Writing Blog Number 2

20240501 Comma Basics

Comma Basics

So… I received a message asking about grammatical help. Apparently, what I wrote about direct speech actually helped someone, and this person asked if I could go over commas. Well, commas are so complex and used so much in so many different occasions, that it would take a book to explain it.

As such, I have decided to give just the basics of comma usage. This does not cover direct speech, which can be found here: "20240125 Direct Speech" 

I can, however, see why I was asked for this. Commas are the next most commonly misused punctuation after direct speech. See the link above for those comma rules!

Commas separate items on a list.
         I bought milk, cake, biscuits and bread.
However, some people use what is called an Oxford comma here (before the ‘and’).
         I bought milk, cake, biscuits, and bread.
In some cases the Oxford comma is not needed, but in others it becomes necessary.
         At the party were two strippers, JFK and Stalin.
In this example, it seems JFK and Stalin were the strippers. So an Oxford comma fixes it:
         At the party were two strippers, JFK, and Stalin.
Now we know we have four people there.

Commas also separate a list of adjectives.
         He is a strong, healthy person.
But if the adjectives could not be said in a different order, then no comma is necessary.
         I ate a good hot meal.
As a rule of thumb, to see if a comma is needed, if it can be replaced by ‘and’, then use a comma. For adjective order, see this: "20240219 Adjective Order" 

Commas separate a dependent clause. This is where many go wrong. If both clauses are sentences on their own, then use a full stop or a semi-colon. You would not use a comma between these two.
         She went to the shop. She bought milk.
But if one is not a proper sentence, use a comma.
         When she went to the shop, she bought milk.
‘When she went to the shop’ is not a complete sentence.
While contentious in some circles, if you join two complete sentences with an ‘and’, then use a comma at the end of the first.
         She went to the shop, and she bought milk.
If I get rid of the second ‘she’ though, then I don’t need a comma. This is a little confusing and if you make the mistake, it is not the end of the world.
         She went to the shop and bought milk.

Commas are used to separate single words or single phrases that are interjections.
         No, I won’t go to the shop.
         Hey, that’s a big shop!
         My gosh, you are a smart person.

Commas separate elements of dates and places.
         Sunday, July 25 was cold.
         July 25, 2021, was cold.
In this case, there is a comma after the year. If just month and year, no comma is needed.
         July 2021 was generally cold.
Places work the same.
         I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
         Adelaide, Australia, is boring.

If some-one has a title after their name, then it is separated by a comma.
         Martin Luther King, Jr.
         Dr Simon Smith, PhD

There some other things as well, but these are the main ones.

It is quite a lot to remember, but if you think of a full stop as a break and a comma as a breath, then it might help you see these things a little easier. Some-one who has not been taught comma usage from a young age can find it intimidating, so don’t be afraid to sit there with a guidebook open beside you when you are editing your manuscript.