![]() ![]() (Furthermore, British English tends to use single quotes rather than double quotation marks.) Commas with parentheses If you are writing for a British audience, put the comma after the closing quotation mark. In British English, however, unquoted punctuation typically follows the quotation marks. “We’re going down to the soup kitchen to help serve dinner,” her mother called. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d sit down and finish that essay right now,” my roommate said. In American English, commas always go before closing quotation marks. “Where did that spider come from?” I asked. If multiple adjectives are used but are not coordinate-that is, if one of them is more closely related to the noun being modified than the other(s), and thus they sound unnatural if the order is changed-don’t separate them with a comma. The scintillating, sweet aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen. The sweet, scintillating aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen. That man is a self-righteous, annoying, pompous idiot. That man is a pompous, self-righteous, annoying idiot. If the sentence still sounds natural, the adjectives are coordinate. One way to tell whether the adjectives are coordinate is to try switching the order of them. When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree, they are said to be coordinate and should be separated by commas. The region experienced record rainfall in March 1999. When you are referencing only a month and year, you don’t need a comma. Please join us on Saturday, June 10, 2023, for the marriage of Annie and Michael. On Tuesday, April 13, at three o’clock, there will be a meeting for all staff. Use a comma between a day of the week and a date: If you are using the day-month-year format, however, commas are unnecessary.Īpplications are due by 31 December 2024. July 4, 1776, was an important day in American history. When writing a date in month-day-year format, set off the year with commas. Suddenly, a frightened black cat sprang from the shadows.īut if there is a chance of misreading the sentence, use the comma:īefore eating, the family said grace. Without knowing why, I crossed the room and looked out the window. You can also use a comma after a shorter phrase when you want to emphasize it or add a pause for literary effect.Īfter the show, Cleo will be signing autographs.īehind the building there is enough space to park two limousines. As a rule of thumb, if the phrase is longer than about four words, use a comma. When an adverbial phrase begins a sentence, it’s often followed by a comma, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’s short. ![]() Grabbing her umbrella, Kate raced out of the house.Ĭonfused by her sister’s sudden change in mood, Jill stayed quiet. Commas with introductory phrasesĪ comma normally follows a participial phrase that introduces a sentence: The detective Sherlock Holmes is one of literature’s greatest sleuths. Nick Jonas’s brother Kevin is the most underrated Jonas. Essential appositivesĮdgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” is a classic. The painter, one of the city’s most promising young artists, began showing his work in galleries before he was sixteen.Ĭhocolate, my favorite treat, always makes me feel better after a bad day. If the appositive is necessary, it’s said to be essential and should not be set off with commas. If you could remove the appositive without changing the meaning of the sentence, it is said to be nonessential and should be set off with commas. Often, the appositive provides additional information about the noun or helps to distinguish it in some way. Commas with appositivesĪn appositive is a noun or noun phrase that refers to the same thing as another noun in the same sentence. If you removed it, there would be no way to tell which restaurant you were talking about. The clause “that Chester recommended” is essential information in the sentence above. The cafe that Chester recommended is a fantastic restaurant. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |