Author: bryon

By the time I finished collecting diplomas for completing high school, my bachelor’s degree, and my master’s degree and spending 15 years editing daily newspapers, I thought I understood the comma pretty well.

When I started editing non-fiction book manuscripts, I realized that I didn’t know much of anything about the comma. The people I was working for did know all about the comma, and I had to improve my game quickly.

I was on my way to a bad case of tennis elbow by constantly reaching for the heavy Chicago Manual of Style to look up comma rules. It was also tedious and time-consuming. So I made a cheat sheet, condensing most of Chicago’s picky comma rules onto a single sheet of paper, which I posted in plain sight. (It was not the only cheat sheet I made to save myself time and heavy lifting. Why there should be different styles for endnotes and bibliography remains a mystery.)

Below is my aide-mémoire for exacting comma use, offered for your use. Again, this is taken from the Chicago Manual of Style, 5^th ed. If you’re writing or editing for a publication or company, you’ll need to use whatever stylebook you’re told to. Such books are often at odds with each other. Don’t take any of it personally; just do the job the way the people writing the checks want it done and be happy.

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Comma rules

* Use commas to separate words, phrases, or clauses in a series.

The flag was red, white, and blue. I came, I saw, I conquered. They walked, ran, and rode to their destinations.

* Use commas to list adjectives in a series if they are of equal importance.

(If you could say the word “and” between each adjective, use a comma. If not, don’t.)

They live in a large, modern two-story home.

* Use commas before coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, yet, for, so) to join two independent clauses.

(This means having two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction to create a compound sentence.)

He had no proper breeding, and he lacked spirit.

* Use commas to set off introductory elements.

Adverb: First, I need to go to the bank.

Prepositional phrase: After dinner, let’s watch a movie.

Appositive (a noun cluster that specifies another noun in the sentence): A lazy dog, Norman had no interest in chasing cars.

Participial phrase (a verb form that modifies a noun or pronoun): Unmoved by his coworkers’ pleas, the boss’ son decided to rat them out.

Infinitive phrase (to followed by a verb): To be honest, I can’t stand the sight of him.

Dependent clause: If you’re going to town, I am going with you.

* Use commas to set off strong pauses in the middle or at the end of a sentence.

Appositive: Janet, the mother of six, changed lots of diapers.

Conjunctive adverb (an adverb that modifies the whole sentence): The robber, nevertheless, took the things of sentimental value.

Prepositional phrase: That barber is, without a doubt, the handiest with a razor.

Participial phrase: The dog, hidden by the trees, watched the duck.

Direct address: When you go, Fred, take that with you.

Parenthetical clause: I prefer red, of course, but blue will be fine.

Nonrestrictive clause (a clause not necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence): The cat, which had never before seen a mouse, leaped to the hunt.

* Use commas to set off complete quotations.

* Use a comma whenever doing so will prevent confusion.