Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. I wouldnt pause at that point when speaking the sentence so i dont understand the reasoning. Without the comma comma here if you are so inclined one may have to reread the sentence to get the correct meaning. Julie minsky is necessary to help identify ceo, so no commas are used. I noticed that most of the times when the conjunction so is used at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma. Writing and editing essentials from grammar girl and word czar. When do we need to put a comma after so at the beginning of. In cases like this, clarity demands the oxford comma. Things like sadly, incidentally, currently, frankly, typically can be sentence adverbs. If you are emulating a style of casual speech, as the others have explained, you would use a comma after so, especially if you hear a significant pause. If the question refers to commas in a list of things, the answer is no. When writing a date, a comma is used to separate the day from the month, and the date from the year. Apr 27, 2014 grammar girl explains when to use a comma in this brief excerpt from, supercharge your content.
Separate three or more items in a series with a comma. Teenager sparks grammar debate after tiktok oxford comma. Some people say to always use it and other people say to only use it when leaving it out would cause confusion. However, you might try to find some other way to say it, for example, by incorporating the title into the previous or the following sentence. Previously published as part of grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. So is one of seven coordinating conjunctions represented by the mnemonic fanboys.
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. Is a comma needed after currently and consequently. Is a comma necessary after the word titled, as in the book. I thought id finally learned the rules about using punctuation after an ellipsis, but i saw something in that book, id never run across in reading.
A comma before however it is common grammar mistake to use a comma before however when it is being used to merge two sentences into a compound sentence. That last comma before the and is called a serial comma, oxford comma, or harvard comma. Commas with transition words a grammar cheat sheet with the major english conjunctive adverbs. I had trouble organizing the grammar devotional on the computer, so i switched to paper. Sep 02, 2007 commas with appositives the definition of an appositive is a word or word group that defines or further identifies the noun or noun phrase preceding it. Comma with because everything language and grammar.
Is it grammaticaly correct to place a comma after and. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language. She is a little and old lady, or i live in a little and purple house, so commas would not appear between little and old or between little and purple. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real. When an introductory prepositional phrase is very short less than four words, the comma is usually optional. Sep 12, 20 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. Jul 30, 2009 comma with because posted on july 30, 2009 by languageandgrammar i often see writers and editors putting a comma before the word because, for example, this wont surprise anyone who has known her for a long time, because she has always espoused both liberal and conservative perspectives. The excessive comma usage was so obvious that i became annoyed while i was reading. Mar 07, 2020 however, we must teach students proper punctuation. Why are commas required in the first and second sentences. Should you put a comma after introductory words such as. Nevertheless, even though i prefer the comma and have sources to back me up, they almost all use hedge words like usually and preferred. It is traditionally enclosed in commas when it doesnt end a sentence, but nowadays the comma that follows etc.
She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. An introductory phrase is like a clause, but it doesnt have its own subject and verb. The fastest way to teach comma placement with clauses is to write them with students. If you want to learn how to write a book, join our writers write course. The rules about serial commas are an example of such guidelines. Grammar girl mignon fogarty on the biggest changes in language. If you include someones name after thank you, you should insert a comma after thank you to separate the statement from the name of the person being addressed. Online sensation grammar girl makes grammar fun and easy in this new york times bestseller. My estate goes to my husband, son, daughterinlaw, and nephew. When do we need to put a comma after so at the beginning. Back in february, i wrote about the podcast grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. People often get muddled about whether to place a comma before conjunctions like and, so, because, and or. It sets the stage for the main part of the sentence.
Here is a screenshot of some of my article text in prowritingaid. When and how can you use a comma before or after but. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. Sep 25, 2019 teenager sparks grammar debate after tiktok oxford comma video goes viral. When to use commas after introductory prepositional phrases. Commas before and in a series grammar and punctuation. Yes, ting said i did see the baby panda at the zoo today. Fiction and nonfiction books generally prefer the oxford comma. I am a lowerschool teacher and need to clarify this. Coordinating conjunctions and commas the editors blog. Personally comma here if so inclined i would be inclined to use the comma comma here if so inclined if nothing else but to avoid confusion.
Even so, this is a book for better writing, so whether the sentence is. Oct 01, 2011 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. But if youre writing the date in daymonthyear format, you dont need a comma. Grammar girl herself, mignon fogarty, talks to cmos cmos shop. The book that sparked my previous post also sparked this one. The serial comma is the comma before the last and in a series. Depending on which style you follow, youd put a comma before the.
If youre joining two main clauses with a conjunctive adverb, you need a semicolon before that adverb, and a comma after. A teenager has attempted to put an end to the oxford comma debate and in doing so, has sparked fierce debate. Grammar girl whom i trust implicitlysays basically every modern grammar book and style guide. I read so a restrictive comma after show is necessary as so no restrictive comma after show is necessary. The internets grammar girl on the last decades most dramatic. Click on the commas for further explanation of the rules of comma usage being. You dont use a comma everywhere you would pause when. Grammatically speaking, a comma splice isnt required after the word so as everyone here has consistently mentioned. See more ideas about punctuation, grammar and grammar and punctuation. Lets have a look at how commas are used before so in the middle of a sentence. Mignot fogarty, better known as grammar girl provides the public with an accessible reference on punctuation. Is it necessary to use a comma after words like next, then, after that, last, and finally when they are the beginning of a sentence. The answer depends on whether the clause introduced by so is an independent or dependent clause.
Why does the last sentence have no comma after breakfast. Julie minsky is a precise identifier so the appositive is surrounded by commas. Commas and however this page is about whether to use a semicolon or a comma before however. No commas with which, that and who grammar monster. Like commas, semicolons indicate an audible pauseslightly longer than a comma s, but short of a periods full stop. Rules for comma usage guide to grammar and writing. I have to admit, i am a huge proponent of the oxford comma.
Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. A quick trick for deciding if you need a comma before so if you are unsure if you should place a comma before so in the middle of your sentence, try replacing so with therefore or so that. Cleo, and her band will be playing at dockside diner next friday. Dont separate two nouns that appear together as a compound subject or compound object. Some people say to always use it and other people say to only use it when leaving it out. It depends whether this is a sentence adverb or an adverb actually connected to any word in the sentence. In this case, however, a comma is necessary to set off the clause begun by who. That adverb needs to be snuggled between a semicolon and a comma. Never use only one comma between a subject and its verb. The yankees didnt do so well in the early going, but. Online sensation grammar girl makes punctuation fun and easy in grammar girls punctuation 911. So, this gets published but the fact that it is inaccurate gets moderated out.
Id love for it to eventually be a day when people exchange books with friends, family, and colleagues. His explanation of why people often leave the second comma out may explain sarahs confusion. Books similar to grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Could you tell me why the comma has been put in after now and so in this context. Is it true you should never put a comma after then. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. I wrote the books years ago before i knew the details of grammar. When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, dont use commas. Jan 15, 2012 how to use comma after so, if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above.
Cleo and her band will be playing at dockside diner next friday. Commas punctuation rules the blue book of grammar and. Morris claimed hed lost the bet, lost the girl, and lost his mind. Previously published as part of grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing online sensation grammar girl makes punctuation fun and easy in grammar girl s punctuation 911 mignon fogarty, a. If this were latin, the name would be in the vocative case. I am guessing that whether to put comma or not after the so conjunction is related to the. In any case, every style and usage manual agrees that a comma is necessary after iowa, just as you would need the second comma in this sentence. July 4, 1776, was an important day in american history. Following the textbook rules for only, fogarty should have written. But since so few people adhere to the rule, actually following it ends up looking odd. Believe me, we will not cover everything about commas here, but well give it a shot.
Comma between two nouns in a compound subject or object. Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. Grammar girl, is determined to wipe out bad punctuationbut shes also determined to make the process as painless as possible. Smashing grammar our grammar book, 2019 related pages.
When you use an introductory phrase in your writing, youre signaling to the reader that the central message of the sentence is yet to come. When the last comma in a series comes before and or or after daughterinlaw in the above example, it is known as the oxford comma. Here, the lack of a comma before the name indicates that it is essential it clarifies who jane is so that the mention of her name in the following sentence make sense. So many people were taught certain styles as though they were rules that it. Semicolons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar. Consider the below examples of sentences containing properly placed and omitted commas.
Punctuation is not so simple that you can make a rule that a comma always follows a given word or phrase. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller. Such a pause may be caused by indignation, hesitation, etc. 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. Always place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause, but if it begins a dependent clause, dont. Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts skinny letters and fat letters took up the same amount of space, so. If there is a subject with a verb in the second clause, use a comma. A compound sentence comprises two independent clauses. If you are writing for a british audience, put the comma after the closing quotation mark. Should you put a comma after introductory words such as now. I have a question regarding the commas and periods quiz 1, on page 147 of the blue book of grammar and punctuation. When these coordinating conjunctions connect two independent clauses, the conjunction is always preceded by a comma. S i know there is another usage of so as an adjective or an adverb, in which case no comma is necessary, for example.
In british english, however, the convention is the opposite. But if the phrase is longer than four words, use a comma. Policies do vary regarding which words to capitalize in a title. When a dependent clause starts a sentence, add a comma before the independent clause. The 1979 edition of strunk and whites the elements of style insists that etc.
Is it proper to use a comma after writing thank you. Mignon fogarty, grammar girl, wrote a nyt bestseller, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. The serial comma is the comma before the final and in a series. If there is no subject with a connecting verb, omit the comma. Adding a comma after crackers makes it clear that cheese and crackers represents one dish. We check cmos, harts and our favorite grammar books, and sometimes were still not certain when to include a comma and when its safe to. The grocery store was out of tomatoes, so i borrowed some from my neighbor. I got so engrossed in the question of whether a comma is required after i. If your sentence seems to work with a replacement of therefore without changing the meaning of the sentence, then so is a coordinating conjunction and should have a comma before it. Thanks, marki thought thats what you meant, but so many apparently simple rules turn out to be anything but when one starts poking at them with real world. After ryan finishes his book, hell watch some videos. Most newspapers and magazines drop the oxford comma in a simple series, apparently. This chart from grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students gives examples of the 15 most common ways to use a comma.
Our rule 1 of spacing with punctuation states, with a computer, use only one space following periods, commas, semicolons, colons, exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks. Others advise lowercase until a preposition reaches five or more letters. In summary, we can say that the use of the comma before too at the end of the sentence is optional, but the trend seems to be going toward light punctuation that is, no comma. If its being used as a conjunction, then go ahead and use a comma. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Its all very logical and natural, as long as youre not intimidated. Have you ever wondered how to use a comma with however. You can see that the mistake is clearly marked with an explanation of the comma problem with but. In the chapter on punctuation, instead of simply saying that a comma.
Some people put the comma before the and while others leave it out, but it definitely does not go after. S i did skim through the list of questions with comma tag, and found no question on this conjunction yet. Comma at the beginning of sentences the editors blog. Jul 31, 20 the comma is the space in which she sat, you see. Parentheses are used to give additional information to the readerinformation that would disrupt the flow of the sentence if written as a nonrestrictive clause. Put a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet when they connect two independent clauses sentences that can stand alone. The author used a dialogue tag after the ellipsis, so she used a comma. If so begins an independent clause, a comma should precede it, but if it begins a dependent clause, leave it out. Oooh quick edit dont know if it makes a different but i reside in the uk. So big is the caravan that it cannot fit into the garage. In the first sentence, even though a comma is not required because the second sentence cannot stand on its own, the comma is used before the coordinating conjunction because a parenthetical element follows it and strengthens the need for the comma.
Regardless of which of us is wrong, id love a grammatical explanation so i can know for the future. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime. Interjections are included in a sentence usually at the start to express a sentiment such as surprise, disgust, joy, excitement, or. In the article saving penguins, thousands of teenagers rushed to help 40,000 penguins. Using commas, semicolons, and colons within sentences. The comma is such a little mark, but it can prompt big confusion and heated debate about its use. Also, our rule 10 of commas says, when starting a sentence with a dependent clause, use a comma after it. Curleys post, in his second paragraph, second sentence, he didnt put a comma after the word books. If there is more to the sentence, use another comma after the name to separate it from the rest of the sentence. The space needed after these punctuation marks is proportioned automatically. I have learnt that we should not put comma for a single word, from my previous threads. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items.
The associated press stylebook recommends capitalizing all prepositions of more than three letters e. Its no accident that a semicolon is a period atop a comma. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing quick. I had not been aware it was even an option not to use a comma.
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