Commas

A comma is a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence or to separate items in a list.

You should use a comma before 'and' in a list when you are listing three or more items. This is known as the Oxford comma.

Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause to separate it from the main part of the sentence.

When writing dates, use a comma to separate the day from the year, e.g., 'February 1, 2018'.

Use commas to separate the name of a person being addressed from the rest of the sentence, e.g., 'Can you help me, Sarah?'.

A compound sentence is made up of two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, and a comma is used before the conjunction.

Use commas to separate two or more adjectives that equally describe a noun, e.g., 'It was a long, tiring journey.'

Use commas to set off non-essential clauses or phrases that add information but are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

Commas help clarify meaning by indicating pauses, separating ideas, and organizing information.

Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its verb or a verb from its object.