1. The Comma
Miss Johnson

2. The Comma
-Comma: A punctuation mark that groups words that belong together and separates those words that do not belong together. ,

3. Used to separate: Parts of a date Parts of an address
May 18, 1994
Parts of an address
8016 Worthy Dr., Westminster, CA 92683
Geographical locations
Oxford, England, UK

4. Used to Separate: Letters in an academic degree
Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D.
A greeting and a closing of a letter from the rest of the letter
Dear Mr. Darcy,
Sincerely, Elizabeth Bennet
A last name and first name in a list alphabetized by last name
Johnson, Taylor

5. Words in a series; three or more words or phrases that are listed
Used to Separate:
Words in a series; three or more words or phrases that are listed
I have read the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Maximum Ride, and The Maze Runner book series.

6. Used to Separate:
A noun of direct address from the rest of the sentence
Names the person being addressed
Dad, do you have that recipe?
Please, Mom, take me to the store.
Are you going to the party, Tanner?
A nonessential appositive from the rest of the sentence
Appositive: a word or group of words that immediately follows a noun to identify or give more information about the noun
Buttons, my cat, had a stroke last year.

7. Used to Seperate
Words or phrases that interrupt the natural flow of the sentence
The movie, I think, comes out on Friday.
An introductory element or afterthought
Therefore, we need to go to the library.
It is Mom’s favorite dessert, if I remember correctly.

8. Used to Separate Nonessential modifying word, phrase, or clause
John Adams, the second president, is my direct ancestor.
That versus which
That is used for essential clauses and does not need a comma
The battle that ended the Revolutionary War was at Yorktown.
Which is used for nonessential clauses and needs a comma
The sunscreen, which supposedly provided protection from the sun, failed to do so.

9. Used to Separate: Clarifying the meaning of a sentence
Unclear: After we ate the brass band played.
Clear: After we ate, the brass band played.
Two or more descriptive adjectives
The tireless, energetic teacher continued to hope her students would love learning.

10. Used to Separate:
A dependent clause from an independent clause when it comes before the independent clause
Because she loved ice cream, she liked to visit ice cream parlors.
Two sentences or independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction
We have to walk the dog, so he will get his daily exercise.

11. The Oxford Comma
The Oxford Comma: the comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction in a series of three or more terms
Also known as a serial comma or series comma
Ex: We have read the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Dante’s Inferno.
It helps clarify sentences that may not make sense
Ex: For my love of reading I would like to thank my parents, Tolkien and God.
Without the Oxford Comma, it looks like my parents are Tolkien and God.
Instead, the sentence should read:
Ex: For my love of reading I would like to thank my parents, Tolkien, and God.