Commas

Always use a comma when:

• Your quotation ends, and you need to attribute it to the person who said the words. Example:– “I love cheese,” Wendy said.– “Cheese is so good; it’s my favorite thing

ever,” Wendy said.– “I could make up sentences about cheese

all day,” Wendy said.

Always use a comma:

• Before and after the abbreviation for a state following a city.

• Before and after a year following the month and date.– Example: Wendy was born in Scottsbluff, Neb., on

Feb. 22, 1977, which means she’s 32.– Example: When you go to Chicago, Ill., it’s

important to catch a baseball game. On July 4, 2007, the Cubs played the Braves.

Always use a comma:

• After words in a simple series. Example:– This weekend at the grocery store, Wendy

bought gouda, jarlsberg and edam.

• Before the word etc. at the end of a series. Example:– Yummy cheeses include brie, feta,

cheddar, gouda, etc.

Always use a comma:

• Before a conjunction that separates two independent clauses. (I,cI) Examples:– Cheese is good, but Wendy knows it’s not

the only thing in the world.– Wendy nevers dreams about cheese, and

she would be weirded out if she did.– Sometimes it’s hard to come up with

creative sentences about cheese, so this one is about something else.

Always use a comma:

• Between clauses when a dependent clause comes before an independent clause. (D, I) Examples:– When she writes about cheese, Wendy’s students

think she’s a dork.– After writing so many cheesy sentences, Wendy is

exhausted.– Because cheese was the subject of so many

examples, Wendy hopes you’ll remember them.

Always use a comma:

• After an introductory participle phrase that is followed by an independent clause. Examples:– Eating her cheese, Wendy was satisfied.– Taking her time, Wendy chewed the cheese

slowly and savored the flavor.– Feeling stupid, Wendy wrote another

sentence about cheese.

Always use a comma:

• To bracket nonessential words, phrases and clauses. Example:– Wendy’s youngest brother, Owen, called

today, and they did not talk about cheese.– Wendy’s favorite cheeses, which are

always in her refrigerator, make her happy.– Stilton, a greenish cheese, which grosses

out her partner, Charlie, is not Wendy’s favorite.