On Tuesday, April 13, at three o’clock, there will be a meeting for all staff. Use a comma between a day of the week and a date: If you are using the day-month-year format, however, commas are unnecessary.Īpplications are due by 31 December 2024. July 4, 1776, was an important day in American history. When writing a date in month-day-year format, set off the year with commas. Suddenly, a frightened black cat sprang from the shadows.īut if there is a chance of misreading the sentence, use the comma:īefore eating, the family said grace. Without knowing why, I crossed the room and looked out the window. You can also use a comma after a shorter phrase when you want to emphasize it or add a pause for literary effect.Īfter the show, Cleo will be signing autographs.īehind the building there is enough space to park two limousines. As a rule of thumb, if the phrase is longer than about four words, use a comma. When an adverbial phrase begins a sentence, it’s often followed by a comma, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’s short. Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house.Ĭonfused by her sister’s sudden change in mood, Jill stayed quiet. Commas with introductory phrasesĪ comma normally follows a participial phrase that introduces a sentence: The detective Sherlock Holmes is one of literature’s greatest sleuths. Nick Jonas’s brother Kevin is the most underrated Jonas. Essential appositivesĮdgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” is a classic. The painter, one of the city’s most promising young artists, began showing his work in galleries before he was sixteen.Ĭhocolate, my favorite treat, always makes me feel better after a bad day. If the appositive is necessary, it’s said to be essential and should not be set off with commas. If you could remove the appositive without changing the meaning of the sentence, it is said to be nonessential and should be set off with commas. Often, the appositive provides additional information about the noun or helps to distinguish it in some way. Commas with appositivesĪn appositive is a noun or noun phrase that refers to the same thing as another noun in the same sentence. If you removed it, there would be no way to tell which restaurant you were talking about. The clause “that Chester recommended” is essential information in the sentence above. The cafe that Chester recommended is a fantastic restaurant. Use a comma before the coordinating conjunction but if it is joining two independent clauses: I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen, and Albert Einstein.
DOES HOPEFULLY NEED A COMMA SERIAL
A serial comma eliminates the possibility of misreading, so even if you’re not using serial commas in your writing, make an exception for sentences like this: To put it another way, the writer seems to be saying that her parents are Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. Without a serial comma, it looks like “Jane Austen and Albert Einstein” is an appositive, rather than the second and third elements in a list. The sentence above will almost certainly cause readers to do a double take. I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. Keep in mind, though, that occasionally the serial comma is necessary for clarity.
In your own writing, you can decide for yourself whether to use it-just be consistent. Whether or not you use the serial comma is a style choice.
I still have to buy a gift, pack the suitcases and arrange for someone to water the plants while we’re at the wedding.
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