The comma is a punctuation character that is placed on the baseline and looks similar to a single quotation mark.
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13answers
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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.
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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 ...
21
votes
5answers
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Should there be a comma after “i.e.”?
If I remember correctly from English class, then one should put a comma after "i.e.", i.e., the Latin abbreviation for id est.
But lately I've seen the comma after "i.e." dropped in books. So what is ...
18
votes
6answers
15k views
Should I always use a comma after “e.g.” or “i.e.”?
It seems that "e.g." is always followed by a comma but "i.e." is not. Why is that?
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votes
4answers
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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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
12
votes
1answer
558 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 ...
12
votes
6answers
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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 ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it appropriate to put a comma before “which”?
On Server Fault, we were discussing this question in chat. There are non-native speakers in the chat and somehow we got on the topic of grammar and proper use of commas.
The sentence of interest:
...
12
votes
5answers
517 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 ...
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 ...
11
votes
5answers
16k 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 ...
11
votes
2answers
13k 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 ...
11
votes
5answers
654 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 ...
11
votes
5answers
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Should there always be a comma after “therefore”,“However” etc.?
Should you always type a comma after "therefore","However" etc. in the beginning of a sentence? Also, when these (and similar) words are used in the middle of a sentence, should there be a comma ...
11
votes
1answer
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“If” with implicit “then” question: Should a comma be used?
Consider the following phrase:
If the fruit is an apple, it should be given to children.
Is the comma after apple necessary? Is it optional? Is it wrong?
10
votes
2answers
12k views
When ending a list with “etc”, should there be a comma before “etc”?
When listing items and ending the list with "etc", should there be a comma before "etc"? E.g.
red, green, blue, etc
or
red, green, blue etc
Related question, though this one involves the word ...
9
votes
1answer
739 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 ...
8
votes
4answers
234 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
7k views
Can a sentence starting with “While, …” be grammatically correct?
I have a colleague who often writes sentences in the form "While, [these circumstances would make X seem unlikely to be the case], [these other circumstances show that X is in fact the case].
For ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
If you're using a quote with a period but do not want to end the sentence, do you keep the period?
For example. If I want to quote a passage from a writing, that says
The cake is not a lie.
and my sentence is:
The book by author states that "The cake is not a lie." however studies show ...
8
votes
2answers
578 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
835 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 ...
7
votes
4answers
6k 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?
7
votes
3answers
491 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) ...
7
votes
5answers
565 views
How to punctuate lists that are nested to three levels?
A basic list is punctuated like this:
The park has some bears, deers, and other animals.
(bears) (deers) (other animals)
When commas appear inside the items of a list, or when lists appear ...
7
votes
3answers
497 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
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?
7
votes
5answers
11k 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.
7
votes
3answers
15k views
Do you need a comma before a subordinating conjunction (like if)?
Are both of the following sentences correct?
a: You can call me, if you need me. OR
b: You can call if you need me.
Note that in a:, the comma is placed before the "if" and is not present in case ...
7
votes
7answers
888 views
Correct comma use with “but” and “that”
Compare these 3 sentences:
Both are based on librsync, but above that they behave quite differently.
Both are based on librsync, but above that, they behave quite differently.
Both are ...
7
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 ...
7
votes
3answers
634 views
Is a comma needed after “a, b and c”?
Does a sentence like this need a comma where the question mark stands?
Sunshine is an app for smartphones, tablets and computers [?] that
lets you track and post weather news to blogs, social ...
6
votes
4answers
477 views
Comma splices and fragments in novels
I have noticed that many authors incorporate the use of fragments and comma splices in their novels. Given that this is acceptable practice in a novel, is it acceptable to use a comma splice or a ...
6
votes
3answers
225 views
Should there be a comma in “Tell <name> <other name> says hi.”?
I just wrote to someone,
Tell Alivia Wyatt says hi.
Am I missing a comma? It seems like there almost has to be one between the names. I find it a strange sentence to punctuate.
6
votes
4answers
844 views
When should you use a semicolon *with* a conjunction?
I know the basics of a semicolon—at least I think I do. Aside from delimiting verbose lists, it separates independent clauses of a sentence. So, if you have two independent clauses in a sentence, ...
6
votes
2answers
301 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
5answers
240 views
Meaning of “more original computer science”
If I write
Knuth has written more original computer science than anybody else
does it mean computer science that is more original or more computer science that is original? It seems like it ...
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
212 views
How to correctly assimilate dots, if at all?
I see this sentence:
There are many examples like mining, farming, foresting etc., that are dangerous to society because they cause environmental damage.
Shouldn't "etc.," be written instead ...
6
votes
4answers
547 views
How should this sentence be punctuated?
I'm not sure how to punctuate the following sentence:
Besides the managers, Pete, John and Eric, also the secretary, Mary, came along to the meeting.
I think I messed up completely with comma ...
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 ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Placing a comma after a conditional statement
I've always had difficulties in figuring out where commas should be placed. For example, in a phrase containing a conditional statement, how should I write...
If they don't arrive by noon, she'll ...
6
votes
3answers
378 views
Should the beginner's program read "Hello, World? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter?
I was thinking today about comma usage and the typical first output for a beginning programmer. In the ...
6
votes
4answers
4k 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
17k views
Should there be a comma before “though” when it occurs at the end of a sentence?
Consider
I don't know how outdated it is though.
Should there be a comma before though, as in the following?
I don't know how outdated it is, though.
5
votes
2answers
496 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 ...
5
votes
3answers
360 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.
5
votes
3answers
301 views
Why don't years have commas?
For example, if one asks "what's two thousand plus two thousand", one could write it like this:
2,000 + 2,000
But when one writes the date:
January 2, 2000
So why do we put commas when ...
