Commas Notes:

1. Separating Elements in a List: Use commas to separate items in a list of three or

more items. Example: "I bought apples, oranges, and bananas."
2. Before Coordinating Conjunctions: Use a comma before coordinating
conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when they link two independent
clauses. Example: "She can join us for dinner, or she can meet us later."
3. After Introductory Elements: Place a comma after introductory words, phrases, or
clauses that precede the main clause. Example: "After the meeting, we went for
lunch."
4. To Set Off Nonessential Information: Use commas to enclose clauses, phrases,
or words that can be omitted without changing the essential meaning of the
sentence. These are often called nonessential or nonrestrictive clauses.
Example: "My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting us next week."
5. With Adjectives: Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (adjectives that
independently modify a noun). Do not use a comma between cumulative
adjectives (adjectives that build on one another to modify a noun). Test by seeing
if you can insert "and" between the adjectives or change their order without
altering the meaning. Example: "It was a long, exhausting day" (coordinate
adjectives) vs. "It was a dark winter night" (cumulative adjectives).
6. With Dates, Addresses, and Titles: Use commas to separate elements of dates
(except the month and day), addresses, and people’s titles. Example: "She was
born on July 4, 1990, in Chicago, Illinois, and she met Dr. Jane Smith, M.D., at the
conference."
7. With Direct Speech: Use a comma to separate the quoted element from the rest
of the sentence. Example: "He said, 'I will be there soon.'"
8. Avoiding Confusion: Use commas to prevent misreading. Example: "To George,
Harrison was a friend" vs. "To George Harrison, a friend."
9. With Parenthetical Elements: When a part of a sentence could be removed
without changing the fundamental meaning of the sentence, it should be
enclosed in commas. Example: "The concert last night, which lasted nearly three
hours, was amazing."
10. Oxford Comma: The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of
things, usually placed immediately before "and" or "or" in lists of three or more
items. Its use is stylistic, but it can help clarify complex lists. Example: "I owe my
success to my parents, Oprah Winfrey, and Elon Musk" (implies four people) vs. "I
owe my success to my parents, Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk" (could imply the
parents are Oprah and Elon).