Rules

Use a comma after an introductory word in a sentence.

Examples

Use a comma to separate items in a series. A series is a list of three or more items. Put the last comma before and or or. A comma is not needed to separate two items.

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Use a comma to separate a noun of direct address from the rest of a sentence.

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Use a comma to separate a direct quotation from the rest of a sentence.

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Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction such as for, and, nor, but, or, yes, so, also known as “fanboys,” when combining independent clauses in a compound sentence.

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Use a comma to separate a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence from the rest of the sentence.

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Use a comma to separate a pair of adjectives that are of a similar kind. To decide whether to put a comma between adjectives, try reading the sentence with the word and inserted between the adjectives. If the word and sounds natural there, you should use a comma.

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Use commas to set off transitional words and phrases that interrupt the flow of the sentence.

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Use a comma to separate items in dates and addresses.

Examples