Commas

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

A comma should be used before 'and' in a list of three or more items (e.g., apples, oranges, and bananas). This is known as the Oxford comma.

Commas help clarify meaning by indicating pauses, separating ideas, and organizing lists.

In dates, a comma is used to separate the day from the year (e.g., May 5, 2016).

A comma should be placed after 'No': 'No, I don't want to answer the doorbell right now.'

A common mistake is omitting the comma before 'and' in a list of three or more items.

A comma is used before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when it connects two independent clauses.

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

Restrictive clauses are essential to the meaning of a sentence and do not require commas. Non-restrictive clauses add extra information and are set off by commas.

Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its verb or to separate two items that are closely related.