Commas

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

When should you use a comma in a list?

Back

Use commas to separate three or more items in a list, placing 'and' before the last item (e.g., 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 it connects two independent clauses.

Front

What is the rule for using commas with dates?

Back

Use a comma after the day and after the year when writing dates (e.g., August 21, 2017, is a special day).

Front

Where should a comma be placed in this sentence: 'I went to the store and bought apples oranges and bananas.'?

Back

Commas should be placed after 'apples' and 'oranges': 'I went to the store and bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

Front

What is the correct way to write this date: 'August 21 2017'?

Back

The correct way is 'August 21, 2017'.

Front

How do you use commas with introductory phrases?

Back

Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause that precedes the main clause (e.g., 'After dinner, we went for a walk.').

Front

Where should the comma go in this sentence: 'Liza who was wearing a new dress yelled at the waiter'?

Back

The comma should be placed after 'Liza': 'Liza, who was wearing a new dress, yelled at the waiter.'

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 love cats, dogs, and birds.').

Front

When should you not use a comma?

Back

Do not use a comma to separate two items in a compound subject or compound predicate (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends').