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Comma
Numbers, Salutations, Geographical Places, With Please, Affirmations Negatives and Tag-questions, with Adverbs, with Adjectives, with enumeracions, in clauses, With Conditional Sentences, With Direct Speech, Commas and Reading, With Addicional Information, Commas and Opposites, With Introductory Clauses
Numbers
Use commas to separate off the thousands and millions in compound numbers - 3,460,759
Don’t use commas in decimals - $3.49
Use a comma before the year if the date is given as follows: month, day, year - April 16, 2003
Don’t use a comma if only two elements of the date are given (e.g. month and year). - I was born in May 1972.
Practice - Write the numbers as figures and place the commas correctly.
1) five thousand, seven hundred - _____________________
2) eight billion, fifty-seven million, six hundred and forty-three thousand, one hundred and eight - _________________________
3) four hundred and eighty-nine thousand, seven hundred and forty-eight - ____________________________
Put in commas where necessary.
4) He was born on October 20 1983.
5) The meeting on March 3 2003 had to be cancelled.
Commas with Salutations
Use a comma if the sentence starts with an address to someone.
Example: Greg, can I talk to you for a second?
Use a comma with salutations in private letters.
Example: Dear Francis,
Don’t use a comma with salutations in business letters. Use a colon in American English and no punctuation mark in British English.
Example:
BE – Dear Mr Jefferson
AE – Dear Mr. Jefferson:
After the greeting, the comma is optional.
Example:
Sincerely,
Sincerely
Practice:
Put in Commas where necessary.
1) Simon have you got a second?
2) Caroline why didn't you go to the concert?
3) Phil and Angie dinner is ready.
4) Gareth could you mind my bag for a moment?
5) Dear Karen Thanks for the lovely evening. Love Marc
Commas with Geographic Places
Use a comma to separate parts of geographic places. The final comma is optional.
Example: Hollywood, Ireland(,) is not as famous as Hollywood, California.
Use a comma to separate parts of an address in a sentence.
Example: His address is 46 Baker Street, London, NW2 2LK, Great Britain.
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) My friend is from Bakersfield California.
2) He moved to London Canada recently.
3) Last year's meeting took place in Geneva Switzerland.
4) My address is 76 Camptown Road Chicago IL 60710 United States.
5) Dickens House Museum is in 48 Doughty Street London WC 1 Great Britain.
Commas with “please”
Use a comma if “please” is at the end of a request.
Example: Send me a mail, please.
Don’t use a comma if “please” is at the beginning of a request.
Example: Please send me a mail.
Practice: Which sentence is correct?
1) Could you help
me please?
Could you help me, please?
2) Please don't smoke
here.
Please, don't smoke here.
3) An orange juice
and a hamburger please.
An orange juice and a hamburger, please.
4) What's the time
please?
What's the time, please?
5) Please be home
by eight o'clock.
Please, be home by eight o'clock.
Commas with Affirmatives, Negatives and Question Tags
Use a comma after “yes” and “no”.
Example: Yes, I can help you.
Use a comma before question tags.
Example: You are Scottish, aren’t you?
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) No he doesn't like jazz.
2) They know the answer don't they?
3) No they don't.
4) Bill is not at home is he?
5) Yes he is.
Commas with Adverbs
Use a comma after certain adverbs: however, in fact, therefore, nevertheless, moreover, furthermore, still, instead, too (meaning 'also').
Example: Therefore, he didn't say a word.
If these adverbs appear in the middle of a sentence, they are enclosed in commas.
Example: The thief, however, was very clever.
The comma is optional for the following adverbs: then, so, yet.
Example:
So, she entered the house.
So she entered the house.
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) Nevertheless he gave it a try.
2) Jane is fine. I am fine too.
3) Gareth is nice. Alex however is always very rude.
4) Still I like them both.
5) Furthermore they are my brothers.
Commas with Adjectives
Use a comma if the adjectives are equally important and give similar kinds of information.
Example: It was a cold, windy morning.
Don’t use a comma if the adjectives are not equally important or give different kinds of information.
Example: He was a clever young man.
Practice: Which option is Correct?
1) Jonathan is a friendly little or friendly, little boy.
2) I was born on a hot sunny or hot, sunny day.
3) We have a red inflatable or red, inflatable boat.
4) She wore a new black or new, black jacket.
5) She gave him a sweet sticky or sweet, sticky kiss.
Commas with Enumerations
Use a comma to separate items in an enumeration.
Example: Old McDonald had a pig, a dog, a cow, a horse.
The comma before “and”
is optional. (Choose the option you like best and stick to it.)
Old McDonald had a pig, a dog, a cow and a horse.
Old McDonald had a pig, a dog, a cow, and a horse.
Don’t use a comma
before “and” if two items are a unit (“Ham and eggs” as
a dish is a unit and should therefore not be separated by a comma.)
Old McDonald had soup, ham and eggs and apple pie for dinner.
Old McDonald had soup, ham and eggs, and apple pie for dinner.
Don’t use a comma
if all items in an enumeration are separated by “and”, “or”,
“nor” etc.
:
Old McDonald had a pig and a dog and a cow and a horse.
Old McDonald had a pig or a dog or a cow or a horse.
Old McDonald neither had a pig nor a dog nor a cow nor a horse.
Practice: Put in Commas where necessary
1) He speaks English French German Spanish and Italian.
2) My friend has a dog two cats a budgie a guinea pig and a horse.
3) I have toast and jam fruits tea juice and coffee for breakfast.
4) Francis Tim the twins Sue and Ellen Mary and Joshua are coming to my birthday party.
5) I ate a soup a salad fish and chips and a dessert.
Commas between Main Clauses
Use a comma between two main clauses which are separated by and or but.
Example: We ran out of fuel, and the nearest petrol station was 5 miles away.
Use a comma to separate parts of a sentences in a sequence.
Example: She ran down the stairs, opened the door, saw her boyfriend(,) and gave him a kiss.
Don’t use a comma if these parts of the sentence are separated by and or but.
Example: She ran down the stairs and opened the door and saw her boyfriend and gave him a kiss.
Practice: Use commas to separate the main clauses.
1) The wind blew harder and the sky looked like rain.
2) He tried to apologize but she wasn't listening.
3) He watched her go by and she blushed.
4) We went to the restaurant but it was their closing day.
5) He saw her at a concert and it was love at first sight.
Commas with Conditional Sentences
Use a comma if the if clause is at the beginning of the sentence.
Example: If I go to London, I will visit the Tower.
Don’t use a comma if the if clause is at the end of the sentence.
Example: I will visit the Tower if I go to London.
Practice: Which sentence is correct?
1) I'll cook the dinner
if you wash the dishes.
I'll cook the dinner, if you wash the dishes.
2) If the weather
were better we could go for a walk.
If the weather were better, we could go for a walk.
3) If he had told
me I wouldn't have asked.
If he had told me, I wouldn't have asked.
4) I would have helped
you if you had only asked me.
I would have helped you, if you had only asked me.
5) If you see Simon
ask him to ring me.
If you see Simon, ask him to ring me.
Commas with Direct Speech
Use a comma after the introductory clause.
Example: She said, “I was in London last year.”
If the direct speech is at the beginning of the sentence, put the comma before the final quotation mark. (Don’t use a full stop here.)
Example: “I was in London last year,” she said.
Don’t use a comma after direct speech if the direct speech ends with a question mark or exclamation mark.
Example:
“Were you in London last year?” he asked. (but: He asked, “Were
you in London last year?”)
“Great!” she replied. (but: She replied, “Great!”)
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) He said I don't have time now.
2) Francis asked me Where are you from?
3) I must go now Chris said.
4) What time is it? Joanne asked I have to be home at ten.
5) »Watch out! Charlie cried The bull is right behind you.
Commas as Means of Readability
Commas help to keep the structure of the sentence clear so that the text is easy to read and understand. A text is well structured if the reader knows where to pause.
Beispiel: Above, the eagle flew gracefully through the air.
Note: Without the comma, the sentence might be confusing for the reader as the first three words can be seen as a unit (“Above the eagle …”). Of course, the sentence does not work this way, but the reader might have to read the sentence again to get the message. Using a comma after “above”, the author makes the sentence easier to read and understand.
Practice: Put the commas in correctly to make the sentences easier to read.
1) Below the words were written in capital letters.
2) In the valley below the castle a cock crowed.
3) In the mountains above the sun began to rise.
4) To improve his English he spent one year abroad.
5) To improve our attitude has to change.
Commas with Additional Information
Use a comma if the additional information is not part of the main statement.
Example: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.
Note:
Depending on the importance attached to it, additional information can be
enclosed in brackets, commas or dashes.
Brackets – not
important
Connor (Amy's boyfriend) bought the tickets.
Commas – neutral
Connor, Amy's boyfriend, bought the tickets.
Dashes – emphasized
Connor–Amy's boyfriend–bought the tickets.
Use a comma in relative clauses before who and which if the information is not essential for the understanding of the sentence.
Example: Her brother, who lives in Chicago, came to see her.She has only one brother. He lives in Chicago and came to see her.
Don’t use a comma in relative clauses if the information is essential for the understanding of the sentence.
Example: Her brother who lives in Chicago came to see her. She has more than one brother. But she was visited by only one of them–the brother who lives in Chicago.
Don’t use a comma if the relative clause starts with that.
Example: The book that I’m reading now is interesting.
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) Allow me Mr Wilson to care of all that for you.
2) Welcome boys and girls to our new playground.
Decide whether to use a comma or not.
3) Bob has one sister,
Jane.
His sister Jane who works in a supermarket is very nice.
His sister Jane, who works in a supermarket, is very nice.
4) Bob has five cars.
The car which he bought last week is a red Ferrari.
The car, which he bought last week, is a red Ferrari.
5) Bob is the man
that every woman wants.
Bob is the man, that every woman wants.
Commas with Opposites
Use a comma with opposites, even if they are separated by and or but.
Example: It was the father, and not the son, who went to the disco every Friday.
Practice: Put in commas where necessary.
1) My name is Sean not John.
2) It's Jane and not Tina who likes football.
3) He likes cats but not dogs.
4) She is not from Boston but from New York.
5) It was the nightingale and not the lark that pierc'd the fearful hollow of thine ear.
Commas with Introductory Clauses
Use a comma after introductory infintive clauses.
Example: To improve her English, she practised on ego4u every day.
Use a comma after introductory prepositional clauses.
Example: Before he went to New York, he had spent a year in Australia.
Use a comma after introductory participle clauses.
Example: Having said this, he left the room.
Note: In short introductory sentences, the comma is optional and can be dropped.
Practice: Use commas to set the introductory sentences off.
1) Having spent five years in Canada his English was perfect.
2) After a long evening in the pub he wasn't able to drive home.
3) Working late every day he had no time for his friends.
4) In a dark corner of the house they found a secret door.
5) To start the game insert a coin.
