LEARNING RULES FOR COMMAS
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Commas are an important punctuation mark in English, used to separate phrases, clauses, and items in a list, among other functions.
Here are some general rules for using commas in American English:
👉 Use commas to separate items in a series or list. For example: "I need to buy eggs, milk, and bread."
There's no need to add commas in this case, since It's not a list of things: "I need to buy coffee and milk".
👉 Use a comma to separate two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so). For example: "She went to the store, but she forgot her wallet." "We haven't needed extra staff as yet, but we may in the future". "He's overweight and bald, yet he's attractive".
👉 Use a comma after introductory words or phrases that come before the main clause. For example: "After I finished my homework, I watched TV."
👉 Use commas to set off non-essential information or clauses, such as appositives, interjections, or parenthetical expressions. For example: "My friend, who lives in New York, is visiting me next week." My sister, who is a dentist, lives in Rio Claro.
👉 Use a comma to separate adjectives that modify the same noun. For example: "The tall, handsome, blond, and tan man walked by."
👉 Use commas to separate dates, addresses, and titles in a person's name. For example: "I was born on January 1, 1990, in New York, New York, the USA."
👉 Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a complex sentence that has more than one dependent clause. For example: "Although I was tired, I went to the gym, and I had a great workout."
It's important to note that these are general guidelines, and there are many exceptions and special cases in which the use of commas can vary.
➤ I need to buy milk bread and cheese.
➤ Although he was tired he decided to keep working.
➤ The movie was boring yet I stayed until the end.
➤ In 2019 I went to Paris France.
➤ My favorite foods are pizza spaghetti and tacos.
Answers:
➤ I need to buy milk, bread, and cheese.
➤ Although he was tired, he decided to keep working.
➤ The movie was boring, yet I stayed until the end.
➤ In 2019, I went to Paris, France.
➤ My favorite foods are pizza, spaghetti, and tacos.
⏺ Exercise 2: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
➤ Mary's mother who was a doctor always worked long hours.
➤ After we ate our lunch we went for a walk.
➤ The red white and blue flag was flying high. The nice beautiful and amazing city of New York was….
➤ I need to buy eggs milk and bread.
Answers:
➤ The book which is a classic is very long.
➤ During the summer we like to swim hike and camp.
➤ My favorite colors are blue green and yellow.
➤ She went to the store and he bought milk bread and cheese.
Answers:
➤ The book, which is a classic, is very long.
➤ During the summer, we like to swim, hike, and camp.
➤ My favorite colors are blue, green, and yellow.
➤ She went to the store and bought milk, bread, and cheese.
➤ I hope these exercises help you practice using commas correctly in American English!
⏺ Exercise 4: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time a young girl named Emily loved to read books. She spent hours at the library pouring over classics like "Pride and Prejudice" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" and even started writing stories of her own.
One day Emily decided to enter a writing contest but she wasn't sure if she had what it takes to win. Her mother who was a writer herself encouraged her to try anyway.
After weeks of writing and editing Emily finished her story and submitted it to the contest. A few weeks later she received a letter in the mail informing her that she had won first place! Emily was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She ran to her room picked up her phone and called her mother.
👩"Mom I won the contest!" Emily exclaimed.
👵 "That's wonderful news Emily" her mother said her voice filled with pride.
👩 "I couldn't have done it without your help" Emily said tears of happiness streaming down her face.
👵 Her mother laughed. "You did all the hard work Emily. I just gave you a little push in the right direction."
From that day forward Emily continued to write and read voraciously always striving to improve her skills. She went on to win many more writing contests but she never forgot the lesson her mother had taught her: with hard work and a little help anything is possible.
Answer:
Once upon a time, a young girl named Emily loved to read books. She spent hours at the library pouring over classics like "Pride and Prejudice" and "To Kill a Mockingbird", and even started writing stories of her own. One day, Emily decided to enter a writing contest, but she wasn't sure if she had what it takes to win. Her mother, who was a writer herself, encouraged her to try anyway.
After weeks of writing and editing, Emily finished her story and submitted it to the contest. A few weeks later, she received a letter in the mail informing her that she had won first place! Emily was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She ran to her room, picked up her phone, and called her mother.
👩 "Mom, I won the contest!" Emily exclaimed.
👵 "That's wonderful news, Emily," her mother said, her voice filled with pride.
👩 "I couldn't have done it without your help," Emily said, tears of happiness streaming down her face.
👵 Her mother laughed. "You did all the hard work, Emily. I just gave you a little push in the right direction."
From that day forward, Emily continued to write and read voraciously, always striving to improve her skills. She went on to win many more writing contests, but she never forgot the lesson her mother had taught her: with hard work and a little help, anything is possible.
⏺ Exercise 5: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time in a land called America there lived a group of punctuation marks who were very confused about the comma rules in American English. They often argued with each other about when and where to use commas which led to a lot of misunderstandings and confusion.
One day the wise Grammarian who was the ruler of the land decided to teach the punctuation marks the proper comma rules. She called all the punctuation marks to her palace and began to explain the rules.
"The first rule of using commas" said the Grammarian "is to use them to separate items in a list. For example 'I need to buy apples bananas and oranges.' The commas help to make the list clear and easy to understand."
The punctuation marks nodded in understanding but the Grammarian was not done yet.
"The second rule" she continued "is to use commas to separate two independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'and' 'but' or 'or.' For example 'She wanted to go to the beach but it was raining.'"
The punctuation marks were beginning to understand but the Grammarian had one more rule to share.
"The final rule" she said "is to use commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. For example 'The book which was written by my favorite author, is one of my favorites.'"
The punctuation marks were now confident in their understanding of the comma rules in American English. They left the palace eager to put their new knowledge to use.
From that day forward the punctuation marks used commas correctly, and their writing became clear and easy to understand. The Grammarian was pleased with their progress and rewarded them with a grand feast to celebrate their newfound knowledge.
And so the moral of the story is that understanding and following the comma rules in American English can make your writing clear concise and easy to understand.
👉 Use a comma to separate two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so). For example: "She went to the store, but she forgot her wallet." "We haven't needed extra staff as yet, but we may in the future". "He's overweight and bald, yet he's attractive".
👉 Use a comma after introductory words or phrases that come before the main clause. For example: "After I finished my homework, I watched TV."
👉 Use commas to set off non-essential information or clauses, such as appositives, interjections, or parenthetical expressions. For example: "My friend, who lives in New York, is visiting me next week." My sister, who is a dentist, lives in Rio Claro.
👉 Use a comma to separate adjectives that modify the same noun. For example: "The tall, handsome, blond, and tan man walked by."
👉 Use commas to separate dates, addresses, and titles in a person's name. For example: "I was born on January 1, 1990, in New York, New York, the USA."
👉 Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a complex sentence that has more than one dependent clause. For example: "Although I was tired, I went to the gym, and I had a great workout."
It's important to note that these are general guidelines, and there are many exceptions and special cases in which the use of commas can vary.
In general, the rules for using commas in American and British English are quite similar. However, there are some specific conventions and style preferences that may differ between the two varieties of English. Here are a few general points to consider:
Lists (Serial Commas):
- American English: It is common to use the serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma) before the conjunction in a list of three or more items. For example: "red, white, and blue."
- British English: The use of the serial comma is less strict in British English. Some style guides recommend it, while others do not. For example: "red, white and blue."
Addresses:
- American English: Commas are used to separate the city from the state and to separate the state from the ZIP code. For example: "New York, NY 10001."
- British English: Commas are not typically used in this way in British addresses.
Date Formatting:
- American English: The month, day, and year are separated by commas. For example: "July 4, 2023."
- British English: The day precedes the month, and commas are not used to separate elements. For example: "4 July 2023."
Quotation Marks:
- American English: Commas and periods are usually placed inside the closing quotation mark.
- British English: Commas and periods are often placed outside the closing quotation mark unless they are part of the quoted material.
It's important to note that these conventions can vary, and individual style guides or preferences may influence comma usage. Additionally, both American and British English allow for some flexibility in punctuation, and personal or editorial choices can play a role in how commas are used.
⏺Exercise 1: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
➤ I need to buy milk bread and cheese.
➤ Although he was tired he decided to keep working.
➤ The movie was boring yet I stayed until the end.
➤ In 2019 I went to Paris France.
➤ My favorite foods are pizza spaghetti and tacos.
Answers:
➤ I need to buy milk, bread, and cheese.
➤ Although he was tired, he decided to keep working.
➤ The movie was boring, yet I stayed until the end.
➤ In 2019, I went to Paris, France.
➤ My favorite foods are pizza, spaghetti, and tacos.
⏺ Exercise 2: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
➤ Mary's mother who was a doctor always worked long hours.
➤ After we ate our lunch we went for a walk.
➤ The red white and blue flag was flying high. The nice beautiful and amazing city of New York was….
➤ I need to buy eggs milk and bread.
Answers:
➤ Mary's mother, who was a doctor, always worked long hours.
➤ After we ate our lunch, we went for a walk.
➤ The red, white, and blue flag was flying high.
➤ I need to buy eggs, milk, and bread.
⏺ Exercise 3: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
➤ After we ate our lunch, we went for a walk.
➤ The red, white, and blue flag was flying high.
➤ I need to buy eggs, milk, and bread.
⏺ Exercise 3: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
➤ The book which is a classic is very long.
➤ During the summer we like to swim hike and camp.
➤ My favorite colors are blue green and yellow.
➤ She went to the store and he bought milk bread and cheese.
Answers:
➤ The book, which is a classic, is very long.
➤ During the summer, we like to swim, hike, and camp.
➤ My favorite colors are blue, green, and yellow.
➤ She went to the store and bought milk, bread, and cheese.
➤ I hope these exercises help you practice using commas correctly in American English!
⏺ Exercise 4: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time a young girl named Emily loved to read books. She spent hours at the library pouring over classics like "Pride and Prejudice" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" and even started writing stories of her own.
One day Emily decided to enter a writing contest but she wasn't sure if she had what it takes to win. Her mother who was a writer herself encouraged her to try anyway.
After weeks of writing and editing Emily finished her story and submitted it to the contest. A few weeks later she received a letter in the mail informing her that she had won first place! Emily was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She ran to her room picked up her phone and called her mother.
👩"Mom I won the contest!" Emily exclaimed.
👵 "That's wonderful news Emily" her mother said her voice filled with pride.
👩 "I couldn't have done it without your help" Emily said tears of happiness streaming down her face.
👵 Her mother laughed. "You did all the hard work Emily. I just gave you a little push in the right direction."
From that day forward Emily continued to write and read voraciously always striving to improve her skills. She went on to win many more writing contests but she never forgot the lesson her mother had taught her: with hard work and a little help anything is possible.
Answer:
Once upon a time, a young girl named Emily loved to read books. She spent hours at the library pouring over classics like "Pride and Prejudice" and "To Kill a Mockingbird", and even started writing stories of her own. One day, Emily decided to enter a writing contest, but she wasn't sure if she had what it takes to win. Her mother, who was a writer herself, encouraged her to try anyway.
After weeks of writing and editing, Emily finished her story and submitted it to the contest. A few weeks later, she received a letter in the mail informing her that she had won first place! Emily was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She ran to her room, picked up her phone, and called her mother.
👩 "Mom, I won the contest!" Emily exclaimed.
👵 "That's wonderful news, Emily," her mother said, her voice filled with pride.
👩 "I couldn't have done it without your help," Emily said, tears of happiness streaming down her face.
👵 Her mother laughed. "You did all the hard work, Emily. I just gave you a little push in the right direction."
From that day forward, Emily continued to write and read voraciously, always striving to improve her skills. She went on to win many more writing contests, but she never forgot the lesson her mother had taught her: with hard work and a little help, anything is possible.
⏺ Exercise 5: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time in a land called America there lived a group of punctuation marks who were very confused about the comma rules in American English. They often argued with each other about when and where to use commas which led to a lot of misunderstandings and confusion.
One day the wise Grammarian who was the ruler of the land decided to teach the punctuation marks the proper comma rules. She called all the punctuation marks to her palace and began to explain the rules.
"The first rule of using commas" said the Grammarian "is to use them to separate items in a list. For example 'I need to buy apples bananas and oranges.' The commas help to make the list clear and easy to understand."
The punctuation marks nodded in understanding but the Grammarian was not done yet.
"The second rule" she continued "is to use commas to separate two independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'and' 'but' or 'or.' For example 'She wanted to go to the beach but it was raining.'"
The punctuation marks were beginning to understand but the Grammarian had one more rule to share.
"The final rule" she said "is to use commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. For example 'The book which was written by my favorite author, is one of my favorites.'"
The punctuation marks were now confident in their understanding of the comma rules in American English. They left the palace eager to put their new knowledge to use.
From that day forward the punctuation marks used commas correctly, and their writing became clear and easy to understand. The Grammarian was pleased with their progress and rewarded them with a grand feast to celebrate their newfound knowledge.
And so the moral of the story is that understanding and following the comma rules in American English can make your writing clear concise and easy to understand.
Answer
Once upon a time, in a land called America, there lived a group of punctuation marks who were very confused about the comma rules in American English. They often argued with each other about when and where to use commas, which led to a lot of misunderstandings and confusion.
One day, the wise Grammarian, who was the ruler of the land, decided to teach the punctuation marks the proper comma rules. She called all the punctuation marks to her palace and began to explain the rules.
"The first rule of using commas," said the Grammarian, "is to use them to separate items in a list. For example, 'I need to buy apples, bananas, and oranges.' The commas help to make the list clear and easy to understand." The punctuation marks nodded in understanding, but the Grammarian was not done yet.
"The second rule," she continued, "is to use commas to separate two independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'and,' 'but,' or 'or.' For example, 'She wanted to go to the beach, but it was raining.'"
The punctuation marks were beginning to understand, but the Grammarian had one more rule to share.
"The final rule," she said, "is to use commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. For example, 'The book, which was written by my favorite author, is one of my favorites.'"
The punctuation marks were now confident in their understanding of the comma rules in American English. They left the palace eager to put their new knowledge to use.
From that day forward, the punctuation marks used commas correctly, and their writing became clear and easy to understand. The Grammarian was pleased with their progress and rewarded them with a grand feast to celebrate their newfound knowledge.
And so, the moral of the story is that understanding and following the comma rules in American English can make your writing clear, concise, and easy to understand.
⏺ Exercise 6: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time there was a clumsy chef named Jerry. Jerry had always dreamed of opening his own restaurant but he had a hard time following simple instructions, let alone the complex rules of English grammar.
One day Jerry decided to open a food truck and he needed to create a menu. He wrote down all the dishes he was going to serve, but he forgot to use commas to separate the items in the list. His menu read "Burgers fries milkshake." Needless to say his customers were confused.
Next Jerry tried to write a description of his special dish but he forgot to use a comma to separate the independent clauses. His description read "This dish is spicy it's also sweet." The customers were unsure whether to expect a savory or a dessert.
Determined to get it right Jerry read a grammar book cover to cover. He learned about using commas after introductory words and phrases and he wrote a new description for his special dish. "After marinating in a blend of spices this dish is grilled to perfection and it's served with a side of sweet potatoes." However, Jerry got too excited and used too many commas confusing the customers once again.
Finally Jerry learned to use commas to separate nonessential information and he wrote a sentence describing the origin of his favorite ingredient. "My friend who grows organic tomatoes gave me a basketful of plump juicy and delicious tomatoes."
However Jerry forgot to use commas to separate the adjectives making it sound like his friend was a tomato grower and a person at the same time.
In the end Jerry's food truck was a disaster but it became famous for its creative menu and confusing descriptions. Despite the confusion people loved Jerry's food and he realized that even if he couldn't master the comma rules in English he could still make delicious food.
Answer
Once upon a time, there was a clumsy chef named Jerry. Jerry had always dreamed of opening his own restaurant, but he had a hard time following simple instructions, let alone the complex rules of English grammar.
One day, Jerry decided to open a food truck, and he needed to create a menu. He wrote down all the dishes he was going to serve, but he forgot to use commas to separate the items in the list. His menu read, "Burgers, fries, milkshake." Needless to say, his customers were confused.
Next, Jerry tried to write a description of his special dish, but he forgot to use a comma to separate the independent clauses. His description read, "This dish is spicy, it's also sweet." The customers were unsure whether to expect a savory or a dessert.
Determined to get it right, Jerry read a grammar book cover to cover. He learned about using commas after introductory words and phrases, and he wrote a new description for his special dish. "After marinating in a blend of spices, this dish is grilled to perfection, and it's served with a side of sweet potatoes." However, Jerry got too excited and used too many commas, confusing the customers once again.
Finally, Jerry learned to use commas to separate nonessential information, and he wrote a sentence describing the origin of his favorite ingredient. "My friend, who grows organic tomatoes, gave me a basketful of plump, juicy, and delicious tomatoes."
However, Jerry forgot to use commas to separate the adjectives, making it sound like his friend was a tomato grower and a person at the same time.
In the end, Jerry's food truck was a disaster, but it became famous for its creative menu and confusing descriptions. Despite the confusion, people loved Jerry's food, and he realized that even if he couldn't master the comma rules in English, he could.
Once upon a time, in a land called America, there lived a group of punctuation marks who were very confused about the comma rules in American English. They often argued with each other about when and where to use commas, which led to a lot of misunderstandings and confusion.
One day, the wise Grammarian, who was the ruler of the land, decided to teach the punctuation marks the proper comma rules. She called all the punctuation marks to her palace and began to explain the rules.
"The first rule of using commas," said the Grammarian, "is to use them to separate items in a list. For example, 'I need to buy apples, bananas, and oranges.' The commas help to make the list clear and easy to understand." The punctuation marks nodded in understanding, but the Grammarian was not done yet.
"The second rule," she continued, "is to use commas to separate two independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as 'and,' 'but,' or 'or.' For example, 'She wanted to go to the beach, but it was raining.'"
The punctuation marks were beginning to understand, but the Grammarian had one more rule to share.
"The final rule," she said, "is to use commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. For example, 'The book, which was written by my favorite author, is one of my favorites.'"
The punctuation marks were now confident in their understanding of the comma rules in American English. They left the palace eager to put their new knowledge to use.
From that day forward, the punctuation marks used commas correctly, and their writing became clear and easy to understand. The Grammarian was pleased with their progress and rewarded them with a grand feast to celebrate their newfound knowledge.
And so, the moral of the story is that understanding and following the comma rules in American English can make your writing clear, concise, and easy to understand.
⏺ Exercise 6: Add commas where necessary in the following story.
Once upon a time there was a clumsy chef named Jerry. Jerry had always dreamed of opening his own restaurant but he had a hard time following simple instructions, let alone the complex rules of English grammar.
One day Jerry decided to open a food truck and he needed to create a menu. He wrote down all the dishes he was going to serve, but he forgot to use commas to separate the items in the list. His menu read "Burgers fries milkshake." Needless to say his customers were confused.
Next Jerry tried to write a description of his special dish but he forgot to use a comma to separate the independent clauses. His description read "This dish is spicy it's also sweet." The customers were unsure whether to expect a savory or a dessert.
Determined to get it right Jerry read a grammar book cover to cover. He learned about using commas after introductory words and phrases and he wrote a new description for his special dish. "After marinating in a blend of spices this dish is grilled to perfection and it's served with a side of sweet potatoes." However, Jerry got too excited and used too many commas confusing the customers once again.
Finally Jerry learned to use commas to separate nonessential information and he wrote a sentence describing the origin of his favorite ingredient. "My friend who grows organic tomatoes gave me a basketful of plump juicy and delicious tomatoes."
However Jerry forgot to use commas to separate the adjectives making it sound like his friend was a tomato grower and a person at the same time.
In the end Jerry's food truck was a disaster but it became famous for its creative menu and confusing descriptions. Despite the confusion people loved Jerry's food and he realized that even if he couldn't master the comma rules in English he could still make delicious food.
Answer
Once upon a time, there was a clumsy chef named Jerry. Jerry had always dreamed of opening his own restaurant, but he had a hard time following simple instructions, let alone the complex rules of English grammar.
One day, Jerry decided to open a food truck, and he needed to create a menu. He wrote down all the dishes he was going to serve, but he forgot to use commas to separate the items in the list. His menu read, "Burgers, fries, milkshake." Needless to say, his customers were confused.
Next, Jerry tried to write a description of his special dish, but he forgot to use a comma to separate the independent clauses. His description read, "This dish is spicy, it's also sweet." The customers were unsure whether to expect a savory or a dessert.
Determined to get it right, Jerry read a grammar book cover to cover. He learned about using commas after introductory words and phrases, and he wrote a new description for his special dish. "After marinating in a blend of spices, this dish is grilled to perfection, and it's served with a side of sweet potatoes." However, Jerry got too excited and used too many commas, confusing the customers once again.
Finally, Jerry learned to use commas to separate nonessential information, and he wrote a sentence describing the origin of his favorite ingredient. "My friend, who grows organic tomatoes, gave me a basketful of plump, juicy, and delicious tomatoes."
However, Jerry forgot to use commas to separate the adjectives, making it sound like his friend was a tomato grower and a person at the same time.
In the end, Jerry's food truck was a disaster, but it became famous for its creative menu and confusing descriptions. Despite the confusion, people loved Jerry's food, and he realized that even if he couldn't master the comma rules in English, he could.
KitKat maker Nestle hikes prices but sales still sweet
Despite the increases the world's biggest food firm still saw sales rise in the first three months of 2023.
It comes as UK shoppers continue to search for cheaper supermarket food.
Research firm Kantar said the squeeze on household budgets had led to more people turning to discount chains such as Aldi and Lidl.
The rate of grocery price increases slowed slightly in April but consumers are still paying 17.3% more than this time last year Kantar said.
But just because the inflation rate dipped it does not mean prices are lower it means they are not increasing as fast.
Many households are feeling the impact of rising prices in recent months and inflation is also hitting the margins of businesses.
Kantar said rising prices had led to own-label sales in UK supermarkets jumping up 13.5% year on year with the very cheapest value lines soaring by 46% as households look to manage their budgets.
However during times of economic hardship sales of confectionary and other items such as cosmetics and alcohol tend to be resilient due to a theory called the "lipstick effect" where shoppers buy themselves small special treats instead of big-ticket items.
Nestle said sales of its confectionary worldwide increased in the past three months despite it increasing the prices of its more than 2,000 brands which cover coffee pet care baby food drinks cereals and prepared dishes.
In the UK the Swiss firm is best known for KitKat and Smarties cereals such as Shreddies and Cheerios, Nescafe and Nespresso coffee fizzy drink San Pellegrino and Purina pet food.
Nestle's global sales rose by 5.6% to 23.5bn Swiss francs (£21.3bn) in the first three months of 2023.
"Nestle's showing just how important it is to have a strong suite of brands which have allowed the consumer giant to push through some pretty hefty price hikes with little impact on volumes" said Matt Britzman equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Other major consumer goods companies have also been pushing up prices although there are signs that the pace of these rises could be about to ease.
PepsiCo where the average prices jumped 16% in the first three months of the year said earlier this year that it was done raising prices while rival Coca-Cola where the average selling price rose 11% has said only that it expects price increases to moderate over the course of the year noting significant "uncertainty".
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble maker of Pampers Tide and Old Spice which raised prices by about 10% at the start of the year told investors that inflationary pressures were weighing most heavily on demand in Europe were many buyers are switching to less expensive store brand options.
Credit previous article: BBC News
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