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Chapter 12

Exercising Comma Sense: Placing Commas Correctly

How much is a comma worth? In 2018, a single missing comma in a state law cost a Maine dairy company five million dollars. Your punctuation is no less valuable, at least in terms of meaning. As the dairy company now knows, a comma can clarify or undermine the intended message. Fortunately, it's not hard to insert commas where they belong. In this chapter, you practice paying attention to commas and exercising “comma sense.”

The Questions You’ll Work On

In this chapter, you work on questions that exercise the following skills:

 Punctuating lists with commas and inserting semicolons where needed

 Differentiating between essential and nonessential information by inserting commas

 Using commas to set off introductory elements and interruptions in the sentence

 Creating a direct address with commas

 Separating clauses with commas and conjunctions

What to Watch Out For

Keep these points in mind when you’re answering the questions in this chapter:

 Elements of a list are generally separated by commas. The comma before and is optional, though most people include it. Note: You should always place a comma before and if the meaning isn't clear without it, as in this sentence: I invited two of my brothers, John and Bill. The reader doesn't know whether the speaker invited four people (two brothers and John and Bill) or two people (two brothers, whose names are John and Bill). A comma before and clarifies the meaning.

 If items in a list contain commas, semicolons separate the items.

 Set off nonessential descriptions from the rest of the sentence using commas. Essential information is not set off by commas.

 Nonessential clauses (subject-verb statements) often begin with which. Essential clauses often begin with that.

 Commas set off words in a sentence that interrupt the flow of meaning (direct address, exclamations, and the like).

 When you join one complete sentence to another with a conjunction (and, or, but, for, yet, nor), place a comma before the conjunction.

Commas in Lists

542–556 Punctuate the list by adding commas and semicolons as needed. Note: Some optional commas already appear in the lists.

542. ham eggs bacon cereal milk, and toast

543. drizzle hurricane hail sleet, and rain

544. vanilla and chocolate

545. vanilla and chocolate and strawberry ice cream

546. slid teetered, and fell flat

547. the dirty ripped faded shoes

548. three pink noisy mice

549. a constantly changing mysterious personality

550. my oldest kindest friend and her extremely strict parents

551. became angry went to the boss, and vented his passionately held beliefs

552. algebra which I hated geometry which I loved, and calculus which I enjoyed

553. your penetrating unusually creative mind

554. Peter Walsh her former sweetheart Richard Dalloway her husband Hugh Whitbread an old friend (Note: This list contains the names of three people, each followed by an explanation of his or her identity.)

555. sealed the crucially important envelope and mailed it

556. five sides equal in length width, and height

Using Commas with Identifying and Extra Information

557–576 Identify the word or words (if any) that should be followed by commas.

557. The plant that has drooping leaves needs more water.

558. The football players who are injured want more protective gear, but the quarterback believes that his current equipment is sufficient.

559. The corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street where the accident took place now has a stoplight.

560. Alice’s cousin Charles is the funniest of the five siblings.

561. My bedroom ceiling which has three long cracks will be repaired next week.

562. The house I grew up in was painted yellow and had a green roof.

563. Johnny playing with his toy cars was not old enough to drive a real vehicle.

564. Sodium chloride better known as salt is a flavorful addition to most meals.

565. The toddler playing in the sandbox was reluctant to leave the playground.

566. The chairman of the board Mr. Smith resigned yesterday.

567. The law enacted at midnight represented a compromise between the opposing parties.

568. The office decorated in blue our state color displays paintings with patriotic themes.

569. Six o’clock when my alarm rings is the time I jump onto my exercise bike and pedal for an hour.

570. A cheerleader who doesn’t concentrate can easily fall and suffer an injury.

571. I didn’t join the club because we’re friends; I am interested in its activities.

572. The herb Debby sprinkles on most of her salads dill is easy to grow.

573. Catherine laughed as she told the story.

574. Sarah won’t slap you because she avoids violence at all costs.

575. I have seen the funniest film ever made Caddyshack about 30 times.

576. Nearly every student of English literature loves Shakespeare’s best play Hamlet.

Creating a Pause in a Sentence

577–591 Identify the word or words (if any) that should be followed by commas.

577. Yes I hate geraniums and roses.

578. Max however would like to pilot a jet.

579. Oscar I think you could become a superstar.

580. Eloise closed the door and then she locked it.

581. The clerk slapped a price sticker on each tube and placed the merchandise on the shelf.

582. Go to your room Henry before I lose my temper!

583. Oh no one remembered to bring the ketchup or mustard!

584. Really those appliances are so elegant that I can’t imagine them in a kitchen or laundry.

585. He walked two miles through the park but he took a bus home.

586. The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout you know.

587. Nevertheless you must complete all your chores before you watch the playoffs.

588. Your calculator is broken and your answer therefore is incorrect.

589. By the way Gloria your zipper is open and so is your mouth.

590. Logging more than a thousand hours flying that plane Albert is an expert pilot.

591. Although it’s too difficult for beginners the course is great for advanced students.