Well, it's for that reason that Robyn du Preez at
media update put together a simple punctuation series — starting with commas. Read on, writer!
A comma indicates a
pause between points.
It separates:
- a participatory phrase —"Running fast, she grabbed the box."
- to avoid misreading — "Let's eat, Grandma."
- extra information — "Gary, unlike Jeff, is funny."
- a question tag — "It’s weird, isn't it?"
- names in direct addresses — "Hello, Sarah."
- elements in dates — "It is Saturday, 14 June 2022."
- adjectives that can switch around — "He's a happy, truthful, loyal person."
- sentences before a 'but' when a full sentence follows it.
- a direct quote in quotation marks, and
- a full sentence joined with one that isn't.
It
doesn't separate:
- nouns from verbs — "My brother Ryan, is a cool person."
- nouns that are the subject — "Cleo, and the band, will dance."
- if only a month and year are mentioned in the dates: "March 2020"
- adjectives that shouldn't be swapped around — "The adorable, little girl sat down."
- a list of items if it only indicates two items
- a verb and its object if there is no direct speech — "Mary said, she likes chocolate."
- a quote with an exclamation or question mark — "What?", she asked.
Exceptions to the comma may include Oxford commas.
Have any questions about the commas that you want to be explained in more detail? Reach out in the comment section!
More punctuation tips are on the way! But don’t disappear in the interim — why not check out these Five rules for concise writing instead?
*Image courtesy of Canva