Quick Start Guide: Commas

Welcome!

Welcome to the Learning Commons Quick Start Guide on commas!

Commas are a powerful but potentially difficult punctuation mark to use correctly. This guide will cover seven rules for English comma use to help improve your writing.

This guide will explain:

• the importance of commas
• the 7 comma rules

These videos introduce the main uses of commas in English, showing that they:

• Separate items in a list.
• Link two independent clauses together with a coordinating conjunction.
• Set off the introductory element of a sentence.
• Insert non-defining information into a sentence.

In this mini-course we explore this in more detail:

1. Lists, Compound Sentences, and Establishing Information
2. Extra Information
3. Dates, Numbers, and Places
4. Quotes and Coordinate Adjectives
5. Wrap-Up

Additional Resources

Below are some great links to follow if you want to read more on commas:

Links to handouts:

• TWU handout
• Purdue OWL

If you would like to talk any of this through then we look forward to talking to you. Book an appointment!