Right: The market reached 900 points the dollar continued to rise. Right: The market reached 900 points, yet the dollar continued to rise. Wrong: The market reached 900 points, the dollar continued to rise. The director said, “Let’s improve our performance.”Īfter a salutation or complimentary close We’ll leave when we finished eating, my friends. If that’s the case, and let’s hope so, it may be important. To separate words not essential to the meaning of the sentence Mr James, the Sales Manager, will leave today. To separate extra words that identify or describe To separate words tagged on to the end of a sentence In general, we work to a four-day deadline. To separate introductory words, phrases or clauses Note: If each clause makes sense on its own, use a comma. The Queen will arrive today, and the King will arrive on Monday. To separate independent clauses linked by a conjunction If you cannot insert “and” between the adjectives, don’t use a comma. If you can insert the word “and” between the adjectives, use a comma. To separate consecutive adjectives that qualify the same noun They sent us notebooks, pens, pencils and rulers. To separate three or more items (words or phrases) in a list If you are still uncertain, read the sentence aloud - it’s often a good guide. Follow the advice below to help you decide when to use commas.
#Stylewriter 4 serial how to#
Many writers are unsure of how to use commas, usually overusing them and making their writing disjointed and difficult to read. Use commas to make your meaning clear and to avoid confusion.