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, for example: 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

Front

How do you use commas with city and state names?

Back

Use a comma to separate the city from the state, for example: 'I live in Orlando, Florida.'

Front

What is the rule for using commas before conjunctions?

Back

Use a comma before conjunctions (like 'and', 'but', 'or') when connecting two independent clauses, for example: 'I wanted to go, but it was raining.'

Front

How do you use commas with introductory phrases?

Back

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

Front

What is an appositive?

Back

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it, and it is set off by commas, for example: 'My brother, a talented musician, plays the guitar.'

Front

When 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, for example: 'Can you help me, Sarah?'.

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, and a comma is used before the conjunction, for example: 'I wanted to play outside, but it started to rain.'

Front

How do you use commas with adjectives?

Back

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

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 like apples, bananas, and cherries.'