Commas Commas Commas!

Front

What is the purpose of commas in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, separate items in a list, and 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

How 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

What is a direct address in a sentence?

Back

A direct address is when you call someone by name in a sentence, and it should be set off by commas, e.g., 'Let's eat, Grandma.'

Front

When should you use commas with adjectives?

Back

Use commas to separate two or more adjectives that equally describe a noun, e.g., 'It was a long, tiring journey.'

Front

What is a non-essential clause?

Back

A non-essential clause adds extra information to a sentence but can be removed without changing the sentence's meaning. It should be set off by commas.

Front

How do you punctuate a sentence with an introductory phrase?

Back

Use a comma after an introductory phrase, e.g., 'After dinner, we went for a walk.'

Front

What is the rule for using commas with dates?

Back

Use commas to separate the day from the year in a date, e.g., 'July 4, 1776, is a significant date.'

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.