WRITING LESSON: Commas
In writing, a "convention" is a rule that has been generally agreed upon by most writers and teachers. Most of the important conventions in writing have to do with punctuation.
* with coordinate conjunctions and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet
1. Separate independent clauses within a sentence.
a. Julia counsels students, and she volunteers at a Rotty shelter.
b. Joseph planned to invest his birthday gift, but he bought a grammar book instead.
c. I don't smoke, nor do I sit near people who are smoking.
d. I haven't seen the new house, yet I know how to get there.
2. Do not use commas before conjunctions that only link phrases.
a. Maddy counsels students and delivers meals to handicapped senior citizens.
b. Two inches of snow and a glazing of ice covered the streets.
* with introductory elements
1. Use commas to separate elements that introduce (or start) sentences.
a. After looking at several cars, Asia decided on a sporty model.
2. The comma can be omitted after short introductory elements, if there is no risk of misreading.
* Addresses and place names
a. Mr. Salsich lives at 20 Granite Street, #8, Westerly, RI 02891 (Notice there is no comma before the zip code.)
* Quotations
Commas ordinarily separate a quotation from its source, such as he said or she stated.
a. Lily said, "Pleeeeeeeease don't give us any homework tonight, Mr. Salsich."
b. "Sometimes love is stronger than a man's convictions," wrote Isaac Bashevis Singer.
c. "I never forget a face," said Morgan, "but in your case, I'll make an exception."
* Do not use a comma with identifying words that interrupt main clauses in a quotation.
a. "Don't speak to me," Julia sighed. "Your words are meaningless."
* Parenthetical expressions (phrases that interrupt the flow of the sentence)
a. Asia's latest essay, in my opinion, is a winner.
b. Jiseph's shirt, by the way, is very cool.
* Interjections
a. Yikes, I hate that stupid movie!
* with adjectives
1. Coordinate adjectives (they modify nouns separately)
a. We felt the salty, humid air near the beach.
b. Madeline created a three-tiered, white, flower- covered birthday cake for her best friend.
2. Cumulative adjectives (they modify nouns together)
a. Lily bought two tall ice-cream cones.
b. Morgan found a shard from an ancient Greek urn.
* with nonrestrictive phrases and appositives
1. Nonrestrictive elements (They can be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence.)
a. Mr. Geise's new aquarium, a marine tank, hosts brilliant coral and a brightly colored fish.
b. The woman, who happened to be wearing a brightly decorated hat, told him how to get to the station.
(The words in italics are not absolutely necessary to the meaning of the sentence; therefore, they are called nonrestrictive, and should be separated from the rest of the sentence by comma
