{"id":192,"date":"2025-04-17T16:35:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/comma-overuse\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T15:15:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:15:09","slug":"comma-overuse","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/comma-overuse\/","title":{"raw":"Commas: Learn It 3","rendered":"Commas: Learn It 3"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Commas with Introductory Words or Phrases<\/h2>\r\nAn introductory phrase is a group of words at the beginning of a sentence that provides background information or sets the stage for the main part of the sentence. Since an introductory phrase can be removed without changing the core meaning of the sentence, a comma helps clarify that it is an extra part of the sentence.\r\n\r\nSometimes, an introductory phrase is just one word. In these cases, a comma is still needed. Some common words that begin introductory phrases include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Because<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Although<\/li>\r\n \t<li>After<\/li>\r\n \t<li>While<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Nevertheless<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Therefore<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Since<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nEach of these words introduces a dependent clause or transition, requiring a comma before the main part of the sentence.\r\n\r\nOne way to identify an introductory phrase is to see if it can be moved to the end of the sentence without changing the meaning.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>Because I ate food, I was not hungry.<\/em> (\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Introductory phrase at the beginning)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>I was not hungry because I ate food.<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>(Same phrase at the end\u2014no longer introductory)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section><section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\" aria-label=\"Key Takeaway\">\r\n<h3>introductory phrases and commas<\/h3>\r\nWhen an introductory phrase appears at the <strong>beginning<\/strong> of a sentence, it should be followed by a comma. However, when the same phrase appears <strong>at the end<\/strong>, a comma is not needed.\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>Common Comma Mistakes<\/h2>\r\n<h3><strong>Placing a Comma Between the Subject and the Verb<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nA comma should <strong>not<\/strong> separate the subject of a sentence from its verb.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>My mother, is a wonderful cook.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>The judge, jury, and audience, were all surprised by this admission.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Correct:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>My mother is a wonderful cook.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>The judge, jury, and audience were all surprised by this admission.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3><strong>Using a Comma Between Compound Subjects or Verbs<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nA compound subject consists of two or more subjects joined by <em>and<\/em> or <em>or<\/em>. A compound verb consists of two or more verbs describing the same subject. Commas should not be placed between them.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>My brother, and my sister both hate broccoli with a passion.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>Jesse tripped, and fell into a rosebush.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Correct:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>My brother and my sister both hate broccoli with a passion.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>Jesse tripped and fell into a rosebush.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3><strong>Using a Comma Before a Preposition<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nPrepositions (such as <em>in, on, at, with, to, through<\/em>) show relationships between words in a sentence. A comma should <strong>not<\/strong> separate a preposition from the rest of the sentence.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>I signaled quietly to Harriet that she had spinach, in her teeth.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>All Juan wanted to do was to have some time outside walking, through the forest.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Correct:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>I signaled quietly to Harriet that she had spinach in her teeth.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>All Juan wanted to do was to have some time outside walking through the forest.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3>Placing a Comma Before or After a Conjunction<\/h3>\r\nA conjunction (such as <em>and, but, or, so, yet<\/em>) should not have a comma before or after it <strong>unless<\/strong> it separates two independent clauses.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>I challenged Mr. Burton to an arm-wrestling match and, he beat me twice.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>Joey tossed the ball, and watched his dog run after it.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Correct:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>I challenged Mr. Burton to an arm-wrestling match, and he beat me twice.<\/em> (Correct because both clauses are independent)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>Joey tossed the ball and watched his dog run after it.<\/em> (No comma needed because <em>watched his dog run after it<\/em> is not an independent clause)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3>Using a Comma Before a List<\/h3>\r\nA comma should not be placed <strong>before<\/strong> listing items unless there is an introductory phrase or it is part of a necessary sentence structure.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Incorrect: <\/strong><em>My favorite things to eat for breakfast are, bacon, eggs, and cereal.<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Correct: <\/strong><em>My favorite things to eat for breakfast are bacon, eggs, and cereal.<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section><section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292199220602688298\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" aria-label=\"Comma Overuse\"><\/iframe><\/section>\r\n<h2>Commas with Adjectives<\/h2>\r\nThis is an easy and simple rule! Or, this is an easy, simple rule. When you have two adjectives modifying a noun (easy and simple are the adjectives) describing the noun (rule), you use a comma between the two. You can double-check this by substituting the word \u201cand.\u201d If \u201cand\u201d works, the comma is correct.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<h3>The \"And\" Test<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>It was a dark and stormy night.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>It was a dark, stormy night.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nShould we use a comma here?\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Tom got Huck to paint the white picket fence.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Tom got Huck to paint the white and picket fence. That sounds weird. So we don\u2019t use a comma between\u00a0<em>white\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>picket.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>One way to think about this rule is that the two adjectives need to be equal; the other way is just to use the \u201cand\u201d test.","rendered":"<h2>Commas with Introductory Words or Phrases<\/h2>\n<p>An introductory phrase is a group of words at the beginning of a sentence that provides background information or sets the stage for the main part of the sentence. Since an introductory phrase can be removed without changing the core meaning of the sentence, a comma helps clarify that it is an extra part of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, an introductory phrase is just one word. In these cases, a comma is still needed. Some common words that begin introductory phrases include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Because<\/li>\n<li>Although<\/li>\n<li>After<\/li>\n<li>While<\/li>\n<li>Nevertheless<\/li>\n<li>Therefore<\/li>\n<li>Since<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of these words introduces a dependent clause or transition, requiring a comma before the main part of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>One way to identify an introductory phrase is to see if it can be moved to the end of the sentence without changing the meaning.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>Because I ate food, I was not hungry.<\/em> (\n<ul>\n<li>Introductory phrase at the beginning)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><em>I was not hungry because I ate food.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li>(Same phrase at the end\u2014no longer introductory)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\" aria-label=\"Key Takeaway\">\n<h3>introductory phrases and commas<\/h3>\n<p>When an introductory phrase appears at the <strong>beginning<\/strong> of a sentence, it should be followed by a comma. However, when the same phrase appears <strong>at the end<\/strong>, a comma is not needed.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h2>Common Comma Mistakes<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Placing a Comma Between the Subject and the Verb<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A comma should <strong>not<\/strong> separate the subject of a sentence from its verb.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>My mother, is a wonderful cook.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The judge, jury, and audience, were all surprised by this admission.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Correct:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>My mother is a wonderful cook.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The judge, jury, and audience were all surprised by this admission.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3><strong>Using a Comma Between Compound Subjects or Verbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A compound subject consists of two or more subjects joined by <em>and<\/em> or <em>or<\/em>. A compound verb consists of two or more verbs describing the same subject. Commas should not be placed between them.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>My brother, and my sister both hate broccoli with a passion.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Jesse tripped, and fell into a rosebush.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Correct:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>My brother and my sister both hate broccoli with a passion.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Jesse tripped and fell into a rosebush.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3><strong>Using a Comma Before a Preposition<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Prepositions (such as <em>in, on, at, with, to, through<\/em>) show relationships between words in a sentence. A comma should <strong>not<\/strong> separate a preposition from the rest of the sentence.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>I signaled quietly to Harriet that she had spinach, in her teeth.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>All Juan wanted to do was to have some time outside walking, through the forest.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Correct:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>I signaled quietly to Harriet that she had spinach in her teeth.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>All Juan wanted to do was to have some time outside walking through the forest.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3>Placing a Comma Before or After a Conjunction<\/h3>\n<p>A conjunction (such as <em>and, but, or, so, yet<\/em>) should not have a comma before or after it <strong>unless<\/strong> it separates two independent clauses.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\"><strong>Incorrect:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>I challenged Mr. Burton to an arm-wrestling match and, he beat me twice.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Joey tossed the ball, and watched his dog run after it.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Correct:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>I challenged Mr. Burton to an arm-wrestling match, and he beat me twice.<\/em> (Correct because both clauses are independent)<\/li>\n<li><em>Joey tossed the ball and watched his dog run after it.<\/em> (No comma needed because <em>watched his dog run after it<\/em> is not an independent clause)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3>Using a Comma Before a List<\/h3>\n<p>A comma should not be placed <strong>before<\/strong> listing items unless there is an introductory phrase or it is part of a necessary sentence structure.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Incorrect: <\/strong><em>My favorite things to eat for breakfast are, bacon, eggs, and cereal.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>Correct: <\/strong><em>My favorite things to eat for breakfast are bacon, eggs, and cereal.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1292199220602688298\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" aria-label=\"Comma Overuse\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n<h2>Commas with Adjectives<\/h2>\n<p>This is an easy and simple rule! Or, this is an easy, simple rule. When you have two adjectives modifying a noun (easy and simple are the adjectives) describing the noun (rule), you use a comma between the two. You can double-check this by substituting the word \u201cand.\u201d If \u201cand\u201d works, the comma is correct.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<h3>The &#8220;And&#8221; Test<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>It was a dark and stormy night.<\/li>\n<li>It was a dark, stormy night.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Should we use a comma here?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tom got Huck to paint the white picket fence.<\/li>\n<li>Tom got Huck to paint the white and picket fence. That sounds weird. So we don\u2019t use a comma between\u00a0<em>white\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>picket.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>One way to think about this rule is that the two adjectives need to be equal; the other way is just to use the \u201cand\u201d test.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"menu_order":19,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation.\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Style For Students Online.\",\"author\":\"Joe Schall\",\"organization\":\"The Pennsylvania State University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\",\"project\":\"Penn State\\'s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences\\' OER Initiative\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Commas Interactive\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior College OWL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/writing-refresher\/grammar-refresher\/comma-refresher\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of Charlie Brown\",\"author\":\"oficialjuanbarros\",\"organization\":\"Pixabay\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/photos\/snowman-charlie-brown-happy-toy-2603789\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"other\",\"license_terms\":\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/service\/terms\/#license\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":180,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":null,"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3332,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/192\/revisions\/3332"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/180"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/192\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}