COMMAS

Finally (Introductory word) , the speeding car careened to the right (Rest of the sentence). 1. 2. 3. Yes, shes going to the cafeteria. Switching on a flashlight, the ranger led the way down the path. By the end of the train ride, the children were exhausted.

RULE 1: Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. Independent Clause , Independent Clause And But For Nor Or So Yet Example: He felt a pain in his knee, and he began to play cautiously.

RULE 6: Use commas to set off elements that interrupt the sentence. Two commas are used around an interrupting element one before and one after. Example: That boy, in fact, worked very hard. Sometimes an interrupter comes at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. In these cases, only one comma is needed. Example:

RULE 2: Use commas between items in a series. Example: All my cousins, aunts, and uncles came to our family reunion. A. If all items in a series are joined by and or or, do not use commas to separate them. Example: I need tacks and nails and a hammer. Independent clauses in a series are usually separated by semicolons. Short independent clause, however, may be separated by commas. Example: The sky darkened, branches swayed, the cold deepened, and snow fell.

Nevertheless, you must go with me.

RULE 7: Use a comma to take the place of an omitted word or phrase or to prevent misreading. Example: Before work she visits her father, and after work, her mother.

B.

RULE 8: Use commas with parts of dates and addresses, with peoples titles, and in parts of correspondence but not in large numerals. 1. Dates Use a comma or paired commas in dates when month, day, and year are included or when the day of the week is followed by the date. Examples: A. On September 4, 2009, she travelled to Halifax. B. On Friday, September 4, she travelled to Halifax. Note: Do not use commas when the day of the month is omitted or when the day appears before the month. Examples: A. In September 2009 she travelled to Halifax. B. On 4 September 2009 she travelled to Halifax. 2. Addresses Use a comma or commas to set off the parts of an address or the name of a province, but do not use a comma preceding a postal code. Examples: A. He lived at 250 Fulton Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.

RULE 3: Use commas to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun. Examples: 1. Are you going to that hot, crowded, noisy mall? 2. Ill drink cool, refreshing orange juice.

RULE 4: Use commas to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential participial phrases. A nonessential clause or participial phrase adds information that is not necessary to the main idea in the sentence. Examples: 1. Alex, who is at the top of his class, wants to go to medical school. 2. The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, has been translated into many languages.

RULE 5: Use a comma after an introductory word group that is not the subject of the sentence. An introductory word group must be distinct from, yet clearly attached to, what follows. Example:

B.

He lived at 250 Fulton Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4C 1N5.

3.

Peoples Titles or Degrees Put a comma between the persons name and the title or degree when it comes after the name. If the sentence continues, place another comma after the title or degree. Examples: A. Luis Mendez, MD, gave her the green light to resume her exercise regimen. B. Martin Luther King, Jr.

of the people, and returned with you. Well, Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether -- as I was saying, I must beg you not to interrupt -- he asked the oracle to tell him whether there was anyone wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered that there was no man wiser. Chaerephon is dead himself, but his brother, who is in court, will confirm the truth of this story. THE APOLOGY, Plato 1. If you are leaving out the end of a quoted sentence, the three ellipsis points are preceded by a period to end the sentence.

4.

Parts of Correspondence Add a comma after the greeting in an informal letter and after the closing in any kind of letter. Examples: A. Sincerely yours, B. With Best Wishes, N.B. : A colon follows the greetings in a business letter If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, such wisdom as is attainable by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise; whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom, which I may fail to describe. . . .

2.

If you are leaving out a sentence or sentences, use three ellipsis points preceded by a period.

5.

Numbers When a number has more than four digits, use spaces, not commas, to mark off the numerals by hundreds that is, by groups of three beginning at the right. If the number is four digits long, the space is optional. Example: Only 7080 [or 7 080] worked outside his country.

And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. . . . I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit, and will tell you about my wisdom -whether I have any, and of what sort -- and that witness shall be the god of Delphi.

3.

If you are leaving out the last part of one sentence and the first part of the next. Use three ellipses points.

And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt . . . the word which I will speak is not mine. RULE 9: Use a comma or commas to separate a direct quotation from the phrase that signals it. 4. Example: Eugene Forsey declares, A Governor General must take all steps necessary to thwart the will of a ruthless prime minister. ELLIPSES If you wish to shorten a passage you are quoting, you may omit words, phrases, or even entire sentences. To show readers that you have done so, use three spaced periods (. . .), called ellipses or an ellipsis mark. FULL QUOTATION If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, such wisdom as is attainable by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise; whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom, which I may fail to describe, because I have it not myself; and he who says that I have, speaks falsely, and is taking away my character. And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. For the word which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit, and will tell you about my wisdom -whether I have any, and of what sort -- and that witness shall be the god of Delphi. You must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and also a friend of yours, for he shared in the exile If you are leaving out the last part of a sentence and one or more of the sentences that follow it, use three ellipsis points followed by a period.

I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit, and will tell you about my wisdom. . . . You must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and also a friend of yours 5. You can also use ellipses when writing dialogue to leave a thought or statement hanging or to suggest that a series continues. Example: She glared at me and said, If I have to come over there one more time. . .

NOTE: If the quotation begins with a capitalized word, rather than with a lowercased word or one starting with a bracketed capital letter, even though it begins mid-sentence, ellipses should precede the first word of the quotation so that the readers will know that the first part of the sentence has been left out. Munro recounts, . . . I watched Canadian troops the blazing, bloody battle of Dieppe.

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