UNM Valencia
English 100
Maggie Griffin
Commas

This is how many people feel when they think about putting commas in the right places:  

However, when you finish all of the instruction and the exercises, you will feel like this:

Commas slow us down. They slow us down so that we don't run words together and have trouble getting the right meaning. See how commas can change the meaning of a sentence:

  • I saw a geko water tall trees and daisies.
    Here is the exact same sentence with commas:
  • I saw a geko, water, tall trees, and daisies.
      Use commas to separate three or more items in a list
  • Jack, Jill, and Spot went up the hill.

    If you have only two items, you don't need a comma:

    Jack and Jill went up a hill.

    Use commas to separate two complete sentences joined by conjunctions (for, and, but so, or, nor, yet)
  • The geko ate green leaves, and it rested in the shade.
  • The geko was about to take a long nap, but then he decided not to.

    If you don't have two complete sentences, then you do not use a comma.

  • The geko saw some interesting bugs to eat but decided not to eat them.  (not a complete sentence, so no comma)

    Use commas to separate a list of three or more verbs

  • The geko slept, dreamt, and awoke.
    You don't need a comma if there are only two verbs and if the name of the "doer" is not repeated.
  • The geko slept and dreamt.     vs      The geko slept , and he dreamt.

    Use commas set off the names of the person spoken to:
  • Hey, Geko ,wake up!
  • Your paper is very interesting,John, and contributes to our understanding of gekos.
    Use commas to set off words that give additional information about a person, place, or thing
  • Geko,the notorious dreamer,invented worlds as he slept.
  • My sister,a strict vegetarian,ate tofu at Thanksgiving.
    Use commas to set off introductory material
  • In the beginning,Geko's dreams were simple.
  • After Thanksgiving dinner,everyone did the dishes.
  • Later,we all took a walk.
  • By walking after dinner,we counteracted the turkey's sedative effects.
  • Instead of being lazy and watching the game,we all went bowling.
    Use commas if a dependent clause introduces the sentence (This rule is similar to the one above; dependent clauses function like introductory material.
  • When Linda called, Fred was outside.
    A reader could become confused without the comma:
  • When Linda called Fred was outside.     
    ( You could misunderstand and begin thinking:   When Linda called Fred   ....   We use commas to avoid such confusion.)
    Comma practice