Main content
Grammar
Course: Grammar > Unit 6
Lesson 1: Introduction to commasMeet the comma
David and Paige introduce you to the superhero of the punctuation world: the comma! Practice this yourself on Khan Academy right now:
Want to join the conversation?
- AtDavid writes ", and seaweed!". I've been taught that you can't use a comma before "and", so I'm very confused. Is it okay to use a comma (,) before "and"? 1:26(40 votes)
- It's okay to use a comma before the word "and" when you're writing a list, and it's also okay not to use a comma! Different people have different opinions about this, and both options are completely correct. We have a video called BONUS: The Oxford comma that explains this in more detail!(32 votes)
- Can someone explain to me how the comma works? I get a lot of C/s in my essays and I would like to master the comma.(7 votes)
- A quick and vague way to check for comma need is "do I naturally pause here when I read aloud slowly." Otherwise, there are quite a few rules you would have to memorize.(18 votes)
- is it a good thing to use the comma(5 votes)
- Using the comma can be very helpful to create effective writing.(8 votes)
- Can no sentences be ended with a comma or can a speech sentence be ended with a comma. ex. "I want chocolate," said George. Do I end speech sentences with commas or periods?(5 votes)
- You may use commas to separate a sentence in dialogue from the addendum outside of the quotation marks, like your example. However, I wouldn't call that comma a definitive end to a sentence; it's more of a separator. The actual end of the sentence you gave would be the period after George. If your dialogue doesn't have the addendum (e.g. George said), then you'd have to change the comma to a period (e.g. "I want chocolate.").(8 votes)
- I hate when teachers make you watch a video about something you already know(6 votes)
- AtPaige said, "So, commas can't go at the end of a sentance" But, in the greeting of a letter, you would write Dear (Name), With a comma at the end, I'm confused... 2:56(5 votes)
- Dear Brian,
That ^ is actually what is called a salutation, and since Dear (Name) doesn't contain both a subject and verb it technically isn't a sentence, which is why it requires that comma.
Think about it like a modifier to the sentence that comes after it.
"Dear Nancy, I really enjoyed that cheese you sent!"
I hope this helps! :)(5 votes)
- Can you also use the comma to do a direct address? Like "David, do your homework."(3 votes)
- Your use of the comma is entirely correct. Read your example aloud and you'll hear the pause you make naturally. The comma there is a visible indicator of that oral pause.(8 votes)
- Is it necessary to use Comma between that sentence;
"I want to swimming and then sailing."(4 votes)- It isn't necessary, but it isn't wrong either. You could say "I went swimming and then sailing" but if you wanted a pause somewhere in the sentence, you could say "I went swimming, and then sailing."(5 votes)
- hey how do you know to ad a comma(6 votes)
- When you need to pause in your sentence. An example is "I like vanilla icecream, but my friend prefers chocolate icecream".(1 vote)
- Say I said "I want to go to game stop, then I will go to Walmart" or should I say "I want to go to game stop. Then I will go to Walmart" which one is right?(2 votes)
- Your first sentence is a run-on sentence (incorrect) because it has two independent clauses that aren't adequately joined. You can, as your second example correctly does, separate the clauses to form separate sentences. Other options to write that correctly include:
I want to go to Game Stop, and then I will go to Walmart.
I want to go to Game Stop; then I will go to Walmart.(8 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello grammarians. Today Paige and I are going to teach you all about your new best friend, the comma. It is a piece of punctuation
that has many many functions. We're just going to broadly
overview them today. The comma is an extremely
powerful piece of punctuation, can do a whole bunch of stuff. So Paige, what is the most pertinent or important thing that the comma does? - [Voiceover] I would probably say that it is separating sentence elements. - [Voiceover] So that's
like its broad super-power-- - [Voiceover] Exactly. - [Voiceover] But lots of
stuff falls under that. So it's like it has laser
vision but it can not only use that laser vision to
boil water, but it can also cut through steel. - [Voiceover] Exactly. - [Voiceover] So this is a
superhero punctuation mark. I'll make that into a C for comma. So okay, so how is the comma
going to save the day today? How's it going to make
our sentences make sense? What are some of the
things that it separates? - [Voiceover] So it can
separate elements of lists. - [Voiceover] For lunch I had tofu, spam, and seaweed. A very Hawai'ian lunch. - [Voiceover] Mm-hm, delicious. - [Voiceover] So it's separating these elements of this list. I guess commas can also separate dates. - [Voiceover] That's right. - [Voiceover] So for example,
here in the United States, National Blueberry
Muffin Day is July 11th, and if we wanted to refer to a historical blueberry muffin day,
let's say July 11th, 1981. - [Voiceover] Wow. - [Voiceover] It was the
best muffin day ever. - [Voiceover] I wish I could
have been around for that. - [Voiceover] Yeah, okay, so
a comma can separate lists and it can be used for dates,
and we can also set off things at the beginning of sentences, like basically, everything is great. The comma has a bunch
of different functions. It's this super-useful multi-tool. It's the superhero of
a piece of punctuation. So we're not going to cover
all of that in this video. The most important thing
to remember about the comma is what it does is
separate sentence elements. It can separate clauses,
it can separate items in a list, it can separate dates. Usually, when you're
trying to make a separation within a sentence, you use a comma. So Paige, so what are some
things that commas can't do? - [Voiceover] That's a great question. So, commas can't go at
the end of a sentence. - [Voiceover] Okay, so I couldn't be like, I want to go swimming comma. It couldn't end a sentence that way. - [Voiceover] Right, you need to say something after the comma. - [Voiceover] So this is no good. Or you have to keep going, like I'm going to go
swimming, and then sailing. And end it with a period, like that. That's totally fine usage for a comma. If it's in the middle of a sentence but not at the end of a sentence. - [Voiceover] Right. - [Voiceover] Okay, so
commas only go in the middle. - [Voiceover] Yeah. - [Voiceover] So comma separates
stuff which therefore means it has to be in-between something. - [Voiceover] Right, there has
to be something to the left and something to the right. - [Voiceover] Cool, all right. That's a comma-- - [Voiceover] Yeah-- - [Voiceover] Wouldn't you say? - [Voiceover] I think we have
successfully met the comma. - [Voiceover] Cool,
you can learn anything. David out. - [Voiceover] Paige out.