When a comma is required directly after a word, it should be placed after the apostrophe, whatever the circumstance. Some writers, particularly in the case of possessive plurals, make the mistake of putting the comma prior to the apostrophe, as follows: Unlike the other horses,’ his hooves had recently been re-shoed.
Do commas always go inside quotation marks?
Put commas and periods within quotation marks, except when a parenthetical reference follows. He said, “I may forget your name, but I never forget a face.” … Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence.
Can you put a comma before and in a sentence?
Whether or not you put a comma before and depends on how you’re using and. There’s no single rule that applies to all situations. You usually put a comma before and when it’s connecting two independent clauses. It’s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list.
What are the punctuation rules?
Commas Rule 1: Use commas to separate three or more items in a series. Rule 2: Use a comma to show a pause after an introductory word. Rule 3: Use a comma after two or more prepositional phrases at the beginning of a sentence. Rule 4: Use commas to set off words that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence.Does the punctuation go inside the parentheses?
Periods and Parentheses When a complete, independent sentence is entirely enclosed by parentheses, the period goes inside the closing parenthesis. … But, if the parenthetical material is nested inside another sentence, the period should go on the outside.
What do em dashes do?
The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes set off extra information, such as examples, explanatory or descriptive phrases, or supplemental facts. Like a colon, an em dash introduces a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it.
Where do you put a comma after a quote with a question mark?
In cases when a question mark is used, there is no need to use a comma as well; instead, the attributive tag should come immediately after the closing quotation marks. Consider the example below: “Do you want to come to the movies with us ?”, Mary asked. “Do you want to come to the movies with us ?” Mary asked.
How do you know where to put a comma?
- Use a comma to separate independent clauses. …
- Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. …
- Use a comma between all items in a series. …
- Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses. …
- Use a comma to set off appositives. …
- Use a comma to indicate direct address. …
- Use commas to set off direct quotations.
What are the five comma rules?
- Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause. …
- Use commas before and after a parenthetical phrase or clause. …
- Use a comma to separate two independent clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor or, so, yet) …
- Use a comma to separate items in a series.
The Oxford comma is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of things. For example, in “the flag was red, white, and blue”, the Oxford comma would be the one appearing before “and”. Proponents of the Oxford comma say it’s necessary for removing ambiguity in sentences.
Article first time published onWhat is a comma and examples?
Commas and periods are the most frequently used punctuation marks. Commas customarily indicate a brief pause; they’re not as final as periods. Rule 1. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew.
Do we use comma after and?
The simple truth is that you never need a comma after “and” because of the word “and” itself. … In other words, unless there is some other grammatical reason that a comma needs to appear at that point in the sentence, the word “and” shouldn’t be followed by one.
Does punctuation go before or after in text citation?
Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
Do periods go before or after parentheses when citing?
If a citation in parentheses follows the quotation, the period follows the citation. If a superscript footnote number is used, it follows the period and the quotation marks.
Does period go before or after parentheses?
The period is a strong punctuation mark—think of it as controlling the action in the sentence, which occurs outside the parentheses. 2. When a whole sentence falls inside parentheses, the period goes inside. Correct: (Several other courses were offered, but they were not as popular.)
Can you use a comma before a question?
If a direct question contained in a sentence is long or has internal punctuation, set the question off with a comma and begin it with a capital letter: … In the example above, the questions in series are not capitalized because they are not complete sentences and do not begin with a proper noun.
Does a comma splice have to have a comma?
When you join two independent clauses with a comma and no conjunction, it’s called a comma splice. Some people consider this a type of run-on sentence, while other people think of it as a punctuation error.
How do you you use a semicolon?
Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). Make sure when you use the semicolon that the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction.
How do you use dashes correctly?
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
What is the difference between an em dash and a hyphen?
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. … A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—).
What are the 10 comma rules?
- Rule #1: Use Commas to Separate Items in a List. …
- Rule #2: Use a Comma After an Introductory Word or Phrase. …
- Rule #3: Use a Comma Before a Quotation. …
- Rule #4: Use a Comma to Separate a Dependent Clause That Comes BEFORE the Independent Clause.
What are the 6 comma rules?
- Put a comma before for, and, not, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS), when they connect two. …
- Put a comma after an introductory expression that doesn’t flow smoothly into the. …
- Put a comma between items in a series. …
- Put commas around an expression that interrupts the flow of the sentence (such as.
When should I use a comma?
- Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. …
- Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
What are the 9 comma rules?
- Separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction with a comma. …
- Use a comma after an introductory phrase. …
- Use a comma after a conjunctive adverb. …
- Divide separate items in a list using commas. …
- Oxford or serial commas are optional. …
- Separate nonrestrictive clauses with a comma.
What are the 4 types of commas?
There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.
How do you teach punctuation for beginners?
I would suggest starting with a question mark, comma, period, and exclamation point. Next, read some simple sentences out loud. Use the correct inflections and clear pauses to help the students identify which card is correct. The students will then pop up the card with the correct punctuation mark by holding it up.
Why the Oxford comma is unnecessary?
Regardless of the order, a proper noun and a common noun would be next to each other in a list, and an Oxford comma would allow readers to mistake one as a clarification of the previous noun. Another reason to skip the Oxford comma is to save time, both for the writer and reader.
Do you use the Oxford comma in legal writing?
Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate.
Is the Oxford comma outdated?
Chicago style recommends its use in almost all instances, while AP style leans somewhat against it. The AP’s position is squishy, though, as it recently noted in a series of tweets that began “We don’t ban Oxford commas!” Rather, they say you should use it when it adds clarity and ditch it when it’s nonessential.
Is there a comma before if?
A comma before “if” is necessary when it comes after an introductory remark at the beginning of a sentence. … However, a pre-comma would be incorrect when “if” introduces a subordinate clause after the main clause, as well as when it functions as a noun.
