Commas

Commas are very useful. They can be used in many different ways. However, if they are not used properly, your words can become misunderstood. There are a few rules to follow when it comes to using commas.

There are a few rules involving the use of commas. Following these rules to the letter will ensure that written words are understood perfectly. The rules are as follows.

Use a comma after certain introductory phrases. An example of this rule is: Jenny, I found your slipper. You can also use the comma like this: If we don’t hurry, we will miss the movie.

Compound sentences also require the use of commas. This means that two complete thoughts are joined by a comma and a conjunction. One example of this is: It was raining, but we had umbrellas. The most common example is with the word and. Here is what it would like. I dislike using commas and ‘and’, I hate semicolons.

The most common way you see a comma being used is in the separation of three words or more in a series. Here is an example of how that would look. Today I bought apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes.

They can also be used when addressing someone, or asking the reader to pause briefly. Chris, are you coming with us? This is an example of the rule in action.

The comma is seen in other, more common places that you probably don’t think about much. This punctuation is used to separate city and states in addresses, after a greeting in a letter, and after closing a letter. You will also see it separate the day of the month from the year in a written out date.