The answer depends on how you are using or. Being a recluse, Dawn stayed home most days. It’s a style choice. Even though the phrase “that attacked me” describes “the duck,” it provides essential information to the sentence. You’re right: In open punctuation there is no punctuation after the greeting and the closing. Grant on March 10, 2016 2:13 pm. This creates the grammatical equivalent of someone pausing while speaking – the commas make you stop at each clause, but let you know that the sentence is still flowing. (Rule 4) You can only use a comma (i.e., not a colon) after a quotation. Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted, or a luxury vacation. Starting a sentence with “however,” however, is discouraged by many careful writers. 2. A 69-year old prisoner is trying to change that one livestream at a time. In the previous example, “I went running” and “I saw a duck” are both independent clauses, and “and” is the coordinating conjunction that connects them. The rest, as they say, is history. Don’t offset a phrase that gives necessary information to the sentence. Clauses that begin with “that” are usually essential to the sentence and do not require commas. Many if-phrases usually need one: "If you're using commas at all, you need one in this sentence after all." You may want to use a comma in a series of three or more things. Commas should be used to separate geographic elements, as in the examples below. Prisoners are 5 times more likely to get COVID-19 than the overall population. Commas don’t just signify pauses in a sentence – precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. but it really depends on your usage of the word "Say". And, it is often used to create division or to improve the clarity of a … Want to learn more about commas? For example: The long, metal pole. “A Rule without Exception”: Chicago, 1906. In English commas are used to mark places where the reader naturally pauses, or they are used to “section off” parts of sentences. Hello, Nigel, Good morning, Kendra. I moved to the US from China — here are the biggest cultural differences I've noticed between the 2 countries, Bath & Body Works is now a standalone company — we visited a store and saw why it's been L Brands' secret weapon, CBA and NAB pass on RBA interest rate cut in full, but ANZ and Westpac defy Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's orders, How to watch Netflix on your TV in 5 different ways, The incredible story of Ferrari's 72-year journey from an upstart racing team to a $27 billion luxury brand. Many adverbs end in “ly” and answer the question “how?” How did someone do something? The comma is used in many contexts and languages, mainly to separate parts of a sentence such as clauses and items in lists, particularly when there are three or more items listed. If someone is reading out the text/e-mail conversation (you say “blah,” she says “blah blah,” then you say “blah blah blah”), would there be commas before the quotes? Although the Oxford University Press uses it (hence the name), American English writers use it more often than British English writers. The use of a comma has a lot to do with the clauses you’re combining. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Consider the longer series of coordinating items in this sentence; within the series itself, there is a phrase with a necessary or. Usually, commas surround a non-essential clause or phrase. In a way, they allow you to say just a little bit more in one, complete sentence. Some people say to always use it and other people say to only use it when leaving it out would cause confusion. To me, that style looks naked, but perhaps it’s freeing? Appositives act as synonyms for a … Friday, March 15, was the day I say the duck. Each of the two clauses here can stand independently. The word comma comes from the Greek κόμμα (kómma), which originally meant a … In About-Face, UK Will Not Allow Huawei To Be Involved In Any Part Of... Universal Orlando Parks Will Reopen June 5 Despite Risk Of... Pro-Privacy Lawmakers Secure A Vote To Protect Browsing Data From... Jurassic World: Dominion Is Definitely Not The Planned End Of The... White Twitch Talk Show Host Finally Drops 'Rajj Patel' Moniker, Everything We Know About The PlayStation 5. Commas always follow these clauses at the start of a sentence. Introductory phrases can also be spotted a mile away if they contain gerunds. As in: “A mallard, a kind of duck, attacked me.”. What’s more, it has a much cleaner typographical appearance. Or was it? The word “says” in “Joe Dane says” suggests he does so regularly. The Oxford comma reduces ambiguity in lists. …Q Were you the only one there? Example: "Will you still be my friend?" When each element separated by or is just one or two words, the reader will have little trouble mentally sorting things out with whichever style you choose. Most of us know that we need to put commas between the elements in a list. How to Wish Someone Well in 2021. Grammar. As fun as it may be to say, the comma “splice” should be avoided. Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you have an introductory word (or two) that is being used as an adverb (usually answers the question of when, where, why, or to what degree), then no comma. In #7, I believe that “dark” is … Without the comma, it would seem that multiple Scrooges were raking in the coins. A comma splice incorrectly joins two independent clauses, like: That sentence contains a comma splice, and therefore it is incorrect. In that case, it would no longer need a comma: “I went running and saw a duck.”, A dependent clause is a grammatical unit that contains both subject and verb but cannot stand on its own, like “When I went running …”. Do you want people to pause slightly when reading the phrase? It can also divide clauses (“parts of a sentence”) or items in a list. The company should check whether the contractor has the required experience. Use commas to offset appositives from the rest of the sentence. We took a 4-hour flight on the new Delta Airbus jet that Boeing tried to keep out of the US. Otherwise, no one would know why the duck scared your friend. When my adviser asked to speak with me in her office in March, I figured she wanted to discuss plans for a possible lab shutdown. A better method would be to use “however” within a sentence after the phrase you want to negate, as in the previous sentence. It’s most easily explained by example: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer…” (Shakespeare: Richard III, in case you don’t recognise it.) People have been asking a good question about commas with names and salutations, so here goes: Question: Do I have to use a comma with a person’s name when I say "Hi" or "Hello"? A comma (,) signifies a short pause in a sentence. In the above example – “While running, I saw a mallard, a kind of duck” – “A kind of duck” is the appositive, which gives more information about “a mallard.”, If the appositive occurs in the middle of the sentence, both sides of the phrase need a comma. People often get muddled about whether to place a comma before conjunctions like and, so, because, and or. Wait—not what you wanted to hear? The Best Snapchat Games To Play Right Now, Disable UPnP On Your Wireless Router Already, This Android Wallpaper Can Brick Your Phone, Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories, Give us your thoughts on these small business practices to win a $250 Westfield gift card, How COVID-19 is ravaging two cities across the US-Mexico border, with no end in sight. As we can see, commas always want to be the ones introducing the pre-amble to a sentence. The answer depends on how you are using or. When the words after yes and no “echo” the words of the question, use a comma. The question of whether to put a comma before quotes when quoting from a document came up on Facebook. Two clauses that typically need a comma between them are an independent clause (a clause that could be its own stand-alone sentence) and a dependent clause, which cannot stand alone. The version without the Oxford comma, however, takes on an entirely different meaning, potentially suggesting that only one invitation was sent – to two strippers named JFK and Stalin. The addition of commas gives extra emphasis to the name. Contrary to popular belief, commas don’t just signify pauses in a sentence. Here's what it was like. But – and it’s a big but – your middle school teacher may have told you to always throw a comma before “but.” Don’t do that! Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted, or she may go on a luxury vacation. While a comma after the title may be correct on rare occasions (which don’t concern us here), a comma only before a name or title is wrong. 1. You may need to learn a few grammatical terms to understand this one. Since “I saw the mean, big duck ” and “I saw the big and mean duck” both sound fine, you need the comma. That said, advocates of the Oxford comma do have a strong argument when it comes to the clarity. For example,“The duck that attacked me scared my friend” doesn’t require any commas. That last comma, known as the serial comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma, causes serious controversy. I think also prosody plays a part in it. Open punctuation is an option in the U.S. too, but using a colon or comma is standard and much more common. Margie Wakeman Wells. Consequently, we insert a comma. Okay, let me try to break it down. Also insert a comma when “however” starts a sentence, too. Although many consider it unnecessary, others (including Business Insider) insist on its use to reduce ambiguity. A Comma with "Hi" or "Hello" When the salutation in your letter or email starts with "Hello" or "Hi," then you should put a comma before the name of the person you're addressing. “Stop clubbing baby seals” reads like an order to desist harming infant mammals of the seal variety. It is considered good style to place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause. If you’re trying to indicate a natural pause or inject your dialogue with some dramatic effect, commas can be your friend. ... Post Author. If a quoted question ends in midsentence, the question mark replaces a comma. No, you don't need a comma after Say. A comma is not used to set off a "he said/she said" clause if the part of the quotation preceding the clause ends with a question mark or exclamation point. is outside the quotation. Should you use a comma before or? No, I’m not open–not yet. What she actually said took me completely by surprise: She was moving her lab to a new institution. Correct: "Anyway," she said, "I have to go." Sentences with non-coordinate adjectives, however, don’t require a comma. For example, both of these examples can be considered correct: We can invest our savings in stocks, bonds, or real estate. This is the much-debated Oxford comma (or serial comma). For example: Hi, Maria. The rule outlined here in #2 is valuable to avoid misinterpretation. When just two short grammatical elements are coordinated with or, do not separate them with a comma. 5 Writing "Rules" That Are Really Guidelines, Tone vs. (Note the pattern when the clause is in the middle.) This sort of mistake matters in English because it can be very confusing for the reader. When followed, they lay the groundwork for clear written communication. Does the sentence still make sense if you reverse the order of the words? If we were to eliminate the second “I” from that example, the second clause would lack a subject, making it not a clause at all. Didi may want to spend her roulette winnings on that Ferrari she always wanted. For example, this usage of “but” does not take a comma: “To quack but to have no one hear is a sad thing for a duck.”. That last comma before the “and” is called a serial comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma. In the above sentence, a comma tells you that Scrooge and the extended McDuck clan are to jump in a pot of money. In my first couple editing jobs, I was exposed a lot to the idea that news and feature articles should 1. use everyday, conversational language and 2. make sense. …A Yes, I did. Should you use a comma before or? How did something happen? Phrases like “on the other hand” and “furthermore” also fall into this category. Read more: Notify your doctor if you experience dizziness, fainting spells, nausea, vomiting, weak or rapid pulse or difficulty breathing. In a series (or list) of three or more items, you can use a comma before or, but this is a preference, not a rule. Technically, those e-mail messages you write should begin Hi, John —with a comma after Hi. The sentence, “We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin,” means the speaker sent three separate invitations: one to some strippers, one to JFK, and one to Stalin. Only use a comma to separate a dependent clause at the end of a sentence for added emphasis, usually when negation occurs. The two independent clauses “I went running” and “I saw a duck” could instead be separated by a period. 9 words and phrases people think are wrong, but are actually correct. The rule for where the comma goes, however, depends on where attribution comes. Or is a coordinating conjunction, which means that it coordinates two elements of equal syntactic importance (i.e., two things of identical grammatical weight). Santa’s sleigh … “But wait,” the Business Insider reporter wrote, “there’s more ways to use commas.”. You should only put a comma before “but” when connecting two independent clauses. Adverbs that don’t end in “ly,” such as “when” or “while,” usually introduce a dependent clause, which rule number two in this post already covered. Often, a coordinating conjunction will connect two independent clauses – like the word “but.”. In a series (or list) of three or more items, you can use a … Introductory phrases are a nice way to add depth and variety to your writing. There’s one exception to this rule. The colons, commas and other punctuation marks are instead used to great visual effect, seeming more like embellishments than grammatical requisites. The mayor of New York was the first guest to arrive; … (Comma must go before quotation mark.) Hi is an interjection just like wow and ugh, and dear is an adjective that modifies John. This hugely depends on context. Two adjectives are coordinate if you can answer yes to both of these questions: 1. (You should use a comma here as neither the introduction nor the quotation is an independent clause.) If the clause beginning with or were rewritten to eliminate the subject and verb, it would not be able to stand on its own, and there would be no comma. As long as the phrase somehow gives more information about its predecessor, you usually need a comma. Sorry. Commas are needed before coordinating conjunctions, after dependent clauses (when they precede independent clauses), and to set off appositives. Whether or not you should use it is a stylistic choice. That’s different from “said,” … If you learned in school that you should always put a comma before someone’s name, I’m very sorry to inform … It eliminates a mental “hoop” for the reader to jump through. Even if you add a weekday, keep the comma after “2013”: Friday, March 15, 2013, was the day I saw the duck. Put whatever comes first in quotes, end that quote with a comma, and then end the attribution with a comma. Now, I have seen sources that say a comma should never precede “because,” but I think this guideline ignores an important distinction in meaning. Always place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause, but if it begins a dependent clause, don’t. As you may recall from above, an independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a sentence. If attribution comes before the quote, place the comma outside the quotations marks: If attribution comes after the quote, put the comma inside the quotation marks: Another example: “Cleveland, Ohio, is a great city.”. “Stop clubbing, baby seals.” (Or rather, to stay on theme:“Stop clubbing, baby ducks.”). If a dependent clause ends the sentence, however, it no longer requires a comma. However, the final comma—the one that comes before the and —is optional. …Q Did you go with her? Answer: Yes, you need to use a comma between the person’s name and the greeting. For example, “I lay under the powerful summer sun.” “Powerful” describes “summer sun” as a whole phrase. The rule is – either have the commas both before and after a name, or don’t add it at all. You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. Would you like that martini shaken, or stirred? Check out our guide to comma use. Similarly, you can swap their order. It depends! Notify your doctor if you experience dizziness, fainting spells, nausea, vomiting, weak or rapid pulse, or difficulty breathing. Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that describe the same noun equally. In this case, you still need the comma if the negation occurs at the end of the sentence: Also use commas when any distinct shift occurs in the sentence or thought process: “The cloud looked like an animal, perhaps a baby seal.”, Read more: You should use a comma between two adjectives when they are coordinate adjectives. With coordinate adjectives you can put "and" between them and the meaning is the same. This often occurs with adjunct nouns, a phrase where a noun acts as an adjective describing another noun – like “chicken soup” or “dance club.”. We’ve compiled a list of all the times when you’ll need the mighty comma – and we wrote sentences about ducks to show you their proper use: Rebecca Aydin and Christina Sterbenz contributed to a previous version of this post. When the salutation in your email starts with Hello or Hi, you should put a comma before the name of the person you’re addressing. Don’t let the length of an appositive scare you. “A mallard, the kind of duck I saw when I went running, attacked me.”. I know I have a very fuzzy way of determining whether a comma is actually needed and prefer to use them as little as possible.. So, should you put a comma after introductory words such as now, today, etc.? The version with a comma, however, instructs them to stop attending hip dance clubs. Does the sentence still make sense if you insert “and” between the words? Including the final comma in this sentence makes it much more readable. We can invest our savings in stocks, bonds or real estate. In this case, commas indicate pauses. When the first edition of Chicago’s competing guide went on sale to the public—in 1906, as Manual of Style—the quotation marks were double, and the commas and periods went inside. In fact, precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. Mary needs bread, milk, and butter at the grocery store. For example: 1. The question Do you agree with the saying? However, that didn’t stop critics from hailing him as one of the most notable of 20th century American poets – Cummings received over 10 awards for his poems in his lifetime, including the Guggenheim Fellowship. I think there's a trend these todays toward a lighter use of commas. This comma is called the serial comma or the Oxford comma. 12 everyday phrases that you’re probably saying incorrectly, Another example: “Finally, I went running.”. You don’t need to add a comma when the sentence mentions only the month and year: Read more: Mood: How to Use Tone and Mood in Your Writing, Beware of These Common Consistency Issues in Writing, Happy New Year, New Year’s, or New Years?