Overview:
Commas are one of the most common forms of punctuation inside sentences. They separate words and phrases that occur in a series, between cities and states, between states and countries, in numbers over 999, and also separate types of clauses. For example, within this paragraph, six different commas have been used.
Commas within Series
Commas are used when three or more nouns or parallel phrases are used in a series within a sentence. For example, in the sentence, “She bought squash, chard, tomatoes, and carrots from the Farmer’s Market” commas are after the words squash, chard, and tomatoes, but not after carrots, in order to separate the items in the series. When two or more clauses are parallel, commas also separate them. He came, he saw, and he conquered. The situation is more complicated if items normally occur together in a unit, such as in the sentence “The order contained ham and eggs, coffee and cream, and bread and butter.” There are three parallel pairs in that sentence.
Commas between Clauses
If the clauses are independent, separate them with commas. For example, “The red car sped down the freeway, and turned off at the next exit.” Both clauses must be complete sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction such as but, so, or and. However, coordinating conjunctions can also join compound subjects, compound verbs, or prepositional phrases. Those sentences do not need a comma after the conjunction. For example, a sentence like “The lions and the tigers are two of the most popular exhibits in the zoo” does not need any commas.
Commas in Addresses
Typically, commas are needed in several places within addresses. If an address is written so that it is made up of many parts, it would have commas between the parts, including between the city and the state. For example, in the address 1234 First Street, Apt. 16, Seattle, WA, the street address is one part, the apartment is another part, and the city is another. Similarly, if the address were in Vancouver, BC, Canada, there would be commas after the city (Vancouver ), as well as the province (British Columbia). When the address is written on an envelope for mailing, the only commas that remain will be between the street address and the apartment, and between the city and the state.
Other Common Uses of Commas
Commas are also used between two or more parts of a date, such as “Our meeting will be on Wednesday, August 21, ” or “June 11, 1974.” In a personal letter, commas are used after the salutation (Dear Robert,) and after the closing (Sincerely,). Commas are used before a direct quotation (He said, “Do you know anywhere I can stay overnight?”). In numbers greater than 999, commas are commonly used after the 1 in 1,000, the 10 in 10, 000, the 100 in 100,000, in order to separate each group of three digits.
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