Commas

Commas in Series In a series of three or more items, place a comma after each item except for the last one. Make sure you write the word “and” before the last item. Example: Bungee jumping has joined the ranks of surfboarding, skateboarding, and sky surfing as an extreme sport.

Commas with 2 Adjectives Place a comma between 2 adjectives that modify the same noun. Example: A young, adventurous man jumped off a 300-foot bridge.

Commas with Introductory Phrases Place a comma after introductory phrases Example: At the beginning of class, Jonathon sharpened his pencil. Example: Taking a deep breath, the jumper prepared for the dive.

Commas with Quotations Use commas to separate speaker tags from quotes. Example: Celeste said, “My name has the same root as celestial, which means heavenly.”

Commas w/ appositives Appositive: a word or phrase that identifies or renames a noun or pronoun. Use commas to set-off an appositive that adds non essential information to the noun/pronoun. Example: 1) Lindblom, a school, is known for its achievement. 2) The newspaper followed Nancy, the newest member of the skydiving team.

Commas w/ asides Aside: a random statement that is less important than the focus of the sentence. Often spoken underneath someone’s breath. Example: 1) Her friend, I hesitate to say, has betrayed her.