🕰️ 🎏 ♑️ Comma in English: 5 rules and top 3 errors 🎹 🙇🏽 👩🏽‍💼

A native English speaker almost always knows that the text was written by a foreigner. Even if the text does not contain a single error in the words and construction of sentences.

How? The answer is simple: punctuation.

Students who learn English as a foreign language often skip the topic of how to put commas correctly. She is intuitive, what can I learn! That's how it is, but not quite.

In this article, we have compiled rules for using commas in English and common mistakes that Russian speakers often make.

5 rules for using commas in English

1. Homogeneous members of the proposal

Homogeneous members are members of a sentence that answer the same question and are associated with the same word in a sentence.

Actually, a comma must be placed between homogeneous members of a sentence. And it is not discussed.

Go to the shop and buy some bananas, apples, and oranges. - Go to the store and buy bananas, apples and oranges.

By the way, the comma before “and” is not a mistake, but the so-called “Oxford comma”. It is optional, that is, you have the right to choose whether to put it or not. But try to be consistent anyway. That is, in one text there should not be sentences with and without the “Oxford comma”.

But in some cases, a comma is really needed. For example:

- I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. “I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein.”

The thing is that in a concrete example, “Jane Austen and Albert Einstein” can be read as a clarification. That is, without a comma, Austin and Einstein will be, as it were, the parents of the person who received the award. To remove ambiguity, a comma is required.

2. Independent offers

A comma is necessary between independent sentences, which are combined into one.

This rule also has an analogue in the Russian language, but here without surprises. In English, unions are clearly defined, before which a comma is required:

And, but, for, or, nor, so, yet

I love commas, and you will love them too! “I love commas, and you will love them too!”

The main thing is not to be confused when “and” and “or” share homogeneous members, and when the independent parts of a sentence.

3. Introductory words and phrases

A comma must be set if using plug-in word-fillers. For example, yes, however, well.

- However, you may not be satisfied with these commas. “However, you may be unhappy with these commas.”

A comma is needed in cases where the introductory part explains the main:

- That man I told you about, who used too many commas, was arrested by grammar-nazi. “The man I told you about and who used too many commas was arrested by the Grammar Nazis.”

But remember that this is only in the case of an inserted phrase. If clarification is just a relative clause, no commas are needed.

- That's the man who uses many commas. - This is a person who uses a lot of commas.

As for the clarifying insertion phrases at the beginning of the sentence, the “thumb rule” applies here. That is, here the commas are put in any way and even the nerve-philologists recognize this.

Rule of thumb is an idiom that means a list of principles based on practice, not theory.

Let's see right away in practice.

After the show the artist will be signing autographs.
After the show, the artist will be signing autographs.

Both options are grammatically correct. The difference is in a very small nuance. In the first sentence, fans are informed that the artist will be signing autographs after the show (there will be an autograph session itself), and in the second they emphasize that the artist will sign autographs after the show (not before or during).

That is, a comma can be used to separately emphasize the importance of refinement. And you can not use it.

However, if the refinement is longer than four words, philologists still recommend putting a comma. And without it you can miss the point of the sentence.

There is only one situation when a comma must be specified after clarification. If without it, the proposal can be misunderstood.

Before eating the family washed hands.
Before eating, the family washed hands.

Without a comma, the phrase is first read continuously. But without a comma, it will be "Before eating the family." And you are like this: “Before eating someone?” A comma helps you read the phrase right away.

I recall an even more accordion-like example, which also fits here:

- Let's eat, grandma! - Grandma, let's eat!
- Let's eat grandma! - Let's eat grandma!

In general, here you should rely only on common sense, and not on clear rules. Because these clear rules are simply not here.

4. Direct speech

As in Russian, direct speech is highlighted with commas.

“Hey, get out of my house”, said Jim to the stranger. “Get out of my house,” Jim told the stranger.

But there is one curious nuance. Because the comma after the most direct speech can be put in different ways: before closing quotes or after them.

“Hey, get out of my house”, said Jim to the stranger.
“Hey, get out of my house,” said Jim to the stranger.

Both options are correct. The differences here, oddly enough, are in accents.

Native speakers say that in the USA and Canada most often a comma is placed before the closing quotation mark, and in Britain after it. But it is very optional. So you can quite bet how convenient. The main rule here is to stick to one option.

5. Dates

The order in which commas are used when writing dates is fundamentally different, depending on what type of date entry you use.

1. With the popular month-day-year format in the USA, commas need to be framed by a year.

- On June 4, 1942, the World War II Battle of Midway began. - June 4, 1942 during the Second World War, the battle for Midway began.

2. In the day-month-year format, commas are optional.

- Sarah Michelle Gellar was born on April 14, 1977. - Sarah Michelle Gellar was born on April 14, 1977.

3. If you indicate the day of the week along with the date, use a comma to frame the date.

- The earliest that a contract could be signed is Tuesday, 31 January. - The contract can be signed no earlier than Tuesday, January 31.

4. If you specify only the month and year, a comma is optional.

- I will live in this city till May 2020. - I will live in this city until May 2020.

3 common comma errors

Now let's move on to the mistakes. Let's just say, frankly stupid, we did not bring here. We identified the 3 most common mistakes that are often made due to a lack of knowledge of punctuation rules.

1. The comma before that

This is one of the most common mistakes in punctuation. Because the comma before "that" is never put. But Russian-speaking students are actively shoving her there.

The fact is that in Russian before the “what” in the contract proposal a comma is needed. So they transfer knowledge of Russian grammar to English.

- I realized that it is not quite normal. - I realized that this is not entirely normal.

2. Comma before if

It takes an honorable second place in error rate. The analogy is exactly the same as with that. Students simply believe that if in Russian in this place you need a comma, then in English it is also useful.

But no, that doesn't work like that.

- Please tell me if I pronounce your surname wrong. “Please tell me if I pronounce your last name incorrectly.”

3. The comma next to please

Completes our top mistakes. “Please” is not included in the list of false words, therefore it is not highlighted by commas in English.

We are now considering “please” in the meaning of “please,” not as a verb or adverb.

So, if “please” goes at the beginning of a sentence, a comma after it is not needed. The only option when it can be used is when it is strongly necessary to emphasize the importance of the request. But in context this happens in a maximum of 5% of cases.

- Please help me to find my book. “Please help me find my book.”

However, if “please is used at the end of a sentence, a comma is required before it. This is also often forgotten.

- Help me to find my book, please. “Help me find my book, please.”

Actually, that's all. These rules will help you use commas correctly in your writing. But remember that there are many more nuances and unobvious special cases.

Punctuation is 90% practice and only 10% of theory, so learn English with pleasure and practice with the best teachers.

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Comma in English: 5 rules and top 3 errors