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Commas
USE A COMMA
- To separate direct quotations from the phrase identifying the speaker
Example:
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John said, "The fishing is great in Blackwater River."
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To separate the names of smaller geographic units from the names of larger units
Example:
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Denver, Colorado, is called the Mile High City.
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To separate dates, if the order is month-day-year. If in the middle of a sentence, use another comma after the year
Example:
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Kennedy was assassinated November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
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To separate names of titles or degrees that follow the name
Examples:
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Harold Johnson, Ph.D., will speak in the Commons Auditorium on Tuesday.
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Carmen Eley, Senior Vice President of Creative Technology, will conduct the seminars.
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To separate short, tightly interrelated clauses in a series
Example:
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Joe called, Eleanor stopped by, and Bruce left a message.
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To provide clarity and prevent misreading, even if none of the other rules apply
Examples:
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We left the candidate, assured that he would win. (We were sure that the candidate would win.)
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We left the candidate assured that he would win. (He was sure that he would win.)
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To mark allowable omissions of repeated words, especially verbs
Example:
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Your analysis is superb; your execution, appalling.
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To separate two or three consecutive occurrences of the same word within a sentence
Example:
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Rain, rain, rain--doesn't the sun ever shine around here?
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To separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
Examples:
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I have known the applicant for ten years, and I am pleased to recommend her for this job.
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Either I will meet you in the lobby, or I will come to your office.
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To separate three or more items or phrases in a series
Examples:
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Golfing, swimming, and playing tennis are my favorite activities.
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We looked under the bed, in the fireplace, and on top of the refrigerator.
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He is capricious, irresponsible, and unreliable.
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To separate a series of two or more adjectives not connected by a conjunction if the order of the adjectives can be reversed and still retain the same meaning.
Example:
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Your friend is a clever, sensitive person.
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To separate introductory phrases, words, or clauses from the main part of the sentence
Examples:
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After the Vietnam War ended, a number of veterans were hospitalized.
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By the end of World War II, Europe was devastated.
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Fortunately, there has not been a third world war.
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To separate parenthetical adverbs and adverbial phrases from the rest of the sentence
Examples:
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Used car dealers, on the whole, are not highly trusted individuals.
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Most of them, however, do try to act friendly and courteous.
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To separate contradictory and contrasting phrases from the rest of the sentence.
Example:
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It was Mr. Williams, not his son, who was appointed senior vice president.
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To separate names used in direct address or other isolates such as yes, no, and thank you from the rest of the sentence
Examples:
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Tell me, Eddie, whom did you vote for?
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No, I am not voting for myself.
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To separate tag questions from the rest of the sentence
Example:
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You did that on purpose, didn't you?
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To separate words and abbreviations that introduce an example or an illustration, including namely, that is, to wit, i.e., e.g., for example, and for instance
Example:
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Many of my friends, for example, Bruce, Donald, and Harry, like to play pinochle.
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To separate nonrestructive clauses, phrases and appositives from the rest of the sentence
Examples:
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The scout leader, overweight and out of shape, trudged up the hill.
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Mr. Willis, who is a very good scout leader, is overweight and out of shape.
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Denver, which is known as the Mile High City, is located in Colorado.
BUT:
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The city which is known as the Mile High City is Denver, Colorado.
