Citing Sources

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives with equal co-ordinate status in describing the noun. When writing a series of items there is some disagreement about what is called the Oxford comma Harvard comma or serial comma.

The Rules For Using Commas

However she didnt love him back.

Never put a comma before and. Always Put a Comma Before and in a List No Matter What Your Old Grammar Teacher Said. Its cold outside and I cant find my. Did you know there is a butterfly called the comma.

Theres no single rule that applies to all situations. Keep an eye out for sentences that have a preposition before the word which since that construction indicates that you do not need to use a comma. Writers are often tempted to insert a comma between a subject and verb this way because speakers sometimes pause at that point in a sentence.

Or if youre using it in lists that require an Oxford comma. Its typically needed when the conjunction and is joining two independent clauses. However what it cannot be preceded by is a comma.

It usually comes at the beginning of an independent clause which is why it is always followed by a comma. Dont use a comma before the conjunction when the second clause cant stand alone. Dont use a comma before which when its used to pose an indirect question.

My friend Cleo is a wonderful singer. Its almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list. Comma Before And in Lists.

I bought eggs milk and bread. To do so would be grammatically incorrect and would cause your writing to seem disjointed and confusing. You can also use a comma before and to connect two unrelated clauses.

On the other hand it might be best to wait until next week. This brief guide will shed light on the age-old question of whether to use a comma before the word and. Be especially careful with long or complex subjects.

And it can be preceded by either a period or a semicolon. Alternatively when it is acting as a conjunction it will probably need a comma either before it or after it depending on where it shows up in the sentence. Here are some examples.

One of the commonest is never put a comma before andGenerally applied to lists the sentence He chose apples bananas and grapes brings out the schoolmasterly red pencil and is corrected to read He chose apples bananas and grapes. Use a comma after the conjunction when it is followed by an interruption. Without the Oxford comma it reads.

Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction and but for or nor so yet that links two independent clauses. Whether or not you put a comma before and depends on how youre using and. My teacher said and Find more here.

Certain grammatical situations require the use of a comma before and. Many teachers and parents have favourite grammatical rules that are trotted out at every opportunity. Please bring me a pencil eraser and notebook As you can see the second sentence looks as though the writer is asking the eraser and notebook to bring them the pencil.

Do not use a comma before a conjunction that joins list items unless youre an American or your institution advocates the serial comma. Dont place a comma before which when which is part of a prepositional phrase. When acting as an adverb then you dont need to use a comma unless the sentence structure dictates so.

Use a comma before a conjunction conjunction are words like and or and but when it joins two independent clauses. You usually put a comma before and when its connecting two independent clauses. The comma should not be used before every instance of the word and.

A nonrestrictive clause is a phrase that adds non-essential information to a sentence without changing the overall meaning. I dont think you need a comma before an and. But if you use a comma and an and word it will lead to another independent clause.

Basically there should never ever be a comma after and is wrong. What you should think instead is that commas do not belong after and in a list. Above across against along among around at before behind below beneath beside between by down from in into near of off on to toward under upon with and within.

Neither adjective is subordinate to the other. When a word or phrase forms an introduction to a sentence you should follow it with a comma as recommended by Purdue OWL. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.

But in writing the comma only makes the sentence seem stilted.