Commas, commas and more commas

Front

What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, separate items in a list, or clarify meaning.

Front

When should you use a comma before a conjunction?

Back

A comma should be used before a conjunction (like 'and', 'but', 'or') when it connects two independent clauses.

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a verb.

Front

What is a dependent clause?

Back

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and usually begins with a subordinating conjunction (like 'although', 'because').

Front

How do you use commas in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list, for example: 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

Front

What is a non-restrictive clause?

Back

A non-restrictive clause adds extra information to a sentence but is not essential to its meaning and is usually set off by commas.

Front

What is a restrictive clause?

Back

A restrictive clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence and does not require commas.

Front

How do you punctuate direct address in a sentence?

Back

When directly addressing someone, use commas to separate their name from the rest of the sentence, e.g., 'Lisa, can you help me?'

Front

What is the rule for using commas with introductory phrases?

Back

Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause to separate it from the main clause, e.g., 'After dinner, we went for a walk.'

Front

When should you not use a comma?

Back

Do not use a comma to separate a subject from its verb or a verb from its object.