Talking is rather simple, isn't it? A person can talk for hours, stringing together phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, and she doesn't have to worry if her pauses need a comma or not. She doesn't have to wonder if the end of her phrase should have a semicolon or a period. Spoken language doesn't need written punctuation for listeners to understand.
However, written language needs help to be understood and to prevent misunderstanding or confusion. If written language didn't indicate to readers where an idea ended (that is, the end of a sentence), readers would likely give up after a while. It would be exhausting to try to figure out where one sentence ended and the next began. Punctuation marks like periods, question marks, and exclamation points take the guesswork out for readers. A reader can sit back and relax and simply read without having to interpret what the author meant.
Commas perform a variety of functions in the English language. They separate out series in lists, separate secondary ideas from main ideas, divide independent ideas, and the like. The comma is a necessary punctuation mark; without it, readers would quite possibly become frustrated quickly! In fact, commas are used so much that all the times a comma is necessary can't be contained in just one article. Here, then, is a quick laymen's guide to when commas are absolutely necessary in writing on a small scale, so to speak. Bear in mind that commas are also used on a larger scale.
When are Commas Necessary in Writing on a Small Scale?
The comma probably has more uses than any other punctuation mark, which is possibly why academic writers find it confusing. It might help to think of it as a mark that separates, as will be explained in these examples:
- Commas are used to separate elements of dates and places. For example, it is correct to write "October 9, 2010, was a great day" with a comma between the day and the year and again after the year. It is also correct to treat a city and state the same way: "The weather in Sacramento, California, was pleasant when we visitied." The comma goes in between the city and state and after the state as well.
- Commas are used to separate elements in a series. For example, a gardener might write the following: "My bountiful garden produced bushels of peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and onions." The commas here separate each individual item. The last comma in the series is viewed as optional, so that a writer could instead write "tomatoes, carrots and onions"; however, it's usually less confusing if the writer uses a comma throughout the series.
- Commas are used to separate introductory phrases or clauses from the remainder of the sentence. Introductory phrases are sometimes easy to spot because, said aloud, there is a natural pause in one's speech. "If the doctor gives me a clean bill of health, I plan to hike to run the marathon next month."
- Use commas to separate parenthetical phrases and transitional expressions. Think of these types of phrases as nice but not necessary, which is why they are separate. A parenthetical could be contained in parentheses while transitional expressions aid in transitioning from one idea to the next. "My husband, a professional chef, tasted the bean dip." The parenthetical is not absolutely necessary in terms of if a reader can understand what the writer needs to say. A transitional expression, used next, merely smoothes the way: "For example, I didn't know how to change a tire"; "In fact, her letter was used as evidence."
- Use commas to separate quotations from speech phrases (such as "he said"). Writers would use a comma whether they are using direct quotations or writing a story in this manner: "He said, 'I want to drive that new sports car'."
- Use commas to separate interjections from the remainder of the sentence. Sometimes students easily miss this one, but places for the commas are often easy to spot because of a natural pause the spoken sentence will create. "Well, I don't know about that." "Yes, she's right."
- Use commas to separate tag questions or phrases. "You passed the test, didn't you?" "I'm going to like this class, I think."
- Use commas to separate direct address phrases or separate titles from the remainder of the sentence. Again, this is information that is not absolutely necessary but can be helpful. "Listen, Mary, I can help you with that." "Bob, what did you find?" Both of these examples are direct address and must be separated from the rest of the sentence. A title is much the same way: "Edgar Smith, Esquire, handled my court case."
- Use commas to separate hundreds in numbers. Commas are even used in writing numbers, as most writers already know. The larger numbers get, the more confusing they are to read, so commas help separate each group of three, making it easier for readers to figure out the number. While a comma is not necessary if the number is in the thousands (2500, for example), many writers will still use the comma in its construction (2,500). Larger numbers do require the comma: 10,000 and 2,500,000,000 are just two examples.
Commas are an Important and Necessary Punctuation Mark
This list shows many ways the comma is necessary in writing on a small scale. Commas are also used for bigger "jobs." Commas function to separate two independent clauses in a sentence, for instance. However, if a reader can begin to understand how a comma functions on a small scale, the bigger-scale items will be much easier to understand.
Cynthia Jones-Shoeman - Cynthia (“Cindy”) Jones-Shoeman earned her MA in English from Colorado State University in 2007; her thesis was "Toni ...
