Avoiding Unnecessary Commas

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Oftentimes, avoiding unnecessary commas is simply a matter
of understanding the rules of correct comma usage.
KEY POINTS
Adjectives (with their adjuncts) should be set off with a comma when
something depends on them, or when they have the import of a
dependentclause.
The infinitive, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or
when it depends on something remote or understood, is generally, with its
adjuncts, set off by the comma.
Participles (with their adjuncts) should be set off by commas when
something depends on them, when they have the import of a dependent
clause or when they relate to something understood.
When an adjective immediately follows its noun, and is taken in a restrictive
sense, the comma should not be used before it.
Where a finite verb is understood, a comma is generally required.
The infinitive, when it follows a verb from which it must be separated, or
when it depends on something remote or understood, is generally, with its
adjuncts, set off by the comma.
Participles (with their adjuncts) should be set off by commas when something
depends on them, when they have the import of a dependent clause, or when
they relate to something understood.
When a participle immediately follows its noun, and is taken in a restrictive
sense, the comma should not be used before it.
Adverbs, when they break the connection of a simple sentence, or when don't
have a close dependence on some particular word in the context, should,
with their adjuncts, be set off by the comma.
Conjunctions, when they are separated from the principal clauses that
depend on them, or when they introduce examples, are generally set off by
the comma.
Prepositions and their objects, when they break the connection of a simple
sentence, or when they do not closely follow the words on which they
depend, are generally set off by the comma.
Interjections that require a pause, though more commonly emphatic and
followed by the ecphoneme, are sometimes set off by the comma.
A word emphatically repeated, is generally set off by the comma.
A quotation, observation, or description, when it is introduced in close
dependence on a verb, (as, say, reply, cry, or the like,) is generally separated
from the rest of the sentence by the comma.
Nouns or pronouns put absolute, should, with their adjuncts, be set off by the
comma.
When more than two words or terms are connected in the same
construction, or in a joint dependence on some other term, by conjunctions
expressed or understood, the comma should be inserted after every one of
them but the last; and, if they are nominatives before a verb, the comma
should follow the last also.
When only two words or terms are connected by a conjunction, they should
not be separated by the comma.
When the two words connected have several adjuncts, or when one of them
has an adjunct that relates not to both, the comma is inserted.
When two connected words or phrases are contrasted, or emphatically
distinguished, the comma is inserted.
When there is merely an alternative of names, or an explanatory change of
terms, the comma is usually inserted.
When the conjunction is understood, the comma is inserted; and, if two
separated words or terms refer alike to a third term, the second requires a
second comma.
When successive words are joined in pairs by conjunctions, they should be
separated in pairs by the comma.
When several words, in their common order, are used as
one compound name, the comma is not inserted.
When a common and a proper name are closely united, the comma is not
inserted.
When a pronoun is added to an other word merely for emphasis and
distinction, the comma is not inserted.
When a name acquired by some action or relation, is put in apposition with
a preceding noun or pronoun, the comma is not inserted.
A simple sentence does not, in general, admit the comma.
When the nominative in a long simple sentence is accompanied by
inseparable adjuncts, or when several words together are used instead of a
nominative, a comma should be placed immediately before the verb.
The simple members of a compound sentence, whether successive or involved,
elliptical or complete, are generally divided by the comma.
When a relative immediately follows its antecedent, and is taken in a
restrictive sense, the comma should not be introduced before it.
When the simple members are short, and closely connected by a conjunction
or a conjunctive adverb, the comma is generally omitted.
When two simple members are immediately united, through ellipsis of the
relative, the antecedent, or the conjunction that, the comma is not inserted.
TERMS
comma
Punctuation mark, usually indicating a pause between parts of a sentence or
between elements in a list.
preposition
Any of a closed class of non-inflecting words typically employed to connect a
noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other
word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the
objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
participle
A form of a verb that may function as an adjective or noun. English has two
types of participles: the present participle and the past participle.
EXAMPLES
Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will
save you thirty percent of the membership cost. Correct: Registering for
our fitness programs before September 15 will save you thirty percent of the
membership cost.
Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will
save you thirty percent of the membership cost.
Correct: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15 will
save you thirty percent of the membership cost.
Rule: Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its predicate.
Incorrect: I hope to mail to you before Christmas, a current snapshot of
my dog Benji.
Correct: I hope to mail to you before Christmas a current snapshot of my
dog Benji.
Rule: Do not use a comma to separate a verb from its object or
its subjectcomplement, or a preposition from its object.
Incorrect: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof but, the family was used to the
noise and paid it no attention.
Correct: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof, but the family was used to the
noise and paid it no attention.
Rule: Do not misuse a comma after a coordinating conjunction.
Incorrect: The fingers, on his left hand, are bigger than those on his right.
Correct: The fingers on his left hand are bigger than those on his right.
Rule: Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements.
Incorrect: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain, due to rising
production costs and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Correct: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain due to rising
production costs and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Rule: Do not use a comma before a dependent clause that comes after
anindependent clause. This is called a disruptive comma.
Correct: Before the parade I want to eat pizza.
Rule: Do not use a comma after a short introductory prepositional phrase
unless you mean to add extra emphasis.
Incorrect: I like your dancing, cat t-shirt.
Correct: I like your dancing cat t-shirt.
Rule: Do not use a comma between adjectives that work together to modify a
noun.
Correct: Participating in a democracy takes a strong stomach because "it
requires a certain relish for confusion," writes Molly Ivins.
Rule: Do not use a comma to set off quotations that occupy a subordinate
position in a sentence, often signaled by the words that, which, or because.
Correct: The next presidential election will take place in November 2008.
Rule: Do not use a comma when naming only a month and a year.
Correct: Write to the program advisor at 645 5th Street, Minerton,
Indiana 55555.
Rule: Do not use a comma in street addresses or page numbers, or before a
ZIP or other postal code.
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Avoiding Unnecessary Commas
Oftentimes, avoiding unnecessary commas is simply a matter of
understanding the rules of correct comma usage. By knowing when to use
commas, you'll also know when not to use them.
Still, it's never a bad idea to keep a few rules of thumb in mind:
Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its predicate. For example:
Incorrect: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15, will save
you thirty percent of the membership cost.
Correct: Registering for our fitness programs before September 15 will save
you thirty percent of the membership cost.
Do not use a comma to separate a verb from its object or its subject
complement, or a preposition from its object. For example:
Incorrect: I hope to mail to you before Christmas, a current snapshot of my
dog Benji.
Incorrect: She traveled around the world with, a small backpack, a bedroll, a
pup tent and a camera.
Correct: I hope to mail to you before Christmas a current snapshot of my dog
Benji.
Correct: She traveled around the world with a small backpack, a bedroll, a pup
tent and a camera.
Do not misuse a comma after a coordinating conjunction. For example:
Incorrect: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof but, the family was used to the noise
and paid it no attention.
Correct: Sleet fell heavily on the tin roof, but the family was used to the noise
and paid it no attention.
Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements. For example:
Incorrect: The fingers, on his left hand, are bigger than those on his right.
Correct: The fingers on his left hand are bigger than those on his right.
Do not use a comma before a dependent clause that comes after an
independent clause. This is called a disruptive comma. For example:
Incorrect: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain, due to rising
production costs and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Incorrect: Some argue that print newspapers will never disappear, because of
their many readers.
Correct: The future of print newspapers appears uncertain due to rising
production costs and the increasing popularity of online news sources.
Correct: Some argue that print newspapers will never disappear because of
their many readers.
Do not use a comma after a short introductory prepositional phrase unless you
mean to add extra emphasis. For example:
Correct: Before the parade I want to eat pizza.
Do not use a comma between adjectives that work together to modify a noun.
For example:
Incorrect: I like your dancing, cat t-shirt.
Correct: I like your dancing cat t-shirt.
Do not use a comma to set off quotations that occupy a subordinate position in
a sentence, often signaled by the words "that," "which" or "because. " For
example:
Correct: Participating in a democracy takes a strong stomach because "it
requires a certain relish for confusion," writes Molly Ivins.
Do not use a comma when naming only a month and a year. For example:
Correct: The next presidential election will take place in November 2008.
Do not use a comma in street addresses or page numbers, or before a ZIP or
other postal code. For example:
Correct: The table appears on page 1397.
Correct: The fire occurred at 5509 Avenida Valencia.
Correct: Write to the program advisor at 645 5
th
Street, Minerton, Indiana
55555.