Rules for using the comma

Punctuation marks are key when it comes to being able to carry out good communication. In addition to marking the duration of pauses in reading, it helps us to structure information and ideas. In other words, they help us understand the text and make sense of it. One of the punctuation marks that presents the most problems when writing is the use of the comma. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to show you the rules of use of the comma so you know how to do it correctly.

The comma is included within the punctuation marks and is used to structure a written text. In the same way, it marks the pauses that are made in the reading thus giving coherence to the speech. With this, it is possible to give the same meaning to the text that the writer wanted to give in his writing. Commas are essential in a written text and its misuse can cause many communication problems, since the content cannot be understood correctly.

One of the rules of the use of the comma is that it should be used when we want to make a clarification or

enter additional information in a sentence or text. This added information is always enclosed in commas. Let's see some examples:

• Juan, Ana's brother, was sitting on the bench waiting for his wife.
• Alba, the girl who worked with me in the office, is getting married this year.

Comma is essential when we use affirmative or negative particles to be able to interpret a sentence correctly. The proper use of the comma will be the one that gives meaning to it. Thus we can find sentences that do not mean the same and that the cause is the comma. Let's see it:

• No, this is the way things should be done.
• This is not how things should be done.

Another of the Rules of the use of the comma is that it should be used when mentioning someone's name. The comma is used when you want refer a person directly using their name in a text and it is found in a dialogue or conversation. This is always separated by a comma. Let's see examples of this:

• Ana, I would like you to stop doing that.
• I am very happy, Antonio, this job is what I have been looking for for a long time.

When we want to make a enumeration of actions and objects each of them must be separated by commas. They are always part of the same sequence in a sentence. We can see the following examples:

• I have water, a sandwich, the backpack, napkins and sunscreen.
• I will be a little late because I have to deliver some reports, pick up the children from school and go to the supermarket.

The conjunctions adversaries are always preceded by a comma. These conjunctions are: but, although or else ... Let's see some examples to understand it better.

• I am tired of this situation, but I will make one last effort for you.
• I can't go to your house tonight, although I would very much like to be with you right now.
• Not only were we not on time, but we did it by annoying everyone by showing up in the room.

It is used when we want separate facts or events chronologically, but they are part of the same idea. To understand the sentence, it is necessary to introduce commas that separate each of the events. We will understand it better with these examples:

• That morning he got up very early, made himself a black coffee, showered, dressed calmly, tied his shoes and opened the door of the house ready to face everything that was coming to him.
• The children went to the library, did their homework, studied for a couple of hours, and went with their friends for their birthdays.

The elliptical comma is the one that is used when we want replace a verb that has already been mentioned above. In this way, we can obtain greater dynamism so that unnecessary repetition of words is avoided. These examples will help you understand it better:

• I missed the train yesterday and the bus today.
• Last week we had dinner in a Greek restaurant and this one, in a Turkish one.

Another rule of the use of the comma is the one known as "the hyperbatic comma": it is the one that is placed when the logical order is altered of the complements that are part of a sentence. These examples will help you visualize it:

• With that money, we could have gone on vacation.
• If you continue like this, you will have to go to a specialist.

When we use interjections we must always separate them from the rest of the sentence as commas. The objective is to emphasize its meaning. Next we are going to see some sentences in which interjections appear:

• Oh, I cut myself with the knife.
• Ah, I thought you were still living in Madrid.

We hope these comma usage guidelines have helped you learn when and how they should be placed in a text.