English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, with Online Practice, 3rd Edition

Chapter 11

Pausing to Consider the Comma

IN THIS CHAPTER

Separating items in a list with punctuation

Using commas to indicate direct address

Inserting commas into dates and addresses

Combining sentences

Correctly interrupting and introducing sentences

Setting descriptors apart with commas

Small though they are, commas nearly always have a significant effect on the meaning of a sentence. They can indicate relationships between items or people, they keep words and numbers from running together, and they point out what’s not necessary to the meaning of a sentence. In this chapter you can practice inserting and deleting commas until your writing is clear and correct.

Keeping Lists in Order with Commas and Semicolons

When you’re writing a free-standing list, line breaks signal when one item in a list ends and another begins. Commas do the same thing in sentences. Perhaps Professor MacGregor ...