We’re going to have a series on some tips and tricks in grammar. We are going to focus on commonly confused and error-prone areas.

Let’s start with punctuations.

Comma

Today we’re going to focus on one of the most confused punctuation marks: the comma.

A comma is generally used to reflect a pause in speech.

Actually here’s the hierarchy of the pauses in speech as reflected by punctuation marks of pauses:

Comma

Semi-colon / colon

Full-stop or period

Paragraph

In other words, a comma is the briefest pause, and the paragraph is the longest one.

Here are the uses of a comma:

  1. Independent Clauses:

As discussed in this video(you may have to register), a comma is used to separate two independent clauses with the help of a co-ordinating conjunction:

I went to meet him, but he had already left.

The Prime Minister has resigned, and now the government is in tatters.

Co-ordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Easy way to remember: FANBOYS

  1. Subordinate Clauses

If a subordinate (dependent) clause begins a sentence, it is usually followed by a comma; the previous sentence itself is an example of this.

Whenever I swim, I catch a cold.

Compare this with:

I catch a cold whenever I swim.(No comma)

  1. Lists:

We use commas to separate items in a list:

People are rewarded for their talent, intelligence, effort, and so on.

Note that there is a comma before “and”; we do this when the list is long so as to avoid confusion.

  1. Unusual Word Order

If words or expressions are put in unusual places or break the flow of a sentence, we usually separate them off by commas.

 My teacher, however, thinks differently.

What’s more, we don’t even have to meet him.


My girlfriend, for all her promises, keeps skipping the gym.

Note that these unusual word/s can be removed without harming the meaning. That’s a clue.

Never, never use a comma to divide a subject and a verb. So:

I always, miss my breakfast. WRONG SENTENCE

I always miss my breakfast. Correct

Don’t use commas to separate unrelated independent clauses. Use a full-stop or a semi-colon.

There are many more uses of commas, but remember this series is about commonly confused areas. The ones discussed above are frequently misused or wrongly used.

In case you don’t know what are clauses etc., then do watch the phrases and clauses video lessons.