Questions tagged [commas]
The comma is a punctuation character that is placed on the baseline and looks similar to a single quotation mark.
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Question mark after a comma and a second sentence? [duplicate]
A non-English native friend has just said that an English speaker told him the question mark should NOT be used after a pair of sentences separated by a comma. Something like this:
"Could someone ...
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Is there a comma after an adjective that is before a quote?
Which punctuation, if any, is correct:
He replied with a dismissive "No, I'm not interested."
He replied with a dismissive, "No, I'm not interested."
If there is an unlisted ...
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0answers
12 views
Comma between “because” and a preposition like “in”
I have seen this both ways, but is it better to do it like the first or second one? Does it change the meaning of the sentence when the comma is added, or is it just a verbal comma?
1.) That's because,...
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Comma use after imperative verb form [duplicate]
Is there a difference between the two sentences in meaning or syntactical correctness?
Analyze, in your own words, the difference between the authors.
and
Analyze in your own words the difference ...
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30 views
Is there a comma after “as in”? [closed]
Which sentence is more correct in terms of punctuation? Why?
"My name is Mary, as in, Mary Jane."
"My name is Mary as in Mary Jane."
"My name is Mary, as in Mary Jane."
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Should there be a comma between two short imperatives? [closed]
I've always thought that between two imperative sentences, there should be a comma. But I regularly see two imperatives written without a comma in a single sentence, such as:
"Buy now and pay ...
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3answers
118 views
Can I use a comma before an ampersand?
Question
Can I use a comma (,) before an ampersand (&)?
If no, then why not?
Example
The same products attracted all European countries to India: spices, silk, & cotton.
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Quotation marks and sentence within a sentence
How do we introduce a quoted clause within an independent clause?
For example, when talking about why we say, "John passes away or passed away." How do we write it in a sentence?
My sentence ...
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Can you use commas in a list of independent clauses? [closed]
I have seen this being done before on multiple occasions, but they are mostly in random articles that aren't necessarily extremely reliable sources, and I can't remember exactly what they are. Can you ...
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1answer
15 views
“Not even” as a conjunction or for contrast
Is this sentence fine?
It was pitch black, not even the stars could be seen.
I know that you can use a comma before not even and then a noun for contrast, but can it still work with a sentence?
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25 views
Comma after “then” and before “when”
Should there be a comma after the "then" in the following sentence?
If things get more complicated, then, when the others arrive, we'll need to put in more effort.
If there a comma there ...
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1answer
36 views
Why is a comma needed here? Before “some”
My teacher said that in this sentence: "She noticed that on one of the pages some information about the painting had been written." I should put a comma before "some".
I don't know ...
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Is this additional information restrictive or nonrestrictive to my sentence?
Apologies if this is a dumb question, but I need it answering.
I have this sentence:
During my time at school, I volunteered to help assist a student in class in order to stay focused and not get ...
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37 views
How to identify whether commas is required to separate prepositional phrases at the end of sentence? Why commas hve been used here?
Skims benefited from a well-timed introduction of pajamas and loungewear, [commas]with product lines such as the “cozy collection” bolstering sales as women have traded form-fitting styles for ...
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1answer
12 views
Comma usage to express the point in time
I was typing a sentence that confused me a bit. Any help would be appreciated.
I'm noting down what's needing completed before the meeting.
What would this mean?
What I want to communicate is that I ...
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53 views
Comma before without
Is this sentence right? If it is, when should you add the comma before without?
You can do what you want, without reporting everything.
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Comma use: Studies, reporting long-term term effects of stroke, are needed help to fill this knowledge gap
Is the comma use correct in the following sentence? Grammarly asks me to remove these commas.
Sentence:
Studies, reporting long-term term effects of stroke, are needed help to fill this knowledge gap....
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1answer
48 views
What's this usage of comma, separating of a list of independent clauses?
This is a sentence from the book "The Brothers Karamazov" (page 8):
He spent a disorderly adolescence and youth: he never finished high school; later he landed in some military school, then ...
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29 views
Should/may there be a comma before “which” in this sentence?
In sentence below, is a comma before "which" (1) necessary / (2) acceptable?
It consists of a single table called Table A, followed by three further tables which are the following: Table B, ...
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2answers
53 views
Proofreading for punctuation [closed]
His movies took the world by storm and set important conversations into motion #1[,] from criticizing domestic violence #2[,] which he had been a victim of #3[,] to advocating for free speech #4[,] a ...
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2answers
54 views
When to use (or not use) commas in a sentence with conditions
Current Sentence:
The steps in this procedure must be performed chronologically until the card has been found, or all the steps have been exhausted, and an adjustment to the system must be made.
...
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Comma or no comma: “…save for the last digit [,] which is 2.”
Comma or no comma: "11112 is a number whose digits are all 1, save for the last digit [,] which is 2.
My sentence is of the following form:
Comma or no comma: "11112 is a number whose ...
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1answer
41 views
Verb form after “and” — is there a rule? [closed]
Questions:
In the examples below, is there a rule that says which verb form must come after an “and”?
Should a comma appear before “and” in example 2B? Why or why not? I can’t locate a rule ...
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25 views
Does a “from…to” list require commas?
Take the following sentence:
"The success of the 1987 television show and 1990 film fueled the sales of everything from toys to toothbrushes to video games."
The following feels better:
&...
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Comma needed using and em-dash paranthetical within a list?
What's the correct use of an em-dash within a comma-separated list?
E.g. is, "Tom only likes four colours: red, blue—although he's on the fence—, green, and yellow" correct or is, "Tom ...
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219 views
What do multiple commas mean, in informal writing?
I've just watched a video about Informal Texting, by 'Sabrina and Friends'.
It mentioned multiple ways informal writing can be informed and altered by use of punctuation, emoji and similar changes, as ...
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30 views
Using comma in fronting with inversion (for “there”)
Be the following sentence:
Opposite to the window (there) was the last fleeting flower, which the shy lass hastily took.
I would like to know if, in case I use “there”, I should place a comma after “...
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17 views
How do you punctuate a sentence with two separate quotations separated by a conjunction?
An example would be the sentence:
They were saying, "He's too young to be working so many hours," and, "He should be focusing on his schoolwork."
I would think that, because ...
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0answers
34 views
To what do the two relative pronouns “which” refer?
In the sentence:
The sense that life as a whole is absurd arises when we perceive, perhaps dimly, an inflated pretension or aspiration which is inseparable from the continuation of human life and ...
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What's the term for a comma that commences non-restrictive clauses?
You pine to use a comma, to clarify that John has just one ball. Is there a term for the mandatory comma that I embolded?
In each of these examples, the phrase set off by commas can
be eliminated ...
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38 views
Does the comma in my example sentence add clarity, or should I leave it out?
I quickly realized, homeless people listen to and trust other homeless
people.
I chose to include the comma to ensure readers understand it was the 'listen to' and 'trust' that I realized and not ...
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1answer
45 views
Where to put commas in a long sentence with multiple ands
I am having a lot of trouble figuring out where to place commas in my long sentences and was hoping to get some guidance for this particular sentence so I can use it for reference.
Specifically, our ...
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24 views
Use of comma after a conjunction
Operationally, collective behavior was detected and quantified using correlations, or, more recently, by mutual information estimated either locally or globally.
Here should it be "or more ...
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0answers
30 views
Multiple non-restrictive modifiers in one sentence
Consider the following sentence:
"I have not sent any further communication, since the email, to your office, so far."
Would both the phrases "since the email" and "to your ...
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1answer
34 views
Will readers easily understand the following sentence, or should I express it differently?
What happened, happened, and the past cannot be changed.
Are the commas correctly used? Also, I'm concerned some readers will believe I mistakenly typed the word "happened" twice. Is there ...
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The use of comma in these sentences
Thus, the differences between the critical and average delays for BCLAs and KSAs are small, and, consequently, RPTs in multipliers with BCLAs and KSAs should be easily detected than those in ...
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2answers
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While at other times: conjunctive adverb?
I get very confused by punctuation surrounding adverbial phrases linking independent clauses in a compound sentence. "While at other times" is a good example:
He may often be considered ...
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1answer
28 views
Should I use a comma? [duplicate]
Which is correct?
Forgive, but don't forget.
Forgive but don't forget.
I have researched this and found unclear answers.
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From the moment, to the moment sequence
We’ve learned a lot from the moment we started, opened in beta, to the moment we launched.
Is this correct? It reads a bit awkward to have "opened in beta" between the from and to moments.
...
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1answer
35 views
Comma in series?
How to use serial comma when list has commonality.
1). I like the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado Deserts, and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
2). I like the Mojave, Sonoran and Colorado Deserts, and Sierra ...
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1answer
54 views
Why put a comma before “too” when meaning “as well” but not before words that can be used in place of “too?”
"If I were to go to the market, would you like to come, too?"
How is it that that is correct, while replacing "too" with "as well" would not warrant the same comma before ...
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50 views
Coordinating Conjunction “FOR,” in particular, AND commas
I have received instruction that coordinating conjunctions that begin a sentence should always be immediately followed by a comma.
I do not find another thread in this forum which answers my 2 ...
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2answers
32 views
What constitutes as a restrictive or nonrestrictive?
I'm struggling with trying to figure out whether or not this sentence needs a comma before "only."
"He stopped running, only to grab a log from a stack of firewood and launch it at me.&...
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1answer
58 views
How do you introduce a non-quote? [duplicate]
Initially, I drafted the following sentence.
He argues we consistently make assumptions that are wrong.
Later, because it looked like a quote, I added a comma. But, do I need a comma?
He argues, we ...
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1answer
42 views
Should this sentence have a comma?
I'm really unsure how this type of sentence is categorised. My inclination is to replace the comma with 'that'. It certainly feels and looks like a comma splice to me.
The pigs are so confident in ...
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0answers
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Comma use: Physical therapy hours were derived from the funding codes for rehabilitation, which, for the most part, have pre-defined lengths
Sentence
Physical therapy hours were derived from the funding codes for rehabilitation, which, for the most part, have pre-defined lengths.
Is it correct to put commas before and after "which&...
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0answers
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Do you set off “and when” with commas?
For example,
Sim allowed his feet to be placed on the floor*, and when his daughter held out her arms, he leaned his weight into them.
Or would the sentence read as
Sim allowed his feet to be ...
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23 views
Separate Sentences combined with “and”
I am new to this site.
I have seen a sentence like, "Do not do xxxxxxx AND maintain xxxxxx", where xxxxx can be any instruction.
Does the "Do not" phrase apply to both parts of the ...
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0answers
36 views
What is a comma splice without a verb called? [duplicate]
Take as an example the sentence:
"The monk is skinny, his arms lean from years of cardiovascular exercise."
I've seen similar sentences and am curious about the grammar, since a similar ...
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2answers
125 views
How is this comma usage explained with Thomas Pynchon?
I read Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon last year, and there was some
comma usage I’ve been curious about ever since.
For instance, I’ve just opened up a couple pages of it and saw that he has
this ...
