Commas

Front

What is a comma?

Back

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

Front

When do you use commas in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list, such as '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'. For example, 'I love apples, oranges, and bananas.'

Front

How do you use commas with coordinating conjunctions?

Back

Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when connecting two independent clauses. Example: 'I wanted to go, but it was raining.'

Front

When should you use a comma after an introductory phrase?

Back

Use a comma after an introductory phrase to separate it from the main clause. Example: 'After dinner, we went for a walk.'

Front

How do you use commas in direct address?

Back

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

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. Use commas to set it off. Example: 'My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting.'

Front

When do you use commas with adjectives?

Back

Use commas to separate two or more adjectives that equally describe a noun. Example: 'It was a long, tiring day.'

Front

How do you use commas in dates?

Back

Use commas to separate the day from the year in a date. Example: 'July 4, 1776, is an important date in American history.'

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, often requiring a comma before the conjunction. Example: 'I wanted to play, but it started to rain.'