Commas Review

Front

What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, separate items in a list, and clarify meaning.

Front

When should you use a comma in a date?

Back

A comma should be used to separate the day from the year in a date, e.g., August 28, 1963.

Front

How do you use commas in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list, e.g., apples, oranges, and bananas.

Front

What is the Oxford comma?

Back

The Oxford comma is the final comma in a list of items, placed before 'and' or 'or', e.g., I like apples, oranges, and bananas.

Front

When should you use a comma before a conjunction?

Back

A comma should be used before a conjunction (like 'and' or 'but') when it connects two independent clauses.

Front

How do you use commas with direct address?

Back

Use a comma to separate the name of the person being addressed from the rest of the sentence, e.g., 'Look at this picture, Kate.'

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, often requiring a comma before the conjunction.

Front

When should you use commas in adjectives?

Back

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

Front

How do you use commas with introductory phrases?

Back

Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause, e.g., 'After dinner, we went for a walk.'

Front

What is a non-essential clause?

Back

A non-essential clause adds extra information to a sentence but can be removed without changing the sentence's meaning, and it should be set off with commas.