Commas for Marking Off Information

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What is an appositive?

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An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames or provides additional information about another noun right beside it. Example: 'My brother, a talented musician, plays the guitar.'

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What is non-essential information in a sentence?

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Non-essential information is additional information that can be removed without changing the main meaning of the sentence. It is usually set off by commas.

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How do you use commas with introductory phrases?

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Commas are used after introductory phrases that begin a sentence to separate them from the main clause. Example: 'During the storm, we lost power.'

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What is the purpose of commas in a sentence?

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Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, separate items in a list, and set off non-essential information.

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How do you identify a sentence with correct comma usage for appositives?

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A sentence with correct comma usage for appositives will have commas surrounding the appositive. Example: 'My friend, an avid reader, loves books.'

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What is a dependent clause?

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A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. Example: 'If you finish your homework...'

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How do you use commas with dependent clauses?

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Commas are used to separate a dependent clause from the main clause when the dependent clause comes first. Example: 'If you finish your homework, you can watch TV.'

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What is the rule for using commas in a series?

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In a series of three or more items, commas are used to separate each item. Example: 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

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What is the Oxford comma?

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

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How do you punctuate non-essential clauses?

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Non-essential clauses are set off by commas. Example: 'The car, which was red, sped past us.'