Medical histories taken about each subject included smoking history, freq<\/span>uency of exercise, cu<\/span>rrent height and weight, an<\/span>d recent weight gain.<\/strong><\/p>\r\nThe serial comma can also prevent the end of\u00a0a series from\u00a0appearing to be a parenthetical:\r\n\r\nI'd like to thank my sisters B<\/span>eyonc\u00e9 and Rhianna.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWithout the comma, it may appear that the speaker is thanking his or her two sisters, who are named Beyonc\u00e9 and Rhianna (which could be possible, but isn't true in this case).\r\n\r\nor<\/strong><\/em>\r\n\r\nI'd like to thank my sisters, Beyonc\u00e9, an<\/span>d Rhianna.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nBy adding the serial comma, it becomes clear that the speaker is thanking his or her sisters, as well as the two famous singers: \"I'd like to thank my sisters, Beyonc\u00e9, and Rhianna.\"\r\n Perhaps the best and most instructive way for us to approach the comma is to remember its fundamental function: it is a separator.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Once you know this, the next step is\u00a0to determine what sorts of things generally require separation. This includes most transition words, descriptive words or phrases, adjacent items, and complete ideas (complete ideas contain both a subject and a verb). Commas are also used to separate similar items in lists.<\/p>\n Perhaps one of the most hotly contested comma rules is the case of\u00a0the serial comma<\/strong>.\u00a0MLA style (as well as\u00a0APA and\u00a0Chicago<\/em>) requires the use of the serial comma\u2014AP style highly recommends leaving it out. But what is the serial comma?<\/p>\n The serial comma is the\u00a0comma before theconjunction (and<\/em>,\u00a0or<\/em>, and\u00a0nor<\/em>) in a series\u00a0involving a parallel list of three or more things.\u00a0For example, \u201cI am industrious, resourceful, and<\/em><\/strong> loyal.\u201d The serial comma can provide clarity in certain situations.\u00a0For example, if the and<\/em> is part of a series of three or more phrases (groups of words) as opposed to single words:<\/p>\n Medical histories taken about each subject included smoking history, freq<\/span>uency of exercise, cu<\/span>rrent height and weight, an<\/span>d recent weight gain.<\/strong><\/p>\n The serial comma can also prevent the end of\u00a0a series from\u00a0appearing to be a parenthetical:<\/p>\n I’d like to thank my sisters B<\/span>eyonc\u00e9 and Rhianna.<\/strong><\/p>\n Without the comma, it may appear that the speaker is thanking his or her two sisters, who are named Beyonc\u00e9 and Rhianna (which could be possible, but isn’t true in this case).<\/p>\n or<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I’d like to thank my sisters, Beyonc\u00e9, an<\/span>d Rhianna.<\/strong><\/p>\n By adding the serial comma, it becomes clear that the speaker is thanking his or her sisters, as well as the two famous singers: “I’d like to thank my sisters, Beyonc\u00e9, and Rhianna.”<\/p>\n The engineering students are willing to take Friday afternoon classes, but Engli<\/span>sh majors typically avoid taking any classes on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n Kyle works as a math tutor on Friday afternoons, and he<\/span> earns a hefty paycheck for his efforts.<\/strong><\/p>\n Coordinating conjunctions join two words or phrases of equal importance. The mnemonic FANBOYS<\/strong> helps us remember the seven most common: f<\/em>or<\/i>, and<\/i>, nor<\/i>, but<\/i>, or<\/i>,\u00a0yet<\/i>, and so<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n NOTE:<\/strong> <\/span>When conjunctions join two words or phrases (a phrase is an incomplete idea), no comma is necessary<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n However, when these conjunctions are used to join two complete\u00a0ideas a comma is required:<\/p>\n Transition words add new viewpoints to your material; commas before and after transition words help to separate them from the sentence ideas they are describing.<\/strong> Transition words tend to appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence:<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong>\u00a0When words such as “however,” “therefore,” “nevertheless” appear between two complete ideas, a period or semicolon is required beforehand:<\/p>\n The new electrical circuits lab, according to Prof. Rosen, is t<\/span>ruly remarkable. <\/strong><\/p>\n The 3-D printing lab, which is located next to Wooster Science Building, ha<\/span>s attracted many intrigued visitors.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cKelly,\u201d sa<\/span>id Prof. Medina, \u201chan<\/span>d me that beaker.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Adjacent items are separated so that the reader can consider each item individually.<\/p>\n The river caught fire on July 4, 1968, in Cleveland, O<\/span>hio.<\/strong><\/p>\n The dates (July 4, 1968) and places (Cleveland, Ohio) are juxtaposed, and commas are needed because the juxtaposed items are clearly different from each other. This applies to countries as well as states: “Paris, France, is beautiful this time of year.”<\/p>\n The commas have been removed from the following sentences. Re-type them, adding the correct commas back in.<\/p>\n2. Before Coordinating Conjunctions: FANBOY<\/h2>\r\n
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe engineering students are willing to take Friday afternoon classes, but Engli<\/span>sh majors typically avoid taking any classes on Friday.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nKyle works as a math tutor on Friday afternoons, and he<\/span> earns a hefty paycheck for his efforts.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nCoordinating conjunctions join two words or phrases of equal importance. The mnemonic FANBOYS<\/strong> helps us remember the seven most common: f<\/em>or<\/i>, and<\/i>, nor<\/i>, but<\/i>, or<\/i>,\u00a0yet<\/i>, and so<\/i>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nNOTE:<\/strong> <\/span>When conjunctions join two words or phrases (a phrase is an incomplete idea), no comma is necessary<\/strong><\/em>.\r\n
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3. Transition Words: Particularly, Introductory Words and Phrases<\/h2>\r\n
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Clint had been planning the trip with his kids for three months; however<\/em>, wh<\/span>en work called he couldn't say no.<\/h2>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
Sam was retired; nevertheless<\/em>, h<\/span>e wanted to help out.<\/h2>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
4.\u00a0Use commas to set off words and phrases that interrupt the flow of a sentence:<\/h2>\r\nThe new electrical circuits lab, according to Prof. Rosen, is t<\/span>ruly remarkable. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe 3-D printing lab, which is located next to Wooster Science Building, ha<\/span>s attracted many intrigued visitors.<\/strong>\r\n
5. Use commas to set off quotations<\/h2>\r\n\u201cKelly,\u201d sa<\/span>id Prof. Medina, \u201chan<\/span>d me that beaker.\u201d<\/strong>\r\n
6. Use commas to separate the date from the month and when separating a city from a state:<\/h2>\r\nAdjacent items are separated so that the reader can consider each item individually.\r\n\r\nThe river caught fire on July 4, 1968, in Cleveland, O<\/span>hio.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe dates (July 4, 1968) and places (Cleveland, Ohio) are juxtaposed, and commas are needed because the juxtaposed items are clearly different from each other. This applies to countries as well as states: \"Paris, France, is beautiful this time of year.\"\r\n
Practice<\/h3>\r\nThe commas have been removed from the following sentences. Re-type them, adding the correct commas back in.\r\n
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Practice<\/h3>\r\nThe commas have been removed from the following sentences. Re-type them, adding the correct commas back in.\r\n
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![\"an](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/04\/29231825\/comma-969x1024.png\")
Commas: these little demons haunt the\u00a0nightmares of many a professor after an evening of reading student papers. It seems nearly impossible to remember and\u00a0apply\u00a0the seventeen\u00a0or so\u00a0comma rules that seem to given out as\u00a0the standard.<\/p>\n1. Commas in Lists<\/h2>\n
2. Before Coordinating Conjunctions: FANBOY<\/h2>\n
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. Transition Words: Particularly, Introductory Words and Phrases<\/h2>\n
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Clint had been planning the trip with his kids for three months; however<\/em>, wh<\/span>en work called he couldn’t say no.<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n
Sam was retired; nevertheless<\/em>, h<\/span>e wanted to help out.<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
4.\u00a0Use commas to set off words and phrases that interrupt the flow of a sentence:<\/h2>\n
5. Use commas to set off quotations<\/h2>\n
6. Use commas to separate the date from the month and when separating a city from a state:<\/h2>\n
Practice<\/h3>\n
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