If you tend to place a comma wherever you hear a pause, be
careful. You might be mispunctuating.
 Use a comma before and after a year following a month
and date:
 On May 2, 2011, the students walked across the stage for
graduation.
 Use a comma before and after the abbreviation for a
state following a city:
 Mr. Sevilla and Mr. Kersten met in Pulaski, Tenn., at the
Butter Bowl.
 When addressing an envelope, don’t put a comma
between the abbreviation for the state and the zip
code:
 991 Sand Lake Rd.
 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
 Use a comma after words in a series (separates three or
more items) but not before the conjunction unless the
meaning would be unclear.
 Ms. Carter proposed that her students must have pencils,
binders, notebook paper and Cheetos upon entering the
classroom.
 Example of a series that would be unclear with out a
comma before the conjunction.
 Ms. Spencer went to town to buy a can of corn, a can of peas
and carrots, and a can of candied yams.
 Use a comma before the word etc. at the end of a series:
 Bring me what you’ve got: candy, money, iPod, etc.
 Use a comma between two independent clauses joined
by a conjunction to form a single sentence. No comma
is needed when what follows the conjunction is not an
independent clause:
 A dentist and her assistant discussed tooth care with
the students, and they used Mr. Gross Mouth to
illustrate their points.
 Use a comma after introductory clauses, phrases or words:
 Lake Brantley approved the measure, and so did the teachers.
 If a gerund/gerund phrase or an infinitive/infinitive phrase
is the subject of the sentence, it is not considered an
introductory word, phrase or clause. Do not use a comma
after it:
 To live is to be. (To live is an infinitive used as the subject.)
 Use commas around nonrestrictive (nonessential) words,
phrases or clauses.
 Use a comma between coordinate adjectives – that is, if you
can reverse the adjectives and put and between them.
 Use a comma before the adverbs too, as well and also at the
end of a sentence:
 Tim Tebow came to the event, too. 
 Use commas to set off a conjunctive adverb (however,
likewise, at the same time, therefore) from the rest of the
sentence.
 Jessy, however, was late.
 However, Jessy was late.
 Jessy was late, however.
 Use a comma after an adverbial clause beginning with
although, if, because or since at the start of a sentence:
 Because clouds covered the sky, it was difficult to see the
comet last night.
 Use a comma after said when introducing a direct
quotation that is one sentence long:
 Ms. Carter said, “Ms. Spencer is the best teacher to work
with.”
 Use a comma before not when showing contrast:
 She thought girls preferred the color purple, not pink.
 Use a comma to set off a noun of direct address:
 Chris, could you please copy your notes?
 Use a comma between adjectives before a noun if
“and” could go between the adjectives:
 An ugly, disgusting wart
 If you cannot reverse the adjectives, don’t separate
them by commas:
 A bright red rubber ball (not a rubber red bright ball)
 Place two commas around words, phrases, or clauses
that interrupt a sentence.
 A Cherokee newspaper, the Phoenix, began publication
in 1828.
 Never use a comma before a subordinate clause
 The game was cancelled because it was raining.
 Never use a comma between clauses that form part of a compound
direct object
 The poll found that nine out of 10 people believe smoking should be
limited in public and that eight out of 10 believe employers should be
allowed to limit smoking in workplaces.
 Never use a comma between compound adjectives (that is, two words
that team up as one adjective, with one word describing the main
adjective). Use a hyphen instead
 The sun beat brightly through a cloud-free sky the morning of the accident.
 Never use a comma between adjectives when the second adjective is
closely linked with the noun
 A new stone wall
 Never use a comma after a quotation mark. The comma, if needed, goes
before the quotation mark
 “The beverage-container ordinance will probably be supported by the
voters,” MacDonald said.
Never Use a Comma
 Never use a comma after a period, exclamation point or
question mark in a quotation when the sentence
continues past it
 “Swim!” her father yelled.
 Never use a comma before a partial or indirect
quotation
 Feldman said “old-age blues” set in when he turned 30.
(No comma after said because the quotation is not a
complete sentence).
 Never use a comma around the abbreviation Jr. or Sr.
after a name.
 Never use a comma before Inc. in a company name.