Commas

1: Listing comma.
We use listing comma to separate items in a list including words, phrases and full sentences to
replace ‘and’ or ‘or’.
Commas are used between each item, except for the last item where you use ‘and’.
Example
[tick] The dog is young, well trained and good natured.
[cross] The dog is young, and good natured.
This sentence is incorrect because the listing comma is used when there are three or more
items in a list.
The dog is young, well trained and good natured. [British English]
The dog is young, well trained, and good natured. [American English]
Notice how a comma is used before and in American but not in British. Both are correct and it is
your choice which style to use.

2: Joining comma.
We use a joining comma to join two complete sentences with linking words like ‘but,’ ‘or’,
‘although’, ‘also’ etc.
However, we can’t use a joining comma with some linking words such as ‘however’.
Example
[tick] Joe read the book, but his friend watched the movie.
[cross] Joe read the book, his friend watched the movie.
This sentence is incorrect because the linking word ‘but’ hasn’t been used.

3: Bracketing comma.
We use a bracketing comma to add extra information to a sentence.
Example
The treaty of Sevres, signed by the Ottoman empire and the allied forces, caused a rebellion in
turkey.
The underlined text between the commas can be removed and the sentence will still make
sense.
The same sentence but without the text between the commas:
The treaty of Sevres caused a rebellion in turkey.
The bracketing commas can also be replaced by brackets.
This type of comma usually comes in pairs, but there are some exceptions.
If the extra phrase is at the beginning or the end of a sentence, then you can just use one
bracketing comma.
Example
All in all, I think the class was fun.
Even in this sentence, if you remove the underlined text, the sentence will still make sense.
The same sentence but without the text between the commas:
I think the class was fun.

Common mistakes
Don’t put a comma between a subject and its verb.
Don’t use a comma before ‘that’’
Don’t use a comma to join two sentences if without linking words.