In American English, commas always go before closing quotation marks. “Pass me that thesaurus,” said Matthew. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d finish that essay right now,” my roommate said. “We’re going down to the soup kitchen to help serve dinner,” her mother calle...
Johnson (aged 43) is the oldest scorer in the league’s history. The three forms of parentheses are largely interchangeable. Technically, the brackets simply add information, the dashes add information in a more emotive way and the commas surround a subordinate clause. No native English speaker ...
This type of conjunction is used to connect items that are grammatically equal: two words, two phrases, or two independent clauses. There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English, and you can remember them using the mnemonic device FANBOYS:for,and,nor,but,or,yet,so. ...
They are also one of the most misused punctuation marks in written English. Often, people misremember what they are taught about commas in primary school. Everyone is taught to pause when reading a comma, but some people use the same logic when writing or placing the comma in a sentence. ...
Rule 8b. When writing out numbers above 999, do not use commas. Incorrect: one thousand, one hundred fifty-four dollars, and sixty-one cents Correct: one thousand one hundred fifty-four dollars and sixty-one cents Rule 9. When it's important to ensure a number is not misinterpreted, some...
Learn about comma usage in American English. Also learn to recognize types of commas, how to use commas correctly, and what the eight rules for comma usage are. Updated: 11/21/2023 What are Commas For? Commas can be confusing when writing, primarily because there are so many different ...
Although commas typically follow coordinating conjunctions used in areas other than the beginning of a sentence, they should not be used after coordinating conjunctions used to open sentences unless an interrupter immediately follows. Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions In the following examples, the co...
Using Commas to Accentuate Parenthetical Elements Parenthetical elements, or added information, increase a sentence’s value by providing additional information that isn’t necessary for getting one’s point across, but that is worth stating. In this sentence, the parenthetical element is italicized:...
When a number is over 999, use commas to separate the numbers. I paid $3,500 for my new boat. The house is $600,000. 5. Commas With Dates And Addresses November 1, 2015 I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Send the package to 5154 Smith Street, Los Angeles, California 92674. ...
The two types of articles in English are definite (the) and indefinite (a/an). It’s important to choose the right one to pair with a noun. The rules are different for single, plural, and uncountable nouns. Prepositions Prepositions express relationships between different elements of a sentenc...