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| Uses of Comma. |
We shall take up the comma first and then consider the apostrophe. This does not mean that there
are no other marks of punctuation: the colon, semi-colon the full stop / period, the question mark,
exclamation mark, the dash quotation marks, parentheses and square brackets are other well
known marks. But we shall focus on only two as these pose the greatest number of problems in
punctuation.
The Comma [,] indicates a very short pause. Writers may disagree about a few of its use, but
most of them agree about the five main uses which we will now consider.
Insert commas where needed in the following sentences.
i. Before leaving home the child’s nanny collected a milk bottle a bag full of diapers a blanket
and a rattle.
ii. Although he is eighty my grand dad walks ten miles daily.
iii The cutlery box if I remember correctly is in the big trunk upstairs
iv. The paint company displayed thirty shades of color but the fussy lady still could not find
anything to order.
V. The house agent said ‘It may take you a while to get used to the place.”
Answer:
i -Before leaving home the child’s nanny collected a milk bottle, a bagful of diapers, a blanket,
and a rattle.
Explanation: Commas are needed to separate the items in a series.
ii - Although he is eighty, my grand dad walks ten miles daily.
Explanation: the comma separates the introductory phrase from the rest of the sentence.
iii -The cutlery box, if I remember correctly, is in the big trunk upstairs.
Explanation: The words if I remember correctly, interrupt the flow of the rest of the sentence, so
they are set off by commas.
iv -The paint company had displayed thirty shades of color, but the fussy lady still could not
find anything to order.
Explanation: The comma separates two complete thoughts connected by the conjunction or
joining word ‘but’.
v - The house agent said, “It may take you a while to get used to the place”.
Explanation: The comma separates a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence.
Today’s lesson explains five main uses of the comma.
Comma Rules :
i. Between items in a series.
ii. After introductory material.
iii. Around words that interrupt the flow of sentence.
iv. Between complete thoughts connected by a joining word.
v. With direct quotations.
A comma often marks a slight pause / break in a sentence. When you read a sentence aloud, you
can often hear the points where slight pauses occur. These pauses / breaks occur at the point
where one of the five main comma rules applies.
In general, use a comma only when a comma rule applies. When you are in doubt about whether
or not to use a comma, it is often best to leave it out. We’ll look at these rules one by one.
Rule 1: Comma between items in a series
The comma is used to separate three or more items in a series - words, phrases, or clauses may
be used in a series as in following examples.
i. The village women sold pottery, baskets, blankets, and silver jewelry. (Words)
ii. The women spread their wares on the pavements, on doorsteps, and especially under trees in
the town square. (Phrases)
(iii) The tribal elders took part in the dance, their women sold pottery and jewelry, and their
children ran around happily playing games. (Clauses)
Rule No. 2 Comma After Introducing Material:
A comma is used to separate introductory material from the rest of the sentence.
Examples:
- After the mother had given the baby a bath, it feel asleep.
- Pushing and shoving each other, the ladies rushed into the sales section.
- With the ceremony of releasing doves in the air, the festival got off to a rousing start.
NOTE: The comma may be omitted if the introductory phrase/clause is so short that misreading
is unlikely. e.g. As the flames rose the crowd gave a shout.
Rule No. 3. Put a comma around words that interrupt the flow of a sentence.
Sometimes sentences contain material that interrupts the flow of thought. Such words or group of
words should be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas. e.g. My mother, who is very
old, complains that I do not give her enough time.
One way of testing the interruption of the flow of thought is to read aloud such a sentence.
If you read aloud the above sentence you can hear the words “who is very old” interrupt the flow
of thought. Such interruption often contains information that is less important to the sentence.
Examples:
-The owner of the house, grumbling angrily, came out of the house to claim his dog.
-The college, which was built in 1937, needs a face lift.
-The college auditorium, though, is in fairly good condition.
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| Comma |
Rule No. 4. Comma between complete thoughts connected by a joining word.
Rule 5. Comma with Direct Quotations :
Commas are used to separate directly quoted material from the rest of the sentences.
Examples:
-The coach shouted, “Move, move fast.”
- The student said, “Do you mind if I ask a question?”
-The customer grumbled to the waiter, “This tea tastes like ditch water.”
Note: When the comma comes at the end of directly quoted words, it is included within the
quotation marks. e.g. - “After this class,” whispered one student to her friend, “let’s go to the
cafeteria.”
Practice 5. Insert commas to set off quoted material in the following sentences.
(i) “We are ready to leave” said a cheerful voice on the bus mike.
(ii) “This book” complained the student to the book store owner “is twenty rupees cheaper at the
other store.”
(iii) The cashier said “We don’t take cheques.”
Answer:
Practice. Insert commas to set off quoted material in the following sentences..
(i) “We are ready to leave”, said a cheerful voice on the bus mike.
(ii) “This book,” complained the student to the book store owner “is twenty rupees cheaper at the
other store.”
(iii) The cashier said, “We don’t take cheques.”
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| Comma quotations |
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