![]() Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions, such as ‘not only/but also’. For example: “The man who cooked this steak should get a medal.” Here, the information about the man is essential for identifying him. However, if the information is essential, there should be no commas. For example: “Her dear brother Robert, who she hadn’t seen for months, would soon come home from the front.” Here, it’s not essential to the meaning of the sentence to know that she hasn’t seen him in months. If you’re adding extra (but non-essential) information to something in a sentence, use commas to section it off. The distinction between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and how commas are affected can be a tricky one. But, whatever you do, don’t just use a comma by itself if the clauses are independent.ģ. Alternatively, you can just start a new sentence (“I ran down the street. If you don’t want to use a coordinating conjunction, you can use a semi-colon instead (“I ran down the street he followed after me.”). If you do, it’s called a comma splice, which is one of the most common errors I encounter.įor example: “I ran down the street, he followed after me.” This is a comma splice because there’s no coordinating conjunction after the comma. There are some circumstances under which you should place a comma before coordinating conjunctions when you’re not using them to connect two independent clauses, including when they’re used in a list of three or more items, or if it’s necessary for clarity.ĭon’t use a comma to connect two independent clauses without also using a coordinating conjunction. So remember it’s not an accurate rule, and it can lead to mistakes. If you were following that convention, you might be tempted to put a comma before ‘and’ in the above sentence. ![]() ![]() For example, there should be no comma before the ‘and’ in the following sentence: “The cavalry charged forward and attacked the retreating column.” This is a compound predicate, so the second part of the sentence is not an independent clause.Ī lot of people go by the rule of thumb that commas should be used when you ‘take a breath’ in a sentence. However, when you’re not using coordinating conjunctions to connect two independent clauses, often you shouldn’t place a comma before them. ![]() For example: “She ran but he walked.” In cases like this, it’s usually fine to bend the rules and leave the comma out. There is an exception to this when the two independent clauses are very short. For example, this sentence should have a comma before ‘and’: “The guns fired, and the cavalry charged forward.” When they’re being used to connect two independent clauses – that is, clauses that could exist as sentences on their own – a comma should be placed before them. There are seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. To help you out, here are the top five comma mistakes I encounter and how to avoid them.ġ. Commas before coordinating conjunctions Bad comma usage can make your writing seem unprofessional and ruin an otherwise good novel. Good comma usage can improve the flow of your story, add dramatic tension, and give the reader confidence in your writing abilities. Most manuscripts I edit contain some grammatical errors, and most of these relate to commas.
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