element. For school, the children need sturdy backpacks, which are expensive. I ran off without my food, despite my spending four hours preparing it the night before.

23. Clause, optional element. Elvis Presley made music industry history in the 1950s, his records having sold more than ten million copies (Hacker 297).

24. 3) To insert a phrase into a clause Anything between subject and verb is an insertion. There needs to be a comma before and after the inserted element.

25. Phrase Inserted into Clause Natural foods are not always salt free; celery, for example, contains more sodium than most people would imagine (Hacker 297). Many dark bitter fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries, and black cherries, have healthful antioxidants.

26. Inserted Adjective Clause: Ed’s house, which is located on thirteen acres, was furnished with bats in the rafters and mice in the kitchen (Hacker 294).

27. Prepositional phrases or verbal phrases functioning as adjectives: The helicopter, with its million-candlepower spotlight illuminating the area, circled above (295).

28. Appositives (nonrestrictive) Darwin’s most important book, On the Origin of Species, was the result of many years of research (Hacker 295).

29. Restrictive—No Commas The song “Vertigo” was blasted out of huge amplifiers (295).

30. The writer’s purpose can determineif info restrictive or not: The cake made with coconut was delicious. This identifies which cake out of two or more was delicious. =restrictive

31. The cake, made with coconut, was delicious. This adds information about the only cake discussed. =nonrestrictive

32. 4) Items in a list Commas divide separate items in a series: Bubbles of air, leaves, ferns, bits of wood, and insects are often found trapped in amber (290).

33. Separate Items in a List But . . . I was served macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and eggs.

34. Coordinate Adjectives He was a no-good, low-down, dirty, rotten rascal. If the adj’s can switch places, or have “and” between them, they are coordinate adjectives.

35. No comma cumulative adjectives Three large gray shapes moved slowly toward us (Hacker 292). (Three(large(gray shapes)))

36. 5) Tags • Set off nouns of direct address • The words “yes” and “no” • Interrogative tags • Mild interjections • Dialogue tags (verbs of saying) • Afterthoughts

37. Forgive us, Dr. Atkins, for having rolls with dinner (Hacker 298). • Yes, the loan will probably be approved. • The film was faithful to the book, wasn’t it?

38. Well, cases like these are difficult to decide. • I laughed when he muttered, “That’s what she said.” • The bass weighed twelve pounds, give or take a few ounces (Hacker 297).

39. Other Uses of the Comma Dates On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted, turning daylight into dusk. No comma for inverted dates: 18 May 2013 No comma for month + year: May 2013

40. Elements of a place name, except ZIP John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, in 1940. Please send the package to Greg Tarvin at 708 Spring Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820.

41. Title Following Name Gregory House, M.D. Sue Lau, Ph.D. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

42. Numbers four or more digits: 3,500; 13,500; 135,000,000

43. Commas: They’re About the Clauses! • Intro, SV. • IC, {fanboys} IC. • S, insertion, V. • Separate Items in Lists • Elements tacked onto IC. =“tags”

44. Work Cited Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print.