The comma is a punctuation character that is placed on the baseline and looks similar to a single quotation mark.
64
votes
13answers
13k views
Should I put a comma before the last item in a list?
Should I put a comma before last item in list?
I would like crackers, cheese and some soda.
I would like crackers, cheese, and some soda.
21
votes
4answers
1k views
How should I punctuate around quotes?
The American convention in quotations is (typically) to place punctuation inside quoted text. But I always run into situations where the punctuation of the quote interferes with the punctuation of the ...
5
votes
1answer
915 views
Punctuation of direct speech, edge cases
I recently learned that I have developed a consistent, but entirely wrong approach to punctuating direct speech in fiction. I am in the unenviable position of trying to relearn.
Previously I wrote ...
9
votes
1answer
764 views
Is it proper usage to replace a comma in a list with a semi-colon in this situation (see details)?
While writing a proposal at work today I needed to mention a list of things and within that list were multi-part items. It seems like replacing the comma with a semi-colon in this situation would make ...
13
votes
6answers
5k views
Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter?
Sometimes I see a comma after the proper name:
Hello Mr. Black,
In order to give you....
But my native language is not English and I think that the comma in this phrase should be placed ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
In which cases is a comma/period placed inside or outside of parentheses?
Are there cases where a period is placed inside parentheses? In which cases the period (or a comma) should be placed inside the parentheses?
15
votes
2answers
6k views
Should you use a comma/period after “Thanks”/“Regards” in email signatures?
Normal practice is to end emails with a Thanks or Regards. My question is should there be a comma or a period or nothing after Thanks/Regards?
Thanks,
John Doe
Or
Thanks.
John ...
7
votes
3answers
497 views
Is a comma necessary in “What’s funny, is …”?
In the sentence
What’s funny is Cat’s dry humour.
Wouldn’t it be better to put a comma after “funny”:
What’s funny, is Cat’s dry humour.
This question entails a (at the time of writing) ...
11
votes
2answers
14k views
In what cases should I use a comma after “please”?
As far as I can see from different texts, there seems to be no strict rule about putting comma after "Please" when it is used as an introduction to a request. Am I right?
In what cases using comma ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
Parentheses vs. double commas vs. dashes to provide additional detail
When do you use commas and when do you use parentheses to provide more detail about something?
For example:
The suspect, Tom Wilson, is now being charged with murder.
The suspect (Tom Wilson) is ...
8
votes
2answers
616 views
Comma after introductory phrases
I am no native speaker and always confused about the comma in introductory phrases, in particular in prepositional phrases. Is there any hard rule when a comma must be set? If I make a google search ...
6
votes
4answers
5k views
Should I capitalize the starting sentence after a greeting that ends in a comma (e.g. “Hello,”)?
Should I open the starting sentence after comma in adressing "Hi," ("Hello,") with capital letter?
Hi, Xxxl, Dear Xxx L,
let me ...
vs.
Dear Xxx L,
Let me ...
In Russian it ...
4
votes
1answer
428 views
Punctuation within quotes
When I was at school I was told that a quote should end with a comma. For example:
"The car is on the road," said Tom.
"No it isn't," replied Dick.
"He's right — it's over there!" said Harry.
...
0
votes
2answers
342 views
Repeating “to” in a list of verbs connected by “and”
"This group’s main duties are to carry out information systems audits in Colombian banks and to make research and develop new regulations on information technologies and systems in the banking ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Does a comma have to be used before a quotation?
If before the quote the word "saying" or "said" is used, does a comma always have to be used before it? When does a comma not have to be used?
8
votes
2answers
892 views
Comma placement when using quotes that end with a question mark [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should I punctuate around quotes?
I've been writing a letter to an editor, and one line of my response reads:
In your article "What Makes Free Will Free?" you ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Meaning of “My friend, who lives in Paris, is a teacher” with and without commas
Can anyone help me understand the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
My friend who lives in Paris is a teacher.
My friend, who lives in Paris, is a teacher.
To me it ...
11
votes
5answers
17k views
When do we need to put a comma after “so”?
I noticed that most of the times when the conjunction "so" is used at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma:
So, this gets published but the fact that it is inaccurate gets ...
7
votes
4answers
7k views
Placement of comma before quotation mark
What is the rule for comma placement before a quotation mark? When should it go before and when should it go after the quotation mark?
13
votes
6answers
8k views
Using a comma before “but”
I was once told by an English professor that a comma should never be used before but in a sentence. For years, I have followed her advice but sometimes I just feel like it just needs to be there. On ...
6
votes
4answers
626 views
5
votes
3answers
361 views
What is a comma splice?
Is this a comma splice? What makes a sentence a comma splice?
Being left at the altar on her wedding
day, Pamela became furious.
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Is it a splice comma if an interjection-phrase is involved?
It's certainly poor style, if not actually wrong, to join independent clauses with a comma when a semicolon or other punctuation would have sufficed. But interjections are usually offset from other ...
12
votes
1answer
601 views
Really nice, Mat
I see a lot of people saying things such as
Nice work, Nick
Or
Thanks, Mat
Is the comma really needed? I'm not 100% sure because my spelling and grammar is not great, but I think it reads ...
9
votes
3answers
527 views
What is the correct way to write “God bless America”?
I've seen people write "God bless America", and it drives me nuts.
Shouldn't it be "God, bless America"?
7
votes
5answers
13k views
Is it acceptable to drop the comma in “Thanks, John”? [duplicate]
I grew up learning that the comma must be placed there, but it seems like an unnecessary interruption in a phrase that isn't ever spoken that way.
4
votes
2answers
654 views
Rules about prepositions and duplicating 'to'
On occasion, I end up writing sentences that contain a duplicate word, often what is probably a preposition (or better yet, an adposition). The specific example that I just ran into involves a ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Punctuation to introduce a list: comma vs. colon vs. nothing
Which of these sentences is written correctly?
Angela has three brothers, Mark, Adam, and Ryan.
Angela has three brothers: Mark, Adam, and Ryan.
Angela has three brothers Mark, Adam, and ...
3
votes
4answers
362 views
When do I use the comma?
The monitor being ill, we'd better put the meeting off.
The river having risen in the night the crossing was impossible.
In the above two sentences, one uses the comma and one does not. So, ...
-1
votes
1answer
71 views
Comma in “Before I go I will return the book” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When do I use the comma?
Before I go I will return the book.
Do we have to use a comma in the above sentence?
-2
votes
1answer
2k views
Sentence with multiple 'and's: should I use an Oxford comma, and if so, where? [closed]
I have the following sentence:
I am a self-starter possessing excellent problem solving ability and outstanding coordination and communication skills.
Using the Oxford comma, what is the correct ...
4
votes
3answers
4k views
When should one use the comma versus the semicolon, and vice versa?
I cannot understand the difference between the comma and semicolon. Can you please clarify?
11
votes
5answers
668 views
Commas around non-parenthetical name like “The famous playwright, William Shakespeare, was born…”?
I commonly see commas used like: "The famous playwright, William Shakespeare, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon."
It bothers me, but I'm curious to hear explanations of why this is done, and if it can ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Use of comma separating two adjectives
If I had the phrase
two blond haired, blue eyed people
would the comma be out of place?
should I hyphenate "blond haired" and "blue eyed"?
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it mandatory to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction uniting the two independent clauses in a compound sentence?
My friend and I had an argument about whether this sentence required a comma:
I understand where you're coming from but I disagree.
My friend insisted that there should be a comma before "but":
...
1
vote
3answers
177 views
Do these adjectives refer to ice?
In this sentence from Wuthering Heights
I declined joining their breakfast, and, at the first gleam of dawn,
took an opportunity of escaping into the free air, now clear, and
still, and cold ...
12
votes
5answers
531 views
Which type of comma is used here?
I was reading a book called "The Penguin Guide to Punctuation" by R. L. Trask. It seems that the book doesn't explain all the uses of comma. It says "There are four uses of the
comma, called the ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Comma or no comma before “too”?
Consider the following examples:
"And it is a bottle, too."
"And it is a bottle too."
Is there a semantic difference between these two sentences? Or do they mean the same thing, with or without ...
5
votes
4answers
10k views
Is it correct to use this expression in an email: “Attached you may find …”?
Is it grammatical to use the expression "Attached you may find ..." in an email? For example:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Attached you may find the documents you requested.
...
If this is ...
5
votes
2answers
503 views
Tending to misuse comma
I tend to misuse commas in large way.
Whenever I draft a professional mail, I get engrossed in the points, and somewhere along the way I get the feeling that this sentence is too long. I then ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Is “not only… but as well…” grammatical?
I was given a text to read by my teacher which contains the following sentence:
Speaking a foreign language one can not only read the papers, magazines and original books by outstanding writers, ...
8
votes
4answers
244 views
Should enclosing commas be treated as parentheses?
I just read the following in Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational,
[...] Zoe, and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal, was
completely blinded by [...] p. 57
To me it would have ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Usage of commas with “albeit”
Is it correct to place two commas in this sentence?
New York City plays a significant, albeit previously neglected, role in the urban narratives of [...].
6
votes
2answers
304 views
Is there any general rule of thumb that can be followed for where and when to add commas and full stops?
I always mess up with my writing by adding commas and full stops (periods) in the wrong places. Is there any rule of thumb or some other way that I can follow to avoid this problem?
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Comma in conditional sentence and in antithesis
I've got a couple questions:
Should I always put comma between condition and consequence parts, like in the following sentence:
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Should I always ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Usage of “and” and comma when writing numbers UK style
I am trying to understand the rules for writing numbers in words under the UK rules (with "and"). I understand how to write small numbers (up to a few thousands), but I am not sure when to use "and" ...
4
votes
2answers
636 views
How to punctuate sentences like “I'm just calling a spade, a spade.”
I was browsing Area 51 and I saw this comment:
I'm just calling a spade, a spade.
I'm never quite sure how to punctuate sentences like these where a phrase is repeated back to back, without any ...
3
votes
3answers
5k views
Is a comma needed before or after “which” and “such as”?
Is a comma needed before the word "which" and "such as" in the following examples?
Ethical clearance was essential which was obtained very early in the research process.
There are several ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Comma in “Don't you wish your girlfriend was grammatically correct like me?”
I saw this:
"Don't you wish your girlfriend was grammatically correct like me?"
I'm wondering should it be:
"Don't you wish your girlfriend was grammatically correct, like me?"
2
votes
1answer
172 views
Should there be a comma in “The heading reads, 'a chart heading.'”?
I have a sentence along the lines of
The heading reads, "a chart heading."
The comma seems a bit awkward to me, but I cannot seem to find any explicit guidance in the Chicago Manual of Style on ...
