By Drew Billstein and Ethan Ciolkevich

1. Common uses of Commas By Drew Billstein and Ethan Ciolkevich

2. 1) Use a comma after an introductory word group that is not the subject of the sentence. • Finally, the car careened to the right, endangering passers-by. 2) Use commas between items in a series. • Three industries that have been important to New England are shipbuilding, tourism, and commercial fishing.

3. 3) Use a comma in front of a coordinating conjunction (such as and or but) that joins two independent clauses. • Injuries were so frequent that he began to worry, and his style of play became more cautious.

4. 4) Add a comma between coordinative adjectives, unless they are joined by and, but do not separate cumulative adjectives with a comma. • This brave, intelligent, persistent woman was the first female to earn a Ph.D. in psychology.

5. 5) Use commas to set off nonessential additions to a sentence, but do not set off essential words or word groups with commas. • Mary Shelley’s best-known novel,Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, was first published in 1818.

6. 6) Use a comma or commas with transitional expressions, parenthetical expressions, contrasting comments, and absolute phrases. • Brian Wilson, for example, was unable to cope with the pressures of touring with the Beach Boys.

7. 7) Use a comma or commas to set off words of direct address, yes and no, mild interjections, and tag questions. • We have finished this project, Mr. Smith, without any help from your foundation. • Of course, if you think that’s what we should do, then we’ll do it.

8. 8) Use a comma or commas to separate a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence. • Irving Howe declares, “Whitman is quite realistic about the place of the self in an urban world” (261). 9) Use a comma to take the place of an omitted word or phrase or to prevent misreading. • Under the tree he found his puppy, and under the car, his cat.

9. 10) Use commas with parts of dates, letters, and addresses, with people’s titles, and in numbers. • On March 4, 1931, she traveled to New York. • Dear Martha, • At Cleveland, Ohio, the river changes direction. • Andrew Jackson received 647,276 votes in the 1828 election.

10. QUIZ- Add commas appropriately! Injuries were so frequent that he began to worry and his style of play became more cautious. • Under the tree he found his puppy, and under the car his cat. Finallythe car careened to the right, endangering passers-by. On March 4 1931, she traveled to New York. Brian Wilson for example was unable to cope with the pressures of touring with the Beach Boys.