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Rule
No. 1: In a simple series, use a comma to separate the elements,
but don’t put a comma before the conjunction.
The flag is red,
white and blue.
This series is made up
of three adjectives: red, white and blue.
He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry.
This series is made up
of three proper nouns: Tom, Dick and Harry.
In both cases, there
is a comma separating the first two items, but there is no comma
before the conjunction.
The lack of a comma before the conjunction is the biggest difference
between AP style rules on commas and standard English grammar.
Also note that our rule
refers to a “simple” series. In more complex constructions,
commas are used before the conjunction.
The most common example
of this exception is when a conjunction is used within the items
in a series.
I had ham and eggs,
toast, and orange juice for breakfast.
This series is made up
of nouns: ham and eggs, orange juice, and toast.
The comma appears after toast and before the conjunction
and that links the three items in this series.
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Rule
No. 2: Use a comma to separate two independent clauses connected
by a coordinating conjunction.
An independent
clause is a group of words that could stand alone as a sentence
because it has a subject and a predicate. Here are two examples:
The
student opened her book. Then she read the chapter.
You could
combine them with the coordinating conjunction and:
The student opened her book,
and then she read the chapter.
Contrast this with a sentence
where the subject occurs only once:
The student opened her book
and then read the chapter.
There's no comma here—because
now there is only a single clause. A rule of thumb is to check
to see if there is a subject explicitly stated with each verb.
If two or more verbs go with the same subject, you don't need
a comma because you don't have multiple independent clauses.
Here are two more contrasting
examples, first a pair of independent clauses joined by a comma:
We are visiting Washington,
and we also plan a side trip to Baltimore.
The same thought can be expressed
as a single clause without a comma:
We are visiting Washington
and also plan a side trip to Baltimore.
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Rule
No. 3: Use a comma following an introductory phrase of four
words or more.
The AP Stylebook isn't this
precise, but counting the number of words in an introductory
phrase or clause is a good way to eliminate ambiguity about
whether you should use a comma a not.
Here's a sentence with a long
(more than four words) introductory clause:
When he had tired of the
mad pace of New York, he moved to Dubuque.
Here's one with a short introduction
(and no comma):
During the night he heard
many noises.
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Rule No. 4: Use
commas to set off modifiers that are not essential to the reader's
ability to identify a particular person, place or thing.
The logic here is that
if a modifier is not crucial for a reader's understanding it can
recede into the background by being set off with commas. If the
modifier is essential for the reader to identify who or what is
being described, then it should be as close as possible to what
it is modifying.
This is an example of a sentence with a nonessential
modifier:
The starting quarterback, who drank too
much on Saturday night, did not play well on Sunday afternoon.
Since there is only one starting quarterback,
the information about his drinking is not essential to identifying
him. Contrast that with a sentence like this:
The violinist who doesn't work hard in
practice doesn't get a chance to solo.
In the second example, there are many violinists.
But the information about practice habits is essential for the
reader to understand which one would not get a chance for a solo.
Confusion can arise when a descriptive term
appears to be a nonessential modifier. The distinguishing clue
usually is the lack of an article or possessive pronoun, which
tells you that you have a descriptive term as opposed to a nonessential
modifier.
The following sentence is punctuated correctly
because the name is not essential to the reader's understanding:
The company chairman, Henry Ford II, made
the announcement.
But this sentence is also punctuated correctly
because the words "Company Chairman" form a descriptive
phrase rather than a nonessential modifier:
Company Chairman Henry Ford II made the
announcement.
Right: Julie and husband Jeff went shopping.
Wrong: Julie and husband, Jeff, went shopping.
Right: Julie and her husband, Jeff, went
shopping.
Wrong: Julie and her husband Jeff went
shopping.
This last sentence would be punctuated properly
only if Julie had multiple husbands and the reader needed to know
it was husband Jeff (and not, say, husband Joe) who went shopping.
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Rule
No. 5: Use commas to separate adjectives of equal rank.
If a the word and
could be placed between two adjectives without changing the meaning
of the sentence, then the adjectives are considered to be equal.
Here is an example:
She spoke in a thoughtful,
precise manner.
One could say
She spoke in a thoughtful
and precise manner.
without changing the
sense. Contrast this punctuation with the following:
She wore a cheap
fur coat.
Here it would make no
sense to say
She wore a cheap
and fur coat.
The
adjectives in this example are not considered equal because fur
is an intergral part of a noun phrase (fur coat) and
cheap modifies that entire noun phrase.
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No. 6: Use commas to set off words that add emphasis, shift attention
or provide a fuller explanation (parentheticals, "yes,"
"no," names in direct address).
Here are some examples:
It was, after all, only a game.
Yes, I will be there.
The textbook was wrong, too.
Jane, it's time to go.
Put me in, coach. I'm ready to play.
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Rule
No. 7: Use commas to set off participial
modifiers that come at the beginning of a sentence or after
the verb.
This sentence includes a present participle,
running.
Running down the street, the student stumbled
and fell.
In this sentence the past participle pleased
modifies the subject, politician.
Pleased by the way things turned out, the
politician smiled.
Here a present participle has been formed by
adding ing to include.
The material from the entire semester will
be on the final, including commas.
A past participle modifies the subject of this
sentence.
The student read in silence, amazed by
the skill of the novelist.
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Rule
No. 8: Use a comma, carefully, to set off quotes or paraphrases.
This rule can be a little
tricky because it depends on where the quote or paraphrase falls
and whether it's a complete sentence or not.
If the quote or paraphrase
comes before the attribution, then the application of the rule
is straightforward. You simply put the comma between the quote
or paraphrase and the attribution.
Here's a direct quote:
"That's simple,"
the student said. Note very carefully that the comma
always, always, always goes inside the quotation mark.
And here's a paraphrase:
The budget crisis
may get worse, officials said Monday.
Things get a little trickier
if the quoted material comes after the attribution. If there's
a direct quote, a comma is used only if a complete sentence is
quoted.
The student said, "That's simple."
In the following example, the quote is not
a complete sentence and so no comma is used.
The student said the test was "simple."
If there's no quote at all and just a paraphrase,
then no comma is used.
The student said he did well on the test
because it was so easy.
If the quote consists of two or more sentences,
then a colon is used instead of the comma.
The president said: "I plan to run
again. Please vote for me."
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Rule
No. 9: Use a comma with hometowns, ages, names of states and nations
used with city names, affiliations, and most large numbers.
This is a pretty easy rule to apply. The trick
is to remember that in most of these cases, commas work like parentheses
and should be used in pairs.
His journey will take him from Dublin,
Ireland, to Fargo, N.D., and back.
The Selma, Ala., group saw the governor.
Nov. 7, 1955, was her date of birth.
The girl, 15, was in high school.
Daniel Moynihan, Ph.D., spoke.
Use a comma for most figures greater than 999.
AP lists exceptions for addresses, broadcast frequencies, room
numbers, serial numbers, telephone numbers and years.
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Rule
No. 10: Use a comma to separate duplicate words to eliminate confusion.
What the problem is, is not clear.
As Bill Clinton once said, it all depends
on what your definition of is, is.
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