Punctuation Department · Today with The Mayor

Comma

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Comma

The Mayor teaches this column himself. Work through each capitalization job below, then take the quiz.

Separate the items in a series

A comma separates the parts of an address: the street from the city, and the city from the state, as in Reno, Nevada. It works the same way it separates the items in a list.

In a sentence

We moved to Austin , Texas.

Mail it to 10 Oak Street , Reno , Nevada.

Now you try

Three or more items in a row, each split by a comma, with one before the and. You could try snacks, school supplies, or pets.

Put the comma before the coordinating conjunction

A comma comes before a coordinating conjunction (the FANBOYS words: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) when it joins two independent clauses. Each side of the conjunction could stand alone as its own sentence.

In a sentence

I knocked , but no one answered.

Now you try

Each side has to stand on its own. Like: I was tired, so I rested.

Set off the part you could lift out

A comma sets off a direct quotation from its speaker tag: the comma follows the tag, before the spoken words. Chief Comma places that comma; the quotation marks around the spoken words belong to Court Reporter Quotation Marks.

In a sentence

Maria said , “Let's go.”

Now you try

Drop in a who or which part: My bike, which is blue, is fast.

Set off the introduction before the main idea

A comma follows an introductory word or phrase that comes before the main clause, marking where the opener ends.

In a sentence

At the zoo , we saw the penguins.

Now you try

Start with Yes, First, or an After ... phrase: After lunch, we played.

Every comma does one job

All four comma jobs (series, join, set apart, introductory) are the same move: separating words and word groups so the reader can follow the sentence.

In a sentence

We flew to Denver , Colorado.

Yes , we are ready.

Now you try

Series, join, set apart, or introductory. Every one of them separates.