{"id":1050,"date":"2015-08-27T20:50:42","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T15:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writing-geeks.com\/?p=1050"},"modified":"2017-10-13T15:06:40","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T09:36:40","slug":"how-to-use-commas-the-right-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/how-to-use-commas-the-right-way\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Commas the Right Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Use Commas the Right Way<\/span><\/h2>\n

The comma is mostly used, in many languages and contexts, to separate parts of a sentence like clauses, items in lists, and to offset nonessential clauses. As such, the comma is most often misused in writing. The improper use of the comma makes the writer seem uneducated and discredits his or her writings. Below are some of the rules for using commas the right way.<\/p>\n

1. Separate the elements in a series
\n<\/span><\/h6>\n

When describing the elements in a list or a series, you have to use a comma to separate each item, including the last two. It is a common misconception that using a comma before the \u201cand\u201d is not necessary. In most cases, this is correct; however, there are some instances when the comma is necessary, for example, when the list is long and complex. If you don\u2019t use a comma in this situation, the last two items might get blurred together. Using a comma between all the items will help you avoid that problem.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Set off nonessential clauses<\/span><\/h6>\n

Nonessential clauses are a part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the meaning of it. Another name for these clauses is \u201cadded information.\u201d This is the most difficult rule in punctuation because on occasion, it is not clear which part of the sentence is nonessential. Here are some examples of how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mimi\u2019s ambition, to become a successful author<\/em>,<\/strong> is within reach.
\n\u2022 Rick, her husband of twenty years<\/em><\/strong>, suddenly decided to exercise.<\/p>\n

In the examples above, the clauses that are written in italics can be easily omitted from the sentence, for they don\u2019t change the meaning, only add information.<\/p>\n

3. Connect two independent clauses<\/span><\/h6>\n

Use a comma and a conjunction to connect two independent clauses. Some writers will omit the comma if the sentence is structured of two, short, balanced independent clauses. Contending that the coordinating conjunction is adequate separation, some writers will leave out the comma in a sentence with short, balanced independent clauses. However, in order to avoid doubting yourself, use the comma for it is always correct. For example:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cShe received good feedback, but she was still disappointed with how her novel turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most frequent mistakes is using the comma after the coordinating conjunction. While the comma always comes before the conjunction and never after, we might make the mistake while writing, because when we speak, we sometimes pause after the conjunction.<\/p>\n

4. Between two or more adjectives that independently modify a noun<\/span><\/h6>\n

The adjectives are functioning independently if when you insert the word \u201cand\u201d between them, you don\u2019t change the meaning of the sentence. That means that the adjectives describe the noun independently from each other, and they should be separated by a comma. Below is an example:<\/p>\n

\u2022 People should work more on their grammar, and stop destroying our beautiful, versatile language.<\/p>\n

There are some word pairs that function together as a single word and there is no need to separate them with a comma. And if done, the comma will change the meaning of the whole sentence. The examples below are both correct grammatically, but they have a different meaning.<\/p>\n

\u2022 He is a brilliant, young man.
\n\u2022 He is a brilliant young man.<\/p>\n

5. Set off quoted elements<\/span><\/h6>\n

This is probably the most difficult rule for the right usage of commas. In general, remember to use a comma to separate the quoted material from the rest of the sentence. Additionally, if there is need of attribution of the quoted element in the middle of the quotation, use a comma, but be careful not to create a comma splice. The right way to do this is shown in the example below:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cThe problem is,\u201d said Alice, \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I should do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, remember not to use a comma to set off quotes introduced through the word \u201cthat\u201d or quoted elements that are a part of a larger structure. As shown in the example below:<\/p>\n

\u2022 People will often say \u201cSorry\u201d without meaning it.<\/p>\n

There is no need to add a comma after the word \u201cSorry\u201d because that quoted element is a part of a larger structure (the whole sentence); therefore there is no need for it to be separated with a comma.<\/p>\n

<\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Use Commas the Right Way The comma is mostly used, in many languages and contexts, to separate parts of a sentence like clauses, items in lists, and to offset nonessential clauses. As such, the comma is most often misused in writing. The improper use of the comma makes the writer seem uneducated and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,273],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1050","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"category-learning-zone"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/commas.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Writing Geeks","author_link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/author\/writinggeeks\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/commas.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6uhmH-gW","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2753,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050\/revisions\/2753"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}