The Long and Short of It: Commas (Jillian Torassa) Leave a reply .comments-link .entry-header Here are the rules of “The Comma,” as far as I’ve come to understand them: List, Series of Three or More, Oxford comma I brought Jell-O, baseball gloves, bug spray, and napkins to the picnic. Now, sometimes you don’t need the final comma between “spray” and “napkin,” but it’s safer just to add one anyway. If you don’t (or if your list is too complicated), your reader might think that “bug spray” and “napkins” go together like “rock and roll.” It’s never wrong to write that last comma before the “and,” so just make it a habit to always use it. Before a Conjunction I brought Jell-O to the picnic, but it turns out that someone else brought it. Here, you put a comma in front of a conjunction (but, and, yet, for, nor, or, so), but ONLY IF both clauses are independent. I brought Jell-O to the picnic. There is a subject (I) and a verb (brought), so this is a complete sentence. Of course “brought” is a transitive verb, which means it needs an object (Jell-O) to make it complete, but that’s a lesson for a different time. It turns out that someone else brought it. This is also a complete sentence/clause. There is a subject (someone else) and a verb (brought). This object of brought is “it.” Because these two parts of the sentence are complete, you put a comma before a conjunction. 
When You Don’t Put it Before a Conjunction I brought Jell-O to the picnic and ate all of it. If one of parts (clauses) of the sentence is incomplete, then you do not put a comma before the conjunction. Ate all of it is not a complete sentence. There is no subject attached to the verb (ate). So, YOU DO NOT ADD A COMMA. This is maybe one of the most commonly made mistakes as far as commas go, and it could be a hard rule to master. But it’s important that you keep practicing until you get it, so you can avoid comma splices (unnecessary commas). Setting off Introductory Elements Yesterday, I brought Jell-O to the picnic. Sometimes, you don’t need the comma after an introductory phrase (like yesterday, however, unfortunately,  yes, or anything else like that), but it is never incorrect to add one. So just do it. It will only clarify your work. What is an introductory phrase? An adverbial clause — an adverb clarifies a verb. Although the Jell-O was quickly gone, I’m glad I brought it. “Quickly” is an adverb describing “was gone,” which is the verb. Absolute phrases — Jiggling happily in the breeze, the Jell-O looked very inviting. Or infinitive phrases (with to) — In order to bring Jell-O, I had to go buy some at the store first. Setting of Parenthetical Elements I brought Jell-O, my favorite dessert, to the picnic. “My favorite dessert” is a parenthetical thought (a thought that isn’t absolutely necessary for the sentence to make sense), an interjection, or a phrase that interrupts sentence flow. I brought Jell-O to the picnic is a complete sentence all on its own, but you wanted to add another thought (Jell-O is your favorite dessert). So, you take the parenthetical statement, and you set it apart by two commas. Sometimes, with parenthetical elements, you do not need to put a comma after a conjunction, even if both clauses are independent: I wanted to bring Jell-O, but frankly, I didn’t have any sugar. You don’t need to put a comma after “but” because “but frankly” is a parenthetical phrase. Now, if you wanted to just write I wanted to bring Jell-O, but I didn’t have any sugar, you still need a comma, because then it’s simply two independent clauses separated by a conjunction. Coordinate Adjectives I brought Jell-O to the clean, safe, well-kept park. If you could put an “and” in between any of those adjectives (The park was clean AND safe AND well-kept), then you use a comma to separate them. Since you probably wouldn’t say “I brought Jell-O to the safe and clean park,” (it’s grammatically correct, but awkward) you should replace the “and” with a comma.’ Typographical I brought Jell-O to the picnic on March 5, 2003, in Los Angeles, California. There were 2,560 people there. My boss, Harold Smith, CEO of Work Space, really liked it. See all those commas? You use one after dates, between cities and states, within large numbers, and to separate a name from a title, if the title comes after the name. Don’t use a comma if any part of the full date is omitted (March 2003), or if you use military format (5 March 2003), but use it in all other typographical situations. Phrases That Express Contrast The Jell-o was hot, not cold. See what I did there? Setting off Quotes I believe it was Ben Franklin who said, “Jell-O is the fruit of all life.” If the quote is part of the sentence (I brought Jell-O, even though I don’t think it’s “the fruit of all life” or I believe it was Ben Franklin who said THAT “Jell-O is the fruit of all life.”), then you don’t need to separate it with a comma. Other than that, you separate quotes from your own writing using a comma. Separate a Statement from a Question I can bring Jell-O, can’t I? Remember, the point of punctuation is to make it easier for your reader to get across your exact meaning Think of this: :   A lot of commas are unnecessary, but they are totally necessary if you need help clarifying. You just have to learn the rules. Here is one last tip: Read your work OUT LOUD! I know you’ll feel like a crazy person, but just do it. It really helps, especially if you read slowly. Or, better yet, have a roommate, BFF, brother, someone you want to punish…anyone, really, read it to you. Then, mark the spots where they stumble. This not only helps you recognize awkward wording and flow issues, but also helps you understand where there should (or shouldn’t) be commas. Remember—commas = pauses. You can recognize pauses best when you hear them. Still, a pause in reading isn’t always an appropriate time to use a comma, so if you’re prone to comma-over-usage, learn the rules instead. Yeah, it’s complicated. But you’ll become a better writer as soon as you learn the proper use for commas. JT