Comma Flashcard

Front

What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence?

Back

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

Front

What is the Oxford Comma?

Back

The Oxford Comma, also known as the serial comma, is the final comma in a list of items, placed before 'and' or 'or'.

Front

When should you use a comma between adjectives?

Back

Use a comma between coordinate adjectives that equally describe a noun, e.g., 'The tall, dark man'.

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a verb.

Front

What is a dependent clause?

Back

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and usually begins with a subordinating conjunction.

Front

How do you punctuate direct address in a sentence?

Back

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

Front

What is the rule for using commas in a list?

Back

Use commas to separate three or more items in a list, e.g., 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'.

Front

When should you use a comma before conjunctions?

Back

Use a comma before conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when connecting two independent clauses.

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses joined by a conjunction or a semicolon.

Front

How do you use commas with introductory phrases?

Back

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