Punctuation
Commas
Commas [ , ] mark off bits of sentences to clarify meaning.
Use a comma to:
- Separate parts of a sentence (or link equal elements of a sentence)
The student was interested, so she listened to the lecture intently.
- Join two sentences with a conjunction
Students must attend lectures, and they understand more content if they have completed the set reading.
- Separate words from the rest of the sentence
Jane, however, refuses to study.
- Introduce
Despite the availability of podcasts, students who miss lectures often do not catch up on the work.
- Complete
The student did well in the assignment, to his relief.
- Separate items on a list or list items in a series.
To do
- Punctuation activities (Purdue University, OWL)
More info
- How to use punctuation (Charles Darwin University, Study Skills)
- Commas: Quick Rules (Purdue University, OWL)