Commas with Two List Items. When there are two items in a list, don’t use a comma to separate the list items (unless it helps your reader). For example: Please buy bread and milk.
Do you use a comma when listing three things?
Use commas to separate three or more items in a series . Lists of three or more words, phrases, and clauses require commas between each item. For example: a. The fox shouts, cackles, and yells.
Do you put a comma after and when listing things?
There’s no single rule that applies to all situations. You usually put a comma before and when it’s connecting two independent clauses
What are the 8 rules for commas?
- Use a comma to separate independent clauses. ...
- Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. ...
- Use a comma between all items in a series. ...
- Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses. ...
- Use a comma to set off appositives. ...
- Use a comma to indicate direct address. ...
- Use commas to set off direct quotations.
What is the rule for commas in a series?
COMMA RULE #1 – THE COMMA IN A SERIES: Use commas to separate items in a series . What is a ”series”? A “series” is a list of 3 or more items, the last two of which are joined by and, or, or nor.
Do commas always go after because?
Because is a subordinating conjunction, which means that it connects a subordinate clause to an independent clause
Where do I put commas in a sentence?
- Commas (Eight Basic Uses) ...
- USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES. ...
- USE A COMMA AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE OR PHRASE. ...
- USE A COMMA BETWEEN ALL ITEMS IN A SERIES. ...
- USE COMMAS TO SET OFF NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES. ...
- USE A COMMA TO SET OFF APPOSITIVES. ...
- USE A COMMA TO INDICATE DIRECT ADDRESS.
Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before and?
1. Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) that links two independent clauses. You may need to learn a few grammatical terms to understand this one.
How do you use two commas in a sentence?
Use two commas to set off an appositive or an aside in the midst of a sentence . An appositive is a word or phrase that describes a noun it follows. An aside tells us something about the noun, but is not essential to defining the noun.
What are the 4 types of commas?
There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas . A listing comma can always be replaced by the word and or or: Vanessa seems to live on eggs, pasta and aubergines.
What is the rule for items in a series?
Put a comma between all items , and put a comma + and before the last item. Items in a series can be single words or phrases. In addition, items in a series can be short sentences joined with commas and and. Examples of items in a series: Bread, milk, and cheese.
Does comma come before while?
Don’t use a comma before while when you mean “during the same time.” Do use a comma before while when you mean “whereas ” or “although.”
Is it correct to say the reason is because?
“The reason is because ” means the same thing as “The reason is [that]”, but it does NOT follow that because is redundant or incorrect. Instead, because is playing a non-semantic role in the larger sentence. ... The word “because” already means “for the reason that.” That’s why it’s redundant.
Can I start the sentence with because?
It’s OK to start a sentence with “because”; you just have to make sure you’re writing complete sentences and not sentence fragments.
Should this sentence have 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. As a rule of thumb, if the phrase is longer than about four words, use the comma .
Is a comma a symbol?
Punctuation marks are symbols that are used to aid the clarity and comprehension of written language. Some common punctuation marks are the period, comma, question mark, exclamation point, apostrophe, quotation mark and hyphen.
