Do you need a comma between phrases?
b. Common introductory phrases that should be followed by a comma include participial and infinitive phrases, absolute phrases, nonessential appositive phrases, and long prepositional phrases (over four words).
How do you punctuate extra information in a sentence?
Use a dash before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence. The children – Pierre, Laura, and Ashley – went to the store. Most Canadians – but not all – voted in the last election.
Can there be more than one comma in a sentence?
If you have sentences like, “Bob walked, to, the store, slowly” then yes, there are too many commas. But a sentence that contains a list could legitimately have many commas. Like, “He found a bottle, three coins, two keys, a small metal box, a pack of matches, some scraps of paper, and a patridge in a pear tree.”
Do you always need a comma before a conjunction?
When a coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses, a comma is used before the coordinating conjunction (unless the two independent clauses are very short). Conjunctions that are not followed by non-essential elements should never be followed by commas.
What are unnecessary commas?
Do not use a comma to set apart an adverb clause that is essential to the meaning of a sentence or an interjection when the comma would interfere with the sentence. A comma should not be used after although, such as, or like; after a coordinating conjunction; or along with end punctuation inside a quotation.
When to use a comma before a participial phrase?
Here’s another example: “Everyone over 50 was fired, causing an uproar.” “Making me cry” and “causing an uproar” are acting as afterthoughts in these sentences, so both require a comma beforehand. If you listened to the podcast version of this article, you may have noticed that I the speaker paused slightly before the participial phrases.
When do you not need a comma in a sentence?
When you are referencing only a month and year, you don’t need a comma. The region experienced record rainfall in March 1999. Comma Between Coordinate Adjectives When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree, they are said to be coordinate and should be separated by commas.
When to use extra commas in a sentence?
The “which” clause is surrounded by commas. It contains additional information that is not necessary to understand the sentence, so you can delete the clause if you want. It can be easy to get confused about restrictive and nonrestrictive elements, so remember this: If it’s extra information, use extra commas.
When to use a comma to set off an interrupter?
Interrupters are little thoughts that pop up in the middle of a sentence to show emotion, tone, or emphasis. A parenthetical element is a phrase that adds extra information to the sentence but could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Both interrupters and parenthetical elements should be set off with commas.