Commas

A comma is a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence or to separate items in a list.

Commas are used in dates to separate the day from the year, e.g., March 15, 2023.

A full address includes commas to separate the name, street address, city, state, and zip code, e.g., Katie Dawson, 274 W. Bank Street, San Jose, Texas, 27491.

Use commas to separate three or more items in a list, e.g., I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.

Use a comma before a conjunction (like 'and' or 'but') when joining two independent clauses, e.g., I wanted to go, but it was raining.

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence because it has a subject and a verb.

Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause to separate it from the main part of the sentence, e.g., After dinner, we went for a walk.

A direct address is when you call someone by name in a sentence, and it is set off by commas, e.g., "Can you help me, Sarah?"

Use commas to separate thousands in large numbers, e.g., 1,000 or 10,000.

The Oxford comma is the final comma in a list of items, placed before 'and' or 'or', e.g., I like apples, bananas, and cherries.