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I am sure throughout your writing journey you have been stumped once or twice on if a comma is needed in the sentence you are writing. Have you ever written a sentence, for example, “after we eat we should leave for our Uber” and had no clue where to put the comma? You may think back to all those grammar lessons you had in your middle school days, but those were a long time ago! I am sure we all need a refresher once in a while on how to use commas, and what are the different types of commas. I am here to be that refresher. In the following, you will learn what a comma is and the rules on how to use them. Hopefully, this will improve your writing skills to get you an A on your next writing assignment!

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Even though it is hard to remember the exact rules and placement of a comma, however, you may remember hearing that a comma is used to take a pause or breather. This is not the most reliable rule since we already stop naturally to breathe. To rephrase, you should use a comma to guide the reader through a sentence and to prevent misreading. Commas are similarly to periods, but commas keep going whereas periods are the end of a sentence. When you are writing a sentence it is natural to hear where a pause is needed but again it can be harder to differentiate whether the comma is grammatically correct in that spot. Next, I will explain a couple of rules to keep in mind to advance your written pieces.

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Another comma rule people tend to remember is to use a comma before a coordinating conjunction. The comma and conjunction both help to separate two independent clauses. “FANBOYS” is an acronym that helps writers remember what words are conjunctions.

FANBOYS: For, And, But, Or, Yet, So

However, a comma is not needed before conjunctions if the sentence flows smoothly without one.

Let's first look at some examples of sentences with conjunctions and commas.

Example #1: My assignment is due tonight, yet I have not started.

Example #2: Maria was late for practice, so she had to do laps.

Example #3: I am not mad at you, but I am disappointed.

Examples that do not need a comma:

Example #1: I want ice cream but I want cake too.

Example # 2: Maria joined soccer and Brian joined basketball

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Rule #3: The Courtesy Comma  & Rule #4: The “Coordinating” Comma

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Rule #3: The Courtesy Comma  & Rule #4: The “Coordinating” Comma

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Rule #3:
This rule is one people typically forget about. A courtesy comma is a comma used to set off an introductory element. This meaning a comma should be placed after a word or a group of words that come before the independent clause. Similarly to the last rule, the comma is not necessarily needed if it does not flow with a comma. Let’s look at some examples.

Example #1: Max, you need to come here!

Example #2: Wherever you go, I will follow.

Example #3: Although the train came on time, we waited for her.

Example #4:  Mary Jones went to school.

Rule #4:
This comma is used to separate coordinated adjectives. A coordinated adjective would typically mean two or more adjectives in a sentence that describe one noun. You do not need a comma when the first adjective can describe both the next adjective and noun. Let’s look at some examples.

Example #1: Rude, dumb Mike did not help me.

Example #2:  The big scary monster.

Example #3: James is a warm, gentle friend.

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Rule #6: The Formal Title & Rule #7: The Quoted Language Comma

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Rule #6: The Formal Title & Rule #7: The Quoted Language Comma

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Rule #6:
This comma is used to separate countries, states, cities, and years etc. Seems pretty simple? Let’s look at some examples.

Example #1: I live in Toronto, Ontario.

Example #2: I was born on May 6, 2000.

Rule #7:
This comma is used to set off, quoted phrases/languages. Seems pretty easy right? Let’s look at some examples

Example #1: Jessica said, “I do not want that”

Example #2: “I already finished my homework,” said Kim, “Leave me alone.”

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This comma is used when separating words when you are listing things in a sentence. This is the simplest use of the comma because everyone tends to remember this rule. Though, some people may be confused about if the last word being listed needs a comma. Let’s say you are listing what you need at a grocery store, for example, “I need eggs, milk, bread, and cheese”. As you can see the last word, before the and, has a comma. The last word must always have a comma because it is apart of what is being listed and the rule is that all items in a series must have a comma including the last two. Let’s look through some examples.

Example 1: I love my mom because she is pretty, thoughtful, and kind.

Example 2: Turn right, then turn left, go up the stairs, and the bathroom is there!

Example 3: Please put the forks, knives, and spoons in that cabinet.

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Rule #5: The Contrary (or Contrast) Comma

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Rule #5: The Contrary (or Contrast) Comma

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This comma is used to start off a sentence with an element that is expressing a contrast or a turn. This means that the sentence starts off talking about something and changed to oppose or say the opposite of the first half. Words we should look out for that are common for these types of sentences are although, though, rather, and instead. Let’s look at some examples.

Example #1: I like those shoes, but it’s too old.

Example #2: I like doing chores, but not the dishes.

Example #3: No one heard me scream, not even my mom.

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I hope these rules can serve as a refresher to our brain. Using these commas will help grammatically help any writing pieces you may encounter. After hearing all these phrases, I hope you also understand that too many commas are not good as well. You should only use commas if they are necessary for helping the flow. Happy writing!

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This is the hardest comma rule to remember. A parenthetical element is information in a sentence that can be removed and not change the meaning of the sentence. The parenthetical comma is used to set off a parenthetical element. An appositive phrase is a phrase that can be removed from a sentence and not change the meaning which is the same as parenthetical.

Let’s look at some examples to have a clearer understanding of what this comma means.

Example #1: Most girls, specifically my sister, are mean to their brothers.

Example #2: Frankly, I don’t care.

Example #3: Jackson, who is Amber’s best friend, will be coming.