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RULES FOR USING COMMAS

Grammarly
Updated on July 1, 2023Grammar

Ah, the comma. Of all the punctuation marks in English, this one is perhaps the
most misused. And it’s no wonder. There are lots of rules about comma usage, and
often the factors that determine whether you should use one are quite subtle.
But fear not! Below, you’ll find guidance for the trickiest comma questions.


WHAT IS A COMMA?

While a period ends a sentence, a comma indicates a smaller break. Some writers
think of a comma as a soft pause—a punctuation mark that separates words,
clauses, or ideas within a sentence.



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WHEN TO USE COMMAS

Commas have quite a few uses in English: 

 * Separating items in a list of three or more
 * Connecting two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
 * Setting apart non-restrictive relative clauses
 * Setting apart nonessential appositives
 * Setting apart introductory phrases
 * Setting apart interrupters and parenthetical elements
 * Setting apart question tags
 * Setting apart names in direct address
 * Separating parts of a date
 * Separating parts of a location, like a city and its country
 * Separating multiple coordinating adjectives
 * Separating quotations and attributive tags

There are a lot of technical English words in that list, but don’t worry. We
explain everything in detail below.


COMMAS WITH LISTS

When you have a list that contains more than two elements, use commas to
separate them.



Julie loves ice cream books and kittens.





Julie loves ice cream, books, and kittens.





Julie loves ice cream, books and kittens.



(The comma before the and in a list of three or more items is optional. See
below, under “Serial comma,” for more information.)

Your list might be made up of nouns, as in the example above, but it could also
be made up of verbs, adjectives, or clauses. Imagine, for a moment, that you
have just finished doing three chores. The chores were:

 * Cleaning the house and garage
 * Raking the lawn
 * Taking out the garbage

If you were to list these three chores in a sentence, you would write:

I cleaned the house and garage, raked the lawn, and took out the garbage.

or

I cleaned the house and garage, raked the lawn and took out the garbage.




SERIAL COMMA (OXFORD COMMA)

As mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should
separate each element of the list. However, the final comma—the one that comes
before the and—is optional. This comma is called the serial comma or the Oxford
comma.



 Simon needs bread, milk, and butter at the grocery store. (With serial comma) 





 Simon needs bread, milk and butter at the grocery store. (Without serial
comma) 





 I still have to buy a gift, pack the suitcases, and arrange for someone to
water the plants while we’re at the wedding. (With serial comma) 





I still have to buy a gift, pack the suitcases and arrange for someone to water
the plants while we’re at the wedding. (Without serial comma) 



Whether or not you use the serial comma is a style choice. Many newspapers do
not use it. Many trade books do use it. In your own writing, you can decide for
yourself whether to use it—just be consistent.

Keep in mind, though, that occasionally the serial comma is necessary for
clarity.

I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein.

The sentence above will almost certainly cause readers to do a double take.
Without a serial comma, it looks like “Jane Austen and Albert Einstein” is an
appositive, rather than the second and third elements in a list. To put it
another way, the writer seems to be saying that her parents are Jane Austen and
Albert Einstein. A serial comma eliminates the possibility of misreading, so
even if you’re not using serial commas in your writing, make an exception for
sentences like this:

I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen, and Albert Einstein. 


COMMAS WITH BUT

Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction but if it is joining two
independent clauses:



Cleo is a good singer but she’s an even better dancer.





Cleo is a good singer, but she’s an even better dancer.



If but is not joining two independent clauses, leave the comma out.



My teacher is tough, but fair.





My teacher is tough but fair.





Life is, but a dream.





Life is but a dream.




COMMAS WITH AND

When correcting a comma splice by adding and—that is, when joining two
independent clauses with and as a coordinating conjunction—put the comma before
and.

When you have a list that contains only two items, don’t use a comma before the
and.



My dog Charlie is cute, and smart.





My dog Charlie is cute and smart.





Cleo’s favorite activities are singing onstage, and relaxing in the sunshine.





Cleo’s favorite activities are singing onstage and relaxing in the sunshine.




AVOIDING COMMA SPLICES

When you want to join two independent clauses, you need a conjunction or a
semicolon; a comma alone isn’t strong enough to join them. This kind of mistake
is called a comma splice.



We were out of milk, I went to the store.



You can fix a comma splice by adding a conjunction or changing the comma to a
semicolon.



We were out of milk, so I went to the store.





 We were out of milk; I went to the store. 



Or you can simply write the two independent clauses as separate sentences.



We were out of milk. I went to the store.




COMMAS WITH RELATIVE CLAUSES

A clause that is nonrestrictive offers extra information about something you
have mentioned in a sentence, but that information isn’t essential for
identifying the thing you’re talking about. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually
introduced by which or who and should be set off by commas.



Posey’s Cafe, which Chester recommended, is a fantastic restaurant.



The clause “which Chester recommended” is nonrestrictive because “Posey’s Cafe”
is already specific. Identifying it as the restaurant recommended by Chester
doesn’t narrow it down any further.



My wife, whom I love dearly, is a brilliant physicist.



The clause “whom I love dearly” is nonrestrictive because you could remove it
and it would still be clear what person you’re talking—“my wife” is already
specific.

A clause that is restrictive adds information that is necessary in order to
identify whatever it is referring to. Restrictive clauses are often introduced
by that or who and should never be set off by commas.



The cafe, that Chester recommended, is a fantastic restaurant.





The cafe that Chester recommended is a fantastic restaurant.



The clause “that Chester recommended” is essential information in the sentence
above. If you removed it, there would be no way to tell which restaurant you
were talking about.


COMMAS WITH APPOSITIVES

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that refers to the same thing as another
noun in the same sentence. Often, the appositive provides additional information
about the noun or helps to distinguish it in some way. If you could remove the
appositive without changing the meaning of the sentence, it is said to be
nonessential and should be set off with commas. If the appositive is necessary,
it’s said to be essential and should not be set off with commas.


NONESSENTIAL APPOSITIVES

My partner, Angela, is a wonderful cook.

The painter, one of the city’s most promising young artists, began showing his
work in galleries before he was sixteen.

Chocolate, my favorite treat, always makes me feel better after a bad day.


ESSENTIAL APPOSITIVES

Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” is a classic.

Nick Jonas’s brother Kevin is the most underrated Jonas. The detective Sherlock
Holmes is one of literature’s greatest sleuths.


COMMAS WITH INTRODUCTORY PHRASES

A comma normally follows a participial phrase that introduces a sentence:

Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house.

Confused by her sister’s sudden change in mood, Jill stayed quiet.

When an adverbial phrase begins a sentence, it’s often followed by a comma, but
it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’s short. As a rule of thumb, if the
phrase is longer than about four words, use a comma. You can also use a comma
after a shorter phrase when you want to emphasize it or add a pause for literary
effect.

After the show, Cleo will be signing autographs.

Behind the building there is enough space to park two limousines.

Without knowing why, I crossed the room and looked out the window.

In 1816 life was very different.

Suddenly, a frightened black cat sprang from the shadows.

But if there is a chance of misreading the sentence, use the comma:



Before eating the family said grace.





Before eating, the family said grace.




COMMAS WITH DATES

When writing a date in month-day-year format, set off the year with commas.

July 4, 1776, was an important day in American history.

I was born on Sunday, May 12, 1968.

If you are using the day-month-year format, however, commas are unnecessary.

Applications are due by 31 December 2024.

Use a comma between a day of the week and a date:

On Tuesday, April 13, at three o’clock, there will be a meeting for all staff.

Please join us on Saturday, June 10, 2023, for the marriage of Annie and
Michael.

When you are referencing only a month and year, you don’t need a comma.

The region experienced record rainfall in March 1999.


COMMAS WITH COORDINATE ADJECTIVES

When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree, they are said to be
coordinate and should be separated by commas. One way to tell whether the
adjectives are coordinate is to try switching the order of them. If the sentence
still sounds natural, the adjectives are coordinate.

That man is a pompous, self-righteous, annoying idiot.

That man is a self-righteous, annoying, pompous idiot.

The sweet, scintillating aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen.

The scintillating, sweet aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen.

If multiple adjectives are used but are not coordinate—that is, if one of them
is more closely related to the noun being modified than the other(s), and thus
they sound unnatural if the order is changed—don’t separate them with a comma.



The adorable, little boy was eating ice cream.





The little, adorable boy was eating ice cream.





The adorable little boy was eating ice cream.




COMMAS WITH INTERRUPTERS OR PARENTHETICAL ELEMENTS

Interrupters are little thoughts that pop up in the middle of a sentence to show
emotion, tone, or emphasis. A parenthetical element is a phrase that adds extra
information to the sentence but could be removed without changing the meaning of
the sentence. Both interrupters and parenthetical elements should be set off
with commas.



The weather I was happy to see was beginning to clear.





The weather, I was happy to see, was beginning to clear.





Geoff’s cooking skills if you can call them skills left something to be desired.





Geoff’s cooking skills, if you can call them skills, left something to be
desired.





It was sadly the last day of camp.





It was, sadly, the last day of camp.





Mary unlike Anne is very organized.





Mary, unlike Anne, is very organized.




COMMAS BETWEEN DIRECT QUOTES AND ATTRIBUTIVE TAGS

An attributive tag is a phrase, like “they said” or “she claimed,” that
identifies the speaker or writer of a quote or piece of dialogue. Attributive
tags can come before, after, or even in the middle of a quote. Use commas to
separate attributive tags from quotations.

The professor remarked, “How attentive you have been today!”

“Once you know the solution,” Tiffany said, “the whole problem seems very
simple.”

“You have ice cream on your nose,” my friend giggled.

“When you leave the house,” my mother yelled, “don’t slam the door!”

If a quotation before an attributive tag ends in a question mark or exclamation
point, however, there’s no need for a comma.



“You have a spider on your nose!”, my friend yelled.





“You have a spider on your nose!” my friend yelled.





“Where did that spider come from?”, I asked.





“Where did that spider come from?” I asked.




COMMAS WITH QUOTATION MARKS

In American English, commas always go before closing quotation marks.

“Pass me that thesaurus,” said Matthew.

“If you knew what was good for you, you’d finish that essay right now,” my
roommate said.

“We’re going down to the soup kitchen to help serve dinner,” her mother called.

In British English, however, unquoted punctuation typically follows the
quotation marks. If you are writing for a British audience, put the comma after
the closing quotation mark. (Furthermore, British English tends to use single
quotes rather than double quotation marks.)


COMMAS WITH PARENTHESES

Parentheses are used to give additional information to the reader—information
that might disrupt the flow of the sentence if written as a nonrestrictive
clause. Commas may be placed after the closing parenthesis but not before either
the opening or the closing parenthesis. If the sentence would not require any
commas without the parenthetical material, it should not have any commas with
it.



After opening the new cookie tin, Chester had a hard time replacing the lid.





After opening the new cookie tin (and eating several of the cookies), Chester
had a hard time replacing the lid.





After opening the new cookie tin, (and eating several of the cookies), Chester
had a hard time replacing the lid.





After opening the new cookie tin (and eating several of the cookies,) Chester
had a hard time replacing the lid.




COMMAS WITH QUESTION TAGS

A question tag is a word or short phrase that is added to the end of a statement
to turn it into a question. Writers often use question tags to encourage readers
to agree with them. A question tag should be preceded by a comma.

These willow trees are beautiful, aren’t they?

You didn’t actually write a 600-page vampire romance novel, did you?

I know, right?


COMMAS WITH DIRECT ADDRESS

When addressing another person by name, set off the name with commas.

Mom, I can’t find my shoes!

Cleo, there’s someone on the phone for you.

Hello, Chester.


COMMAS WITH AS WELL AS

You generally don’t need a comma before the connective phrase as well as.
However, if you want the element of a sentence introduced by as well as to be
read as an interrupter or a parenthetical, setting it off with a comma or pair
of commas can communicate that.

Please proofread for grammatical mistakes as well as spelling.

Spelling mistakes, as well as grammatical errors, are distracting to readers.


COMMAS WITH SUCH AS

The phrase such as requires commas if it introduces a nonrestrictive clause.

Coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce, do not drop their needles in the
winter.

If such as introduces a restrictive clause, omit the commas.

Trees such as pine and spruce do not drop their needles in the winter.


COMMAS WITH TOO

Using a comma before the adverb too is generally unnecessary but not incorrect.

I like bananas too.

I too like bananas.

Setting too off with commas can add emphasis or make the sentence easier to
parse.

I like bananas, too.

I, too, like bananas.


COMMA MISTAKES TO AVOID

There are a few places in a sentence where a comma should (almost) never appear.


BETWEEN SUBJECTS AND VERBS

With few exceptions, a comma should not separate a subject from its verb.



My friend Cleo, is a wonderful singer.



Writers are often tempted to insert a comma between a subject and verb this way
because speakers sometimes pause at that point in a sentence. But in writing,
the comma only makes the sentence seem stilted.



My friend Cleo is a wonderful singer.



Be especially careful with long or complex subjects:



The things that cause me joy, may also cause me pain.





The things that cause me joy may also cause me pain.





Navigating through snow, sleet, wind, and darkness, is a miserable way to
travel.





Navigating through snow, sleet, wind, and darkness is a miserable way to travel.




IN COMPOUND SUBJECTS OR OBJECTS

In general, don’t put a comma between two nouns that appear together as a
compound subject or compound object.



Cleo, and her band will be playing at Dockside Diner next Friday.





Cleo and her band will be playing at Dockside Diner next Friday.





Cleo will wear a sparkly red blazer, and high heels.





Cleo will wear a sparkly red blazer and high heels.



Occasionally, when a subject or object is made up of two items and the second
item is parenthetical, or both items are long, the second item can be set off
between two commas.

She, and her cat, live there.

The irritating behavior of certain other members of the food coop, and the
recent steep increase in prices of much of the produce there, inevitably
dominated the conversation.

In these cases, the writer is using commas to let the reader know where in a
sentence emphasis and pauses should fall. They are not grammatically necessary,
so the compound subjects still take plural verbs.


IN COMPOUND PREDICATES

A compound predicate is what you have when the subject of a sentence is shared
by more than one verb without being repeated. In a compound predicate that
contains two verbs joined by a coordinating conjunction, a comma should rarely
be used between the verbs



Cleo will sing, and play the banjo. 





Cleo will sing and play the banjo. 



It’s easiest to make this mistake when the predicate is made up of long verb
phrases.



I meant to buy tickets for Cleo’s show, but ran out of time. 





I meant to buy tickets for Cleo’s show but ran out of time. 



However, it’s occasionally helpful to use a comma in a compound predicate to
prevent misreading:



Cleo spotted the man who entered the diner, and waved. 



In the sentence above, you need the comma to make clear that it was Cleo who
waved, not the man.


BETWEEN VERBS AND THEIR OBJECTS

Don’t separate a transitive verb from its direct object with a comma.



I’m glad I trained, Charlie not to beg for scraps. 





I’m glad I trained Charlie not to beg for scraps. 





Mary said, she likes chocolate. 





Mary said she likes chocolate. 




WITH CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS

Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs (such as either/or,
neither/nor, and not only/but also) and connect words or phrases in a sentence
to form a complete thought. Typically, commas are unnecessary with correlative
conjunctions.



Either the blue shirt, or the red sweater will look good with your jeans. 





Either the blue shirt or the red sweater will look good with your jeans. 





You can wear a pashmina not only for warmth, but also for fashion. 





You can wear a pashmina not only for warmth but also for fashion. 




BETWEEN ARTICLES AND NOUNS

Don’t use a comma between an article and a noun.



The company managers accidentally scheduled the, meeting for Saturday. 





A, bouquet of flowers may be created using more than one type of flower. 





I’ll have an, apple. 





The company managers accidentally scheduled the meeting for Saturday. 





A bouquet of flowers may be created using more than one type of flower. 





I’ll have an apple. 



When speaking, we often pause while we think of the next word we want to say. In
writing, though, there’s usually no reason to add this pause. If you’re writing
dialogue and you specifically want to convey a pause while someone is thinking,
use an ellipsis: I’ll have an . . . apple.


WITH THAN COMPARISONS

Don’t use a comma before than when you’re making a comparison.



This box is lighter, than that box. 





This box is lighter than that box. 





Hardcover books are more expensive, than paperback books. 





Hardcover books are more expensive than paperback books. 




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