Comma Rules Review

Commas are used to separate elements in a sentence, clarify meaning, and indicate pauses.

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

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a verb.

I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.

A list comma is used to separate items in a series, such as in 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

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

A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction.

She loves reading, and he enjoys writing.

The Oxford comma is the final comma in a list of items, placed before 'and' or 'or', e.g., 'I like apples, bananas, and cherries.'

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