Commas

= Commas = Commas are not as hard as you think. When I was in school, I thought commas were confusing, but there are really only four main rules you need to remember.

Commas in a Series
This is the one that almost everyone has memorized.

When you have a list of three or more items in a sentence, then you use a comma after each item except the last one.
 * In the grocery store, I went to the produce and picked up bananas, grapes, grapefruit, and oranges.
 * There are some things you should always pack when you go camping: a flashlight, bug spray, a sleeping bag, and band aids.

Commas After Introductory Words and Phrases
This one is a little more bothersome. Many people automatically add commas, but few people can recite this rule.

Use a comma after introductory words and phrases.
 * Finally, I was able to sleep once that loud music was turned off.
 * At half past twelve, the mother arrived at the school to pick up her sick child.

Commas to Set Off Nonrestrictive Words and Clauses
This one is tricky. You have to really understand the sentence you have written and decide on the importance of the information that you might be setting off.

Use a comma or commas to set off nonrestrictive phrases. Nonrestricitve phrases are those that if they were taken out of the sentence, the essential meaning of the sentence would remain the same.
 * Al Betz's new book, //Powerwriters//, was the result of a few years of hard work. (//Powerwriters// is nonrestrictive, so set of the word with a comma before and after -- if it was taken out of the sentence, it would still be complete)
 * The song "Centerfold" paralleled this one guy's actual situation with his girlfriend. ("Centerfold" is restrictive, so do not use commas -- if it was taken out of the sentence, an important part would be missing)
 * The company's new sports car, with its V8 engine, is not very full efficient. ("with its V8 engine" is nonrestrictive)
 * One corner of the kitchen was filled with all the groceries for the party. ("for the party" is restrictive)

Commas Before a Conjunction Connecting Two Independent Clauses
Few people know how to apply this rule. I find commas where there should not be and no commas when there should be.

Use a comma when connecting two independent clauses connected by a conjunction (FANBOYS).
 * Nearly everyone knew how to swim, but Maddy did not swim well enough to swim in the deep end. (Notice that the clause before the comma and but and the clause after can both stand alone as complete sentences)
 * Brenna is a big fan of Abby on NCIS, so it is not surpising that she likes to dress like Abby.

So how many of you are familiar with FANBOYS? See that page for more!