What does a comma mean in a sentence?
Definition of comma. 1 : a punctuation mark, used especially as a mark of separation within the sentence. 2 : pause, interval. 3 : any of several nymphalid butterflies (genus Polygonia) with a …
Why do we use commas?
Comma definition, the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, especially when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence.
What is the difference between comma and punctuation mark?
comma definition: 1. the symbol , used in writing to separate parts of a sentence showing a slight pause, or to…. Learn more.
What is an Oxford comma?
comma. ( ˈkɒmə) n. 1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) the punctuation mark (,) indicating a slight pause in the spoken sentence and used where there is a listing of items or to separate a nonrestrictive clause or phrase from a main clause. 2. (Music, other) music a minute interval. 3.
What comma means?
A comma is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause in a sentence or separates items in a list. A comma is also used before the words "and" or "but" to join two independent clauses.
What is an example of a comma?
Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew. Note: When the last comma in a series comes before and or or (after daughter-in-law in the above example), it is known as the Oxford comma.
What are the 4 types of commas?
There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.
What are the 5 comma rules?
Five Comma RulesUse a comma after an introductory phrase or clause. ... Use commas before and after a parenthetical phrase or clause. ... Use a comma to separate two independent clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor or, so, yet) ... Use a comma to separate items in a series.More items...
How do you know where to put a comma?
Commas (Eight Basic Uses)Use a comma to separate independent clauses. ... Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. ... Use a comma between all items in a series. ... Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses. ... Use a comma to set off appositives. ... Use a comma to indicate direct address. ... Use commas to set off direct quotations.More items...
What does a comma look like?
The comma , is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark (') in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline of the text.
Can a comma mean or?
Should you use a comma before or? ... Always place a comma before or when it begins an independent clause, but if it begins a dependent clause, don't. In a series (or list) of three or more items, you can use a comma before or, but this is a preference, not a rule.
What is the comma on top called?
This final comma, known as an Oxford or serial comma, is useful in a complex series of elements or phrases but is often considered unnecessary in a simple series such as in the example above. It usually comes down to a style choice by the writer.
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Cultural definitions for comma
A punctuation mark (,) used to indicate pauses and to separate elements within a sentence. “The forest abounds with oak, elm, and beech trees”; “The bassoon player was born in Roanoke, Virginia, on December 29, 1957.”
What does a mark mean in writing?
a mark (,) used in writing to separate parts of a sentence showing a slight pause, or to separate the various single items in a list. (Definition of comma from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
What are the most common punctuation marks in English?
The most common punctuation marks in English are: capital letters and full stops, question marks, commas, colons and semi-colons, exclamation marks and quotation marks. …. Punctuation: commas (,) We use commas to separate a list of similar words or phrases: ….
When to use a comma in literature?
Examples from literature. A comma is used whenever necessary to prevent ambiguity. Added comma missing in original after "hunting". The passage between commas is omitted in the representation, but we know not why. The subject of address is followed by a comma: "John, you are a good man.".
What is a ternary word?
Ternary words are interpreted and handled as tuples in binary modified form, with the zeroes playing the role of commas. In letters themes reports and the like use commas to separate items in a list. When labelled constructor fields are used, braces, commas, field names, and equal signs are also used.
What does "caesura" mean?
2. A pause or separation; a caesura. 3. Any of several nymphalid butterflies of the genus Polygonia having wings with irregularly notched edges and a small comma-shaped marking on the underside of the hind wing. [Latin, from Greek komma, piece cut off, short clause, from koptein, to cut .]
Where is the comma in a sentence?
Commas are the same in appearance as apostrophes ( ’ ), but are placed on the bottom line of the text, in the same location as periods. Generally speaking, commas are used to connect two or more elements in a sentence, but the way in which they do this varies ...
What does a comma mean in a sentence?
1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) the punctuation mark (,) indicating a slight pause in the spoken sentence and used where there is a listing of items or to separate a nonrestrictive clause or phrase from a main clause. 2. (Music, other) music a minute interval. 3.
What does "mas" mean in punctuation?
n., pl. -mas. 1. the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used to indicate a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, to separate items in a list, to mark off thousands in numerals, to separate types or levels of information in bibliographic and other data, and, in Europe, as a decimal point.
Why do we use commas in sentences?
Moreover, the mark is used to separate the words, the phrases, and the clauses in a sentence, to help it to be understood: to divide a sentence into easily assimilated bite-sized pieces. However, there are many other functions of the comma, such as 'setting of questions', 'emphasizing point of view', etc.
What is a comma in a text?
The comma , is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark ( ’) in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline of the text.
How to use a comma in a decimal?
However, in much of Europe, Southern Africa and Latin America, periods or spaces are used instead; the comma is used as a decimal separator, equivalent to the use in English of the decimal point. In India, the groups are two digits, except for the rightmost group. In some styles, the comma may not be used for this purpose at all (e.g. in the SI writing style ); a space may be used to separate groups of three digits instead.
Where does the word "comma" come from?
The word comma comes from the Greek κόμμα ( kómma ), which originally meant a cut-off piece, specifically in grammar, a short clause. A comma-shaped mark is used as a diacritic in several writing systems and is considered distinct from the cedilla.
Do you put a comma between a cat and a dog?
Commas are placed between items in lists, as in They own a cat, a dog, two rabbits, and seven mice. Whether the final conjunction, most frequently and, should be preceded by a comma, called the serial comma, is one of the most disputed linguistic or stylistic questions in English.
Why is the serial comma called the series comma?
It is called the Oxford comma because of its long history of use by Oxford University Press.
What does a comma mean in writing?
In general, the comma shows that the words immediately before the comma are less closely or exclusively linked grammatically to those immediately after the comma than they might be otherwise. The comma performs a number of functions in English writing.
What is a comma in a sentence?
Commas as interrupters or for enclosing details. Sometimes thoughts intervene within a sentence and that is conveyed using a comma. These are called Interrupters. Interrupters are small thoughts that come up in the middle of a sentence to show emotion, tone, or emphasis. A phrase that adds extra information to the sentence ...
When to use a comma with a shorter phrase?
You can also use a comma with a shorter phrase when you want to emphasize it or add a pause for literary effect. So, this one is more like the grammar of your choice and what sounds better. Clutching her purse, Martha ran out of the cafe. Perplexed by her friend’s sudden change in mood, Bruno stayed surprised.
Do you put a comma at the beginning of a sentence?
If the beginning of a sentence is with an adverbial phrase, it’s often followed by a comma but it doesn’t have to be, especially if it’s short. As a thumb rule, if the phrase is longer than about four words, use the comma.
When writing a date in month day year format, do you use a comma?
When writing a date in month-day-year format, write the year with commas. Also, if you are referencing to a day of the week and a date, use a comma. On Monday, May 16, there will be a written exam conducted for all students of grade 9 of Mount Mary’s school.
Can you use commas in a sentence?
These elements are used in a sentence using commas. She was, apparently, the jolliest person in the room. –Notice how you can practically remove the word between the commas and the sentence can still be complete, minus a certain emotion. My sister, unlike me, is very well-behaved.
When to use commas in a quote?
Use commas before a making a direct quote from someone. There’s such a thing called an attributive tag which is nothing but phrases like “he said” or “she claimed”. They identify the speaker of a quote or part of someone’s dialogue. These tags can come before, after, or even in the middle of a quote.
Do you put a comma in "such as"?
Butter, as well as cheese, adds intense aroma and flavor to any food item. When we are introducing multiple things using the phrase “such as”, we use a comma. Amphibians, such as frogs, snakes, and lizards hibernate for weeks together. Well, now that you know where to use the comma, go ahead and try some examples yourself.
Why do we use commas in sentences?
Commas separate ideas, add pauses, and help you to list things clearly. They also let us connect words, phrases, and clauses together to make longer sentences. In fact, the comma is one of the most important and commonly used types of punctuation. Without them, sentences would just be messy!
What does it mean when you use a comma?
When you are using a comma, remember it means “pause, ” so try reading your sentence out loud to see if you are pausing at the right time.
When to use a comma between independent and dependent clause?
Only sometimes, when you are showing a big contrast between two things, you can use a comma between an independent and dependent clause: Sally had a terrible time at the dance,even though she was elected prom queen. Sally was having great time at the dance, until she found out she wasn’t prom queen.
Do you need a comma in "The Rabbit hopped"?
You could add one more comma to this sentence, but it isn’t required: The rabbit hopped,and then,he ate a carrot. Furthermore, there are two other specific mistakes that happen with commas: comma splices and run-on sentences. a.
What is a comma splice?
Comma Splice. A comma splicehappens when you connect two independent clauses with only a comma, and not a conjunction: I can’t go to the dance,you should go without me. Comma splice. In English, this is a grammar error.
What is a run on sentence?
A run-on sentence is similar to a comma splice because it also happens when you combine two independent clauses but don’t use proper punctuation or conjunctions: I can’t go to the dance you should go without me. I need to buy a dress I am going to the mall. To fix these run on sentences, we have a few choices.
What does a mark mean in writing?
a mark (,) used in writing to separate parts of a sentence showing a slight pause, or to separate the various single items in a list. (Definition of comma from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
What are the most common punctuation marks in English?
The most common punctuation marks in English are: capital letters and full stops, question marks, commas, colons and semi-colons, exclamation marks and quotation marks. …. Punctuation: commas (,) We use commas to separate a list of similar words or phrases: ….
Do you put a comma in every two zeros?
comma. They put their commas in different places, plopping them in every two zeros instead of three. And when items in a series themselves contain commas, separate them with semicolons. He took apart every single sentence, deleted every comma he could find.
What is the oldest punctuation mark?
Once the larvae have developed into comma -shaped pupae, adult males start to hang around, waiting for new females to hatch. The comma is one of the oldest marks of punctuation. This comma -- also referred to as a serial comma -- is often not used, though grammar guides have argued about it for decades.
What punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence endings?
Three of the fourteen punctuation marks are appropriate for use as sentence endings. They are the period, question mark, and exclamation point. The period (.) is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements thought to be complete and after many abbreviations. As a sentence ender: Jane and Jack went to the market.
How many punctuation marks are there in English?
There are 14 punctuation marks that are commonly used in English grammar. They are the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, braces, apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis. Following their correct usage will make your writing easier to read and more appealing.
What are the two common punctuation marks?
Dash and the Hyphen. Two other common punctuation marks are the dash and hyphen. These marks are often confused with each other due to their appearance but they are very different. A dash is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash.
What are the three punctuation forms?
Apostrophe, Quotation Marks and Ellipsis. The final three punctuation forms in English grammar are the apostrophe, quotation marks, and ellipsis. Unlike previously mentioned grammatical marks, they are not related to one another in any form. An apostrophe (') is used to indicate the omission of a letter or letters from a word, the possessive case, ...
What is a quotation mark?
Quotations marks (" ") are a pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word. They are also used to indicate meanings and to indicate the unusual or dubious status of a word. "Don't go outside," she said.
Why are commas used in letters?
The comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of a sentence. Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation and closing.
What is a colon in a sentence?
A colon (:) has three main uses. The first is after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series. He was planning to study four subjects: politics, philosophy, sociology, and economics. The second is between independent clauses when the second explains the first, similar to a semicolon:
Overview
Uses in English
In general, the comma shows that the words immediately before the comma are less closely or exclusively linked grammatically to those immediately after the comma than they might be otherwise. The comma performs a number of functions in English writing. It is used in generally similar ways in other languages, particularly European ones, although the rules on comma usage – and their rigidity – vary from language to language.
History
The development of punctuation is much more recent than the alphabet.
In the 3rd century BC, Aristophanes of Byzantium invented a system of single dots (théseis) at varying levels, which separated verses and indicated the amount of breath needed to complete each fragment of the text when readingaloud. The different lengths were signified by a dot at the bottom, middle, or top of the line. For a short passage, a komma in the form of a dot ⟨·⟩ was plac…
Languages other than English
Western European languages like German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese use the same comma as English with similar spacing, though usage may be somewhat different. For instance, in Standard German, subordinate clauses are always preceded by commas.
The basic comma is defined in Unicode as U+002C , COMMA (HTML , · ,), and many variants by typography or language are also defined.
Computing
In the common character encoding systems Unicode and ASCII, character 44 (0x2C) corresponds to the comma symbol. The HTML numeric character reference is ,.
In many computer languages commas are used as a field delimiter to separate arguments to a function, to separate elements in a list, and to perform data designation on multiple variables at once.
Diacritical usage
The comma is used as a diacritic mark in Romanian under ⟨s⟩ (⟨Ș⟩, ⟨ș⟩), and under ⟨t⟩ (⟨Ț⟩, ⟨ț⟩). A cedilla is occasionally used instead of it, but this is technically incorrect. The symbol ⟨d̦⟩ ('d with comma below') was used as part of the Romanian transitional alphabet (19th century) to indicate the sounds denoted by the Latin letter ⟨z⟩ or letters ⟨dz⟩, where derived from a Cyrillic ѕ(⟨ѕ⟩, /dz/). The comma and the cedilla are both derivative of ⟨ʒ⟩ (a small cursive ⟨z⟩) placed below the letter…
See also
• Hebrew cantillation
• Copy editing
• English punctuation
• Latin-script alphabet
• List of typographical symbols and punctuation marks
External links
• English comma rules and exercises
• Major Comma Uses
• Notes on Commas
• Comma guidelines – also helpful for non-native speakers