COMMAS
Using commas correctly leads to recognizable sentence structures.
These BASIC
BASIC sentences
sentences DO NOT require
require structural
structural commas.
commas. Do
Do not
not feel
feel sorry
sorry for
for these
These
these sentences
because
they have
don’tcommas.
have commas.
They
just fine!!!
sentences
because
they don’t
They are
justarefine!!!
Simple sentences: 1 independent clause
o
o
o
o
o
o
I laughed. (simple)
Gas prices have increased dramatically. (simple)
A Chinese skater won a gold medal. (simple)
To Kill A Mockingbird is a wonderful book. (simple)
The teacher read the class a story. (simple)
I saw the bird over by the tree on the other side of the park. (simple)
Complex sentence: 1 independent clause + 1 or more dependent clause(s) AT THE
END
o The crowd cheered because their team had won.
o She didn’t know the real reason for the meeting until she saw the agenda.
o Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis” so he could boost morale for the American
Revolution.
o Peter will wait while we go into the bank.
o Martin Luther King spoke eloquently when he gave his famous “I have a Dream”
speech.
o We need to go to the library which is on the other side of town.
o Walden is the book that became Thoreau’s masterpiece.
o Emily Dickinson is the poet who was a recluse because she felt out of place in
society.
STRUCTURAL COMMAS
Using commas correctly leads to recognizable sentence structures.
Add a STRUCTURAL COMMA if you are adding something to the FRONT of a sentence
(an introductory element)
a. A TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION OR INTRODUCTORY WORD A
transitional expression provides a logical flow of ideas throughout a
composition by linking sentences and paragraphs. An introductory
word can simply introduce a sentence.
o Yes, the planners obtained the proper permit.
o Well, come on in and join the party.
o Thankfully, the boys found their dog.
o Unfortunately, we will not have a table available for two hours.
o Furthermore, I agree with the president’s position
o On the contrary, he is your friend and not your enemy.
o For example, the Puritans were among those who came to the
New World for religious reasons.
o However, I do not with agree with the editorial in the New York
Times.
b. AN ADVERB DEPENDENT CLAUSE. An adverb dependent clause
has a subject and a verb but does NOT express a complete thought.
An adverb dependent clause is a dependent clause that answers the
questions “When?” “How?” “Where?” “How often?” “To what
extent?” and “Under what circumstance?”’
o After we lost the ball game, we got in the car for the long drive
home.
o Before he wrote Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain worked on a
steamboat on the Mississippi River.
o When Abraham Lincoln died, Walt Whitman wrote an elegy
called “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”
o Unless your friend shows up soon, we will have to leave
without him.
o If I can get my grades up, my mother said she would buy me a
car.
o Although most people know Benjamin Franklin discovered
electricity, they don’t know that he wrote a book of aphorisms
called Poor Richard’s Almanac.
o Since the dog needs exercise, we will take him on a walk when
we get home.
continued…Add a STRUCTURAL COMMA if you are adding something to the FRONT of a
sentence (an introductory element)
c. TWO OR MORE PREPOPSITIONAL PHRASES A prepositional
phrase is a phrase that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun
or pronoun.
o In the first round of competition at the golf tournament, I had to play
the best golfer in the state.
o At the beginning of the second quarter of the game, he scored a
touchdown.

Note: A single introductory prepositional phrase need not be
followed by a comma unless can be considered transitional.
 Example: On the other hand, I don’t want to offend
her.
Commonly Used Prepositions
about
above
across
after
against
among
around
as
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
by
concerning
despite
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
out
outside
over
past
round
since
through
to
toward
under
unlike
until
up
upon
with
according to
along with
apart from
as for
because of
by means of
due to
except for
in addition to
in case of
in front of
in regard to
in spite of
instead of
out of
with regard to
with respect to
with the exception
of
d. A PARTICIPIAL PHRASE A participial phrase contains a participle (a
word that looks like a verb because it ends in ed or ing but actually
acts as an adjective. The participle describes the subject of the
sentence.
o Looking poised and calm, Jill sauntered to the bus stop. (Looking
describes Jill)
o Exhausted after the five-mile hike, the scouts finally sat down.
(Exhausted describes the Scouts)
o Hoping to see her friends at the pool, Sue put on her bathing suit.
(Hoping describes Sue)
o Knowing that John was broke, Tim decided to lend him five
dollars. (Knowing describes Tim)
Add TWO (2) STRUCTURAL COMMAS if you are INTERRUPTING a sentence
These interrupters are described as non-essential or parenthetical. They interrupt the flow
of a sentence by providing additional, but not essential, information.
Since these interrupters interrupt the flow of the sentence, they are set off with two
commas (like a parenthesis)






Beth, on the other hand, always finishes her work.
I hope, Catherine, that you will find happiness
Mr. Pierre, our French Teacher, studied at the Sorbonne.
I am, by the way, planning on going to dinner with him.)
This is, naturally, the course of action I am going to take.
I have no idea, to tell you the truth, what this really means.
Be aware of the difference between essential and non-essential adjectives
clauses
 Mr. Walenski, who lives upstairs, is from Poland. [“who lives
upstairs” provides additional, non-essential information so you would
set it off with commas.]
 The neighbor who lives upstairs is from Poland. [ “who lives upstairs”
is essential in this sentence so you don’t need a comma. You need the
phrase “who lives upstairs” so the reader knows which neighbor you
are referring to.
Add a COMMA if you are JOINING two sentences
(in conjunction with a CONJUNCTION).
These sentences may have dependent clauses at the end of the sentence or have commas
for introductory elements or interrupters.
a. A coordinating conjunction joins two complete sentences. The
coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and
sometimes so. Remember FANBOYS (the dumbest acronym there
is)
o We studied FDR’s presidency for many days, for he was very
influential.
o We hoped for rain, and now we are drenched.
o There is no money in my account now, nor will there be any
money until payday.
o I believe that the bill will pass, but I am wary about the
influence of the lobbyists.
o You can try to find him at his office, or you can look for him
on the golf course.
o I don’t like to read, yet that is the only way I will do well in
American Literature.
Common mistake: Do not use a comma if the coordinating conjunction
does not join two sentences.
INCORRECT: We hoped for rain, and now are drenched.
CORRECT: We hoped for rain, and now we are drenched.
CORRECT: We hoped for rain and now are drenched.
b. A semi-colon and a comma are used when you join two sentences
with a “Non-FANBOY” conjunction (a transitional word)
o
o
o
Emerson was a very productive 19th century author; furthermore, he was the founder
of Transcendentalism.
Jane had never been to New York City; consequently, she got lost.
I want to go on lots of road trips this summer; however, gas prices are too expensive.
Common mistake ** Do not use two commas to put a transitional
expression between sentence. This results in a run-on sentence.
INCORRECT: Emerson was a very productive 19th century
author, furthermore, he was the founder of Transcendentalism.
CORRECT: Emerson was a very productive 19th century
author; furthermore, he was the founder of Transcendentalism.
STANDARD COMMAS
Standard commas are added to sentences for the following reasons. These commas
don’t have anything to do with sentence structure.
1. Items in a series
o Mr. Sanchez used the money he won from the sweepstakes to buy a
house, a car, and a yacht.
o Peter, Greg, and Bobby were characters on “The Brady Bunch.”
o Before I die, I hope to write a book, to run a marathon, and to be a
millionaire.
o Be sure to get bread, milk, and eggs at the store.
o My three options are to pay the entire bill now, divide the payments in
two, or finance over a long period of time.
o We will purchase the stock if the prices is lowered to $30 per share, if
we are allowed to buy a block of over 10,000 shares, and if we receive
a guarantee that no new shares will be created in the next fiscal year.
2. Dates
o June 6, 1944 was D-Day.
o John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
3. Geographical names
o Boise, Idaho is her hometown.
o John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas,
Texas.
4. Direct Quotations
o “I can’t believe that you met him,” said Jill.
o Jill said, “I can’t believe that you met him.”
o “I can’t believe,” said Jill, “that you met him.
5. Addresses
o Send your entries to Town Hall, 123 Main Street, Nome, Alaska 11721
6. Names with Titles.
o Joe Allen, M.D. will speak at the conference.
If you use a comma for any reason other than
those listed above, you have a willy-nilly
comma. You must always be able to justify
your comma usage!