Wondering how to correctly use a comma? Who hasn’t!
Here’s how to correctly use a comma.
- After an informal salutation, use a comma
Dear Santa,
Dear Mom,
Dear Dad,
- When two sentences are joined with a conjunction, use a comma before the conjunction. I like to eat raspberries, but I’m not excited about brussel sprouts!
I like to eat raspberries, but I’m not excited about brussel sprouts!
You can play now, but you have to be home before dark.
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Use a comma after an introductory subordinate clause
While waiting for the bus, I saw a duck.
After the rain stopped, I jumped in a puddle.
When you have finished reading, you can eat cake.
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When writing dialogue and the speaker's tag is first, use a comma.
Jack said, “Jill, would you carry this bucket?”
Jill replied, “Are you kidding me?”
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Use a comma to separate an interjection from the rest of the sentence.
No, you can’t sleep in class!
Yes, you can lick the beater.
Hey, did you save any for me?
Golly, aren’t you swell!
However, a comma is not used to join two independent clauses or sentences. When a writer joins two independent clauses or sentences with a comma, the writer has made a comma-splice error.
Mark likes to play soccer, his sister thinks he’s pretty good, too.(This is a comma-splice error. A period should have been used, since “Mark likes to play soccer” and “His sister thinks he’s pretty good, too” are two distinctly separate sentences.)