Add Commas
Jane Mary Tina and Courtney are all coming to my birthday party.
Jane, Mary, Tina and Courtney are all coming to my birthday party.
I love cooking my family and my dog.
ture
I bought apples, pears, and bananas.
Series:
Separates three or more items in a list.
The council's plans will never be carried out, there is too much opposition.
"The council's plans will never be carried out, there is too much opposition" is the comma between "carried out" and "there is". A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses—complete sentences that could stand alone—are joined by only a comma.
The man ate the pie but he didn't pay the bill.
The man ate the pie, but he didn't pay the bill.
The man ate the pie, but he didn't pay the bill.
I need sugar butter and eggs for the bake sale.
I need sugar, butter, and eggs for the bake sale.
True or False: A comma should be placed after the city in an address.
true
She went to the park, but he stayed home.
Independent clauses:
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) that joins two independent clauses.
The cat slept through the storm, it was unbothered by the thunder and lightning.
The comma splice in the sentence is the comma after "storm". This is an error because it connects two independent clauses ("The cat slept through the storm" and "it was unbothered by the thunder and lightning") with only a comma, without a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but".
The pie is tasty, but too sweet.
The pie is tasty but too sweet.
The pie is tasty but too sweet.
The colors red blue and green are her favorites.
The color red, blue and green are her favorites.
True or False: The name of the game show, Jeopardy!, was a play on a French phrase.
False
As soon as I finished, I called my friend.
Introductory elements:
Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause.
Heavy metal is a popular music genre, my favorite genre is jazz.
The comma incorrectly joins two independent clauses—"Heavy metal is a popular music genre" and "my favorite genre is jazz"—without a conjunction.
He was not only a good friend, but also a great brother.
He was not only a good friend but also a great brother.
He was not only a good friend but also a great brother.
True or False: A comma must be used before the 'and' in a sentence with three items in a series.
False
My brother, who lives in Chicago, is visiting next week.
Non-restrictive clauses:
Use commas to set off non-essential information that can be removed without changing the sentence's core meaning.
They decided to walk to school today, it rained all morning.
"They decided to walk to school today" and "it rained all morning" are independent clauses that could be separate sentences.
The stolen vehicle was not only moving rapidly, but also veering wildly.
The stolen vehicle was not only moving rapidly but also veering wildly.
The stolen vehicle was not only moving rapidly but also veering wildly.
My car which is a blue Ford Focus was stolen last week.
My car, which is a blue Ford Focus, was stolen last week.
True or False: You should place a comma before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) that connects two complete sentences.
True
The new student, an exchange student from France.
Appositives:
Use commas to set off words or phrases that rename or describe a noun.
The U.S. Postal Service is usually very reliable, however, sometimes a letter is not delivered for weeks, months, or even years.
The comma splice in the sentence is the comma after "reliable" and the comma after "however,".
The last doughnut, is Jim’s.
The last doughnut is Jim’s.
The last doughnut is Jim’s.