|
Commas make writing easier to read and understand because they keep ideas, numbers, and words separated from each other. This is especially true when you have a list of at least three things, ideas, or actions in a sentence. It is important that you make it clear to the reader that these things are separate from each other, so here is another important and useful comma rule.
When you have a list of things, ideas, or actions in a sentence, a simple way to tell how many commas you need is to count up the number of items in the list and subtract one. Be sure to include the comma before the conjunction (and, but, or). Take a look at each of these examples below. My favorite sports are soccer, hockey, and lacrosse.
After dinner I do my homework, talk to my friends on the phone, and watch television.
There are three different activities listed on this sentence, so if you subtract one, that means you need two commas. One is needed after homework, and another is needed after phone.
Popular tourist destinations in the United States are Boston, New York, Seattle, and Charleston.
There are four different cities listed on this sentence, so if you subtract one, that means you need three commas. One is needed after Boston, one after New York, and another is needed after Seattle.
Punctuation marks, like commas, help the reader get the meaning from your writing. Commas make the writer's meaning clearer to the reader.
Click on the Chalk board to practice commas with items in a series!
There are many other important and useful comma rules that you should know to improve your communication when you write. Follow the links below to the lessons that introduce them:
This site is best viewed with Internet
Explorer |
