The purpose of such commas is to clearly demonstrate to the reader the essential information that is part of the main clause and the non-essential information that provides additional information. The subordinate clause can be in the middle of the sentence, which requires a comma before and after it. For example:. This is the most well-known use of the comma; however, there is a point of contention around what is known as the o xford comma or the s erial comma.
In American English, it is mandatory to have the Oxford comma, whereas, in British English, this comma is required only when you require clarity in a given list of items. Commas have many uses, and, as a result, there are many ways that they can be used incorrectly.
Three issues which appear regularly in academic writing are the comma splice, the missing comma, and the extra comma. A comma splice is a comma that is placed randomly in a sentence. It often appears because writers feel that the sentence requires a pause, as a common way of teaching comma use is to describe them as a pause or a place to take a breath.
While this is useful for school children, it leads to many mistakes in formal writing. A comma should never come between the main clause and its subordinate clause, a verb and its direct object or objects joined by a conjunction. These commas are all used incorrectly:. It gives the reader an understanding of the meaning of the text and the idea revealed by an author. Proper punctuation is also important tool to make your written text logical and readable.
Even a small comma can greatly change the meaning of the sentence. For example :. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves. Eats shoots and leaves. Commas indicate a short pause in a complex sentence or mark out individual items in long lists. Commas are used to split long sentences, but only in order to show a discontinuity and fragmentation that is essential for the human mind.
You do not need to put a space before a comma, but it is required after comma. For example:. A lot of people gathered in the main hall: workers, managers, CEOs. The workers stood in the rows, managers sat at the tables on the left and CEO department took seats on the right.
Comma is often used in direct speech. The full stop is placed at the end of affirmative sentences and indicates a complete thought. You do not need to put a space in front of the full stop, but it is required after it. The full stop can be used in abbreviations, such as p. The price of the standard twin room included the following: transfer from airport, breakfast and free Wi-Fi.
Every sentence should include at least a capital letter at the start, and a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark at the end. This basic system indicates that the sentence is complete. For example, in the following sentence the phrase or clause between the commas gives us more information behind the actions of the boy, the subject of the sentence:.
Note that if the phrase or clause were to be removed, the sentence would still make sense although there would be a loss of information.
Alternatively, two sentences could be used:. The shopping trolley was loaded high with bottles of beer, fruit, vegetables, toilet rolls, cereals and cartons of milk. As commas represent a pause, it is good practice to read your writing out loud and listen to where you make natural pauses as you read it.
More often than not, you will indicate where a comma should be placed by a natural pause. A full stop should always be used to end a sentence. The full stop indicates that a point has been made and that you are about to move on to further explanations or a related point. Less frequently, a series of three full stops an ellipsis can be used to indicate where a section of a quotation has been omitted when it is not relevant to the text, for example:. A single full stop may also be used to indicate the abbreviation of commonly used words as in the following examples:.
During or for? Each or every? East or eastern ; north or northern? Economic or economical? Efficient or effective? Elder , eldest or older , oldest? End or finish? Especially or specially? Except or except for? Expect , hope or wait? Experience or experiment? Fall or fall down? Far or a long way? Farther , farthest or further , furthest?
Fast , quick or quickly? Fell or felt? Female or feminine ; male or masculine? Finally , at last , lastly or in the end? First , firstly or at first? Fit or suit? Following or the following? For or since? Forget or leave? Full or filled? Fun or funny? Get or go? Grateful or thankful? Hear or listen to? High or tall? Historic or historical? House or home? How is …? If or when?
If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not? Nowadays , these days or today?
Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other , others , the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Person , persons or people? Pick or pick up? Play or game? Politics , political , politician or policy? Price or prize? Principal or principle? Quiet or quite? Raise or rise? Remember or remind? Right or rightly? Rob or steal? Say or tell?
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