Comma Practice

Front

What is the purpose of commas 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 before a conjunction?

Back

A comma should be used before a conjunction (like 'and', 'but', 'or') when it connects two independent clauses.

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence because it has 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 (like 'because', 'although').

Front

How do you punctuate items in a list?

Back

Items in a list should be separated by commas, and a conjunction is used before the last item (e.g., apples, oranges, and bananas).

Front

What is a non-restrictive clause?

Back

A non-restrictive clause adds extra information to a sentence but is not essential to its meaning and is usually set off by commas.

Front

What is a restrictive clause?

Back

A restrictive clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence and does not require commas.

Front

How do you use commas with adjectives?

Back

When two or more adjectives equally modify a noun, they should be separated by commas (e.g., 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' (e.g., apples, oranges, and bananas).

Front

When should you not use a comma?

Back

Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its verb or to separate a verb from its object.