When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree , they are said to be coordinate and should be separated by commas. One way to tell whether the adjectives are coordinate is to try switching the order of them. If the sentence still sounds natural, the adjectives are coordinate.
That man is a pompous, self-righteous, annoying idiot. That man is a self-righteous, annoying, pompous idiot. The sweet, scintillating aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen.
The scintillating, sweet aroma of cinnamon buns filled the kitchen. The adorable, little boy was eating ice cream. The adorable little boy was eating ice cream. My teacher is tough, but fair. My teacher is tough but fair. Life is, but a dream. Life is but a dream. My dog Charlie is cute, and smart. My dog Charlie is cute and smart.
When correcting a comma splice , that is when joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, put the comma before and. Julie loves ice cream books and kittens. Julie loves ice cream, books, and kittens. Julie loves ice cream, books and kittens. The comma before the and in a list of three or more items is optional. See below under Serial Comma for more information. Your list might be made up of nouns, as in the example above, but it could also be made up of verbs, adjectives, or clauses.
Imagine, for a moment, that you have just finished doing three chores. The chores were:. I cleaned the house and garage, raked the lawn, and took out the garbage. I cleaned the house and garage, raked the lawn and took out the garbage.
As mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should separate each element of the list. However, the final comma—the one that comes before the and —is optional.
This comma is called the serial comma or the Oxford comma. Mary needs bread, milk, and butter at the grocery store. With serial comma Mary needs bread, milk and butter at the grocery store. Without serial comma. Whether or not you use the serial comma is a style choice. Many newspapers do not use it. Many trade books do use it. In your own writing, you can decide for yourself whether to use it or not—just be consistent.
Keep in mind, though, that occasionally the serial comma is necessary for clarity. I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. The sentence above will almost certainly cause readers to do a double take. To put it another way, the writer seems to be saying that her parents are Jane Austen and Albert Einstein. I dedicate this award to my parents, Jane Austen, and Albert Einstein.
Uncertain The July 10, , meeting was canceled due to a hurricane watch. Revised The meeting scheduled for July 10, , was canceled due to a hurricane watch. Correct The store closed its doors for good in October Incorrect The store closed its doors for good in October , Example Her arrival on 11 April was considered a turning point for the company. Examples The mayor of New York was the first guest to arrive; the mayor of Athens, Georgia, was the last to arrive.
Examples For your entree, you may choose vegetarian pasta, beef, chicken, or salmon. I am taking art history, Russian literature, microeconomics, and macroeconomics next semester.
Examples The wine offered a fragrant, captivating bouquet. It was a long, noisy, nauseating flight. Example It was a long, noisy, and nauseating flight. Incorrect He held a bright , red balloon.
Correct This is a very, very violent movie. Incorrect This is a very very violent movie. Example I will give the document to my brother, Tom. Example I will give the document to my brother Tom. Explanation: Hawthorne wrote more than one novel. Explanation: Hawthorne had only one first novel. Examples Mary Smith, a staff writer at the Times , recently wrote a book on that subject.
Examples Your work has been, frankly, awful. The hotel, once we finally found it, was very nice. Examples Yes, we expect to attend the Christmas party. Honestly, why would you ever think that? In my opinion, the movie was more compelling than the book. Examples I found the painting rather dull, to be honest. Leave some food for me, please. We will not be attending the reception, however. Examples We visited Berlin too. We took the train instead. Examples She purchased the car, but she declined the extended warranty.
Example Elizabeth flew to the conference and Nancy drove. Examples She purchased the car but not the extended warranty.
Are you traveling in first class or in business class? Because of the thunderstorm, our flight has been delayed. Example If you eat a balanced diet and exercise for a few hours each day, you will feel healthier. Our flight has been delayed because of the thunderstorm. Examples The guests, who were all close friends of the president, refused to speak about the events that evening. New York: HarperCollins Publisher, Writing Center Kirner-Johnson Close Search Hamilton. About Expand Navigation.
Know Thyself. Just the Facts. Our Region. Our Diverse Community. Contact Us. Admission Expand Navigation. Our Promise. Financial Aid. Meet Our Staff. It adds meaning to written words and guides the understanding of readers as they move through sentences. Often people advise that commas are used as a "pause" or a "breath" in a sentence, but that's not really all that helpful in providing technical rules or guidelines. And there are, in fact, some fairly technical rules and guidelines when it comes to comma usage.
Between coordinate adjectives — that is, adjectives that separately modify the same noun. Before a coordinating conjunction and, but, for, nor, or, yet, or so joining independent clauses in one sentence. To set off a parenthetical comment , or an aside, if it is brief and closely related to the rest of the sentence.
0コメント