In this article we will continue to study punctuation marks in English and consider use of commas in English.
Comma in English placed after subordinate clauses that begin with the words: when, if, although, because, if subordinate clause stands in front of the main thing. If the subordinate clause is in second place, then a comma is not used in English:
If the weather is good in Kiev, we will go for a walk – if the weather is good in Kyiv, we will go for a walk
We will go for a walk if the weather is good in Kiev – we will go for a walk if the weather is good in Kyiv
Because there is no real communication, there are no real relationships - due to the lack of live communication there are no real relationships
There are no real relationships b ecause there is no real communication– there are no real relationships due to the lack of live communication
The same rule applies to structures: to + infinitive, -ing form:
To conclude, we could say that he has eventually started learning English at the English language courses in Kiev - in conclusion, we could say that he eventually started learning English at the English language courses in Kiev
We could say that he has eventually started learning English to conclude - in conclusion we can say that he eventually started learning English
Subordinate clause inside another clause
If a subordinate clause is inside another clause, it is separated by commas, for example:
Because, as Joe says in his article, it "s difficult to run English language courses in Kiev - because, as Joe says in his article, it is difficult to run English language courses in Kyiv
Note:
The same rule applies to the words: that is, that is to say:
We are like parallel straight lines, that is, lines that never meet - we are like parallel straight lines, that is, lines that will never meet
Comma in English with attributive clause
In English, there are three types of attributive clauses:
- restrictive (clarifying the meaning of the word being defined):
People w ho don"t smoke live longer - people who don’t smoke live longer
- distributive (providing additional information about the word being defined):
This is Mary, who was my groupmate at the English language courses in Kiev - this is Mary, with whom I studied in the same group at the English language courses in Kyiv
There is no clear distinction between restrictive and expansionary proposals. Often the type of sentence is determined by intonation (extensional clauses are emphasized by voice), the importance of the information in the subordinate clause (extensive clauses contain less important information), or which interpretation is more natural.
For example:
1. My sister who studies English i s going to Australia (restrictive) - my sister, who studies English, is going to Australia
2. My sister, who studies English, is going to Australia (extensive) - my sister, who studies English, is going to Australia
In this case, both sentences are correct, but they have different meanings.
In the first sentence, the speaker has several sisters, and with the help of a qualifying clause, he determines which sister is going to Australia. In the second sentence he has one sister, so the part “who studies English” can be omitted, since it is clear from the context which sister we are talking about. You can simply say:
My sister is going to Australia - my sister is going to Australia
- the sentential type is often represented by the word which/that. This type of sentence is very common in formal and academic styles. It adds additional information to the main clause, but it is not necessary to understand the main meaning. The sentential attributive clause refers to the entire clause that comes before it. It is always preceded by a comma in English:
They decided against buying a house in Kiev, which was a wise decision - they refused to buy a house in Kyiv, and it was a wise decision
The world is getting smaller and smaller, which means that people have less recourse - the world is getting smaller and smaller, which means that people have fewer resources
Using commas in English with adverbs and adverbial phrases
If an adverb or adverbial phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma in English; when used within a sentence, it is separated by commas on both sides. The following adverbs are often used at the beginning of a sentence and are always separated by commas in English:
besides – besides, in addition, moreover
similarly - in the same way, in a similar way
likewise - similarly, in the same way
in the same way - in the same way
on the contrary - on the contrary
conversely - back; back, back; vice versa
in other words - in other words
Does your back feel any better? - On the contrary, it feels much worse - how is your back, better? - On the contrary, much worse
Adverbs such as:
however, nevertheless, nevertheless - however, nevertheless, despite (this)
moreover, furthermore, in addition - in addition, in addition
by contrast/in contrast, by comparison/in comparison, on the other hand - in contrast to something; compared to anything
first, for example, for instance - firstly, for example
can be used both at the beginning and in the middle of a sentence:
A spokesman said, however, that the two men had not reached agreement on the issues discussed... – the spokesman said, however, that the two did not reach agreement on the issues discussed...
However, for many Americans today, weekend work has unfortunately become the rule rather than the exception - however, for many Americans today, weekend work, unfortunately, has become the rule rather than the exception
The same rule applies to adverbial phrases:
fortunately - happily, fortunately
admittedly - generally known, admittedly; really, I must say
surprisingly - amazingly, amazingly; suddenly
frankly - openly, publicly; frankly
Fortunately, the weather that winter was reasonably mild - fortunately, the weather that winter was quite mild
Adverbial expressions of time can be used either with or without a comma. If the turn is long, then a comma is used in English, and if it is short, then it is absent:
In 1997 we spent our holiday at the seaside - in 1997 we spent our holiday at sea
In the wet and rainy summer of 1997, we spend our holiday at the seaside - we spent our holiday at sea in the summer of 1997, which turned out to be wet and rainy
Comma in English when listing
When there are only two items in the enumeration list, use and/or:
Mix the ingredients and pour over the mushrooms – mix the ingredients and pour over the mushrooms
If there are more than two items in the listing, then a comma in English is used between the first two elements and and/or before the last element. The use of a comma in English before and/or is typical in American English:
He speaks English, French, German and a little Italian
He speaks English, French, German, and a little Italian - he speaks English, French, German and a little Italian.
Correct use of commas in English will make your written speech more literate (which is very important in
Listed below are the main cases in which commas should be used, i.e. those cases when a comma is required in English:
1. A comma must be placed if 2 independent subordinate clauses are connected using one of the following linking words: and, not, for, but, yet, or, so. Each independent clause can be a separate clause. When at least 2 such sentences are combined into one sentence using any of the above words, a comma is used to separate them. But, if these sentences are quite short, then a comma may not be used, as for example - I was swimming and caught a cold (I swam and caught a cold).
Paul wanted to say something, but he was interrupted. – Paul wanted to say something, but he was interrupted.
2. A comma in English is used when listing 3 or more items.
I brought skates, skis, ski poles. – He brought skates, skis, ski poles.
3. When there are 2 or more adjectives that describe an object or person.
Example: My mother is a beautiful, kind woman. – My mother is a beautiful, kind woman.
4. If we put a dependent subordinate clause before the main clause.
A dependent clause is a clause that cannot be used separately from the main clause.
For example:
Unless you are rested, we are not going anywhere. “Until you rest, we won’t go anywhere.”
Because it was cold, we did not go out of town. – Since it was cold, we didn’t go out of town
5. A comma is added when submitting additional information about an object or person (adjective clause)
For example: Jorge, who is a clever man, answered this question. – Jschrj, a smart man, answered this question.
6. When asking a direct question or quoting.
For example: Helen said, “I want some juce.” – Helen said I want to drink juice.
7. If you want to draw the attention of another person to something.
For example:
Golf, Jorge, is a very interesting game – Golf, Jorge, this is a very interesting game
You, sir, are not very smart. -You, sir, are not very smart.
8. When using connecting words such as: therefore(therefore, therefore) consequently(as a result, as a result), etc.
For example:
Mary didn't go to geography lessons. Therefore, she didn’t say where the northern part of the country is. Mary didn’t go to geography lessons, so she didn’t say where the northern part of the country is.
9. When highlighting an address, just as we do in Russian:
John, where's your bookbag? - John, where is your briefcase?
10. A comma is also placed before the signature in a letter after the last phrase, such as Sincerely yours (Sincerely yours); Yours faithfully - devoted to you, etc.:
For example:
Sincerely yours, - Sincerely yours,
George. George.
11. Sometimes a comma is used in writing multi-digit numbers or dates:
11.1. to designate cardinal numbers using numbers, every 3 digits (from right to left) must be separated by a comma: 4.564; 3,873,000. Although in mathematics, according to the SI system, instead of a comma after every three digits, spaces are placed: 4,625; 5,531,000;
11.2. When writing dates, you can use a comma to separate the date from the year. Eg:
11.3. A comma is not used in writing dates if there is already another comma nearby. Example:
We'll go to New York on Tuesday, - We'll go to NY on Tuesday,
12. You should never put a punctuation mark in indirect speech after the following verbs: to say, to tell, etc.:
My mother said that I could not go to this lesson. – My mother said that I cannot go to this lesson.
Our teacher told that the lesson was over - Our teacher said that the lesson was over.
13. A comma in English is placed before direct speech immediately after introductory words, whereas in Russian in this case it would be necessary to put a colon:
My brother said, ‘I’ll be at home at 6’. “My brother said: “I’ll come home at six.”
Causes a lot of problems for almost everyone. This is due to the fact that in Russian, commas must be used very often, whereas in English the situation is somewhat different. In this article I will try to analyze point by point in which cases it is still necessary to put commas and other punctuation marks, and in which cases it is not. But first, I suggest you learn how basic punctuation marks are translated into English:
dot— full stop or period
comma- comma
semicolon- semi-colon
colon— colon
dash- hyphen
question mark-question mark
Exclamation point- exclamation mark
Punctuation in English
Now let's move on to the rules of comma placement, which help us better understand the structure and meaning of a sentence.
1. Commas are used when listing words of the same type:
His favorite colors are blue, green and white.
2. A comma is placed in a number starting with a thousand:
- 1,000 (one thousand)
- 1,769
- $74,050
- 9,000,000
3. A comma is placed before and after direct speech. In indirect speech - no.
- He said, " I want to help you.»
- « I want to help you"he said.
- He told her that he wanted to help her.
4 . A comma must be placed before but, so, and, nor, for, or, yet. But, if both parts of the sentence are short, then you don’t have to put it.
- They didn't want to go to the party, but they had to do it.
- My sister wants to work as an interpreter, so she is studying English at university.
- She is nice so everybody likes her.
5. Introductory sentences are separated by commas if their absence does not affect the meaning of the entire sentence.
Jensen, my sister’s husband, won’t be able to come.
6. Introductory words such as however, moreover, unfortunately, nevertheless, surprisingly etc. must be separated by commas on both sides.
Moreover, he was late for the lesson.
Question: Does the word because require a comma in the following sentence? “I thought he loved me because I was not quite right in the head.” More and more I"m seeing a comma precede the word "because," but I never grew up with that rule. Has the rule changed?"
Question. Should I put a comma before because in the following sentence: “It seemed to me that he loved me because I was a little crazy.” More and more often I see a comma before the word “because”, but at school we didn’t have such a rule. Has the rule changed?
Answer. “I thought he loved me because I was not quite right in the head” is ambiguous; did he love me because I was a little bonkers, or did I just THINK he loved me? Typically clauses beginning with "because" are restrictive and don"t require a comma because they are essential information. The comma makes the phrase "because I was not quite right in the head" into a parenthetical phrase. The addition of a comma after “ me” would more clearly indicate the latter.
Answer. The sentence itself “I thought he loved me because I was not quite right in the head” can have two meanings.
What do you want to say? That he loved you because you were a little crazy? Or whatever you want it just seemed that he loves you because you're crazy?
As a rule, subordinate clauses beginning with because contain essential explanatory information, and therefore no comma needed. A comma turns the clause "because I was not quite right in the head" into an unimportant incidental remark. So if you put a comma before "because", you choose the second meaning:
I thought he loved me because I was not quite right in the head= It seemed to me that he loved me because I was a little crazy (i.e., he loved me because I...)
I thought he loved me , because I was not quite right in the head= It seemed to me that he loved me because I was out of my mind
[approx. translation- in this example, different opinions are possible about insignificance"remarks in parentheses". Here the comma rather indicates that the subordinate clause should not be attributed to the word “he”, but to the more distant word “I”, which will give the meaning “It seemed to me that he loved me because I was out of my mind” (i.e. e. the reason for my thoughts was that I was out of my mind). And without a comma, a subordinate clause automatically would have been attributed to the nearest word “he” and would have received the most likely meaning: “It seemed to me that he loved me because I was a little crazy.”
And in Russian, the comma is just as important for meaning. For example, if “I thought he was poor because he had no car” is automatically translated as “I thought he was poor because he didn’t have his own car,” we get the nonsense that not having a car is reason poverty. Only a comma puts everything in its place: “I thought he was poor, because he had no car.” ]
Homogeneous members of the sentence
Commas are used to separate homogeneous members offers. Moreover, the last two items are also separated. For example:
· She went to the shop and bought a new dress, gloves, and fashionable glasses(She went to the store and bought a new dress, gloves and fashionable glasses).
Some argue that there is no need to put a comma in the last two parts of the sentence. Indeed, this is not an error, but this comma saves you from one annoying trouble that occurs when you accidentally “glue together” the last two parts of a sentence. A striking example– “fish and chips” (“fish and chips”, a popular dish in English cuisine). This final comma is often called an "ordinal" or "Oxford" comma. You will rarely see it in newspapers, but it is not a punctuation mark that can be neglected in scientific literature.
Comma and conjunctions and(And), but(But), for(because), nor(nor), yet(yet), or(or), so(hence) are used in a complex sentence:
· The weather was nice, and Kate decided to go for a walk(The weather was good and Kate decided to go for a walk).
Arguing that the connecting union is quite sufficient for separation short sentences, some writers do not use a comma: The weather was nice and Kate decided to go for a walk. If you feel in doubt, use a comma without hesitation - you will never go wrong.
One of the most common mistakes is using a comma after a connecting conjunction. We cannot say with 100% certainty that the comma appears exclusively before the conjunction and never after it, but examples of such sentences are practically never found. In colloquial speech, after a conjunction we sometimes take a short pause, but there is no point in putting a comma there.
Participles
A comma is used to separate gerunds at the beginning of a sentence, for example:
· Looking at the sky, she saw huge storm clouds(Looking at the sky, she saw huge thunderclouds).
It is allowed not to put a comma in those sentences that contain a short introduction, but only if the absence of a comma does not create confusion when reading. Again, if in doubt, use a comma - it's not an error.
Clarification
A comma is used to separate qualifying parts of a sentence:
· London Zoo, which was founded in the 1828, is the oldest zoo in the world(London Zoo, founded in 1828, is the oldest zoo in the world).
Clarification is characterized by the fact that when it is removed, the meaning of the sentence is not violated. In English it is often called " introductory sentence" or "additional information". This is the most difficult rule of the English language to understand, since it is not always possible to clearly distinguish between what is necessary for the meaning of a sentence and what can be removed.
These parts of speech almost always include applications:
· Her mom, a 37-year-old woman, works as a secretary(Her mother, a 37-year-old woman, works as a secretary).
· He bought his new car, a Ford F150, for the price of $81647(He bought his new car, a Ford F150, for 81647$ ).
However, there are times when the comma can be omitted. For example, consider the following sentence:
· My friend Lena said she would retire from her job(My friend Lena said that she would quit her job).
As we can see, the phrase My friend and name Lena so connected with each other that, despite the fact that Lena– appendix, you don’t have to put a comma. However, you will not be mistaken if you write: “ My friend, Lena, said she would retire from her job».
Let's consider two other proposals:
· The famous singer Paul McCartney is a billionaire(famous singer Paul McCartney is a billionaire).
· Paul McCartney, a famous singer, is a billionaire(Paul McCartney, famous singer, millionaire).
As we can see, in the first example, without a name, the sentence will lose meaning, so you don’t need to put a comma, but in the second example famous singer can be omitted, i.e. Punctuation is required.
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If the subordinate clause comes at the beginning, then it is separated by a comma: · Because Andrew had not attended lectures, he was soon dismissed from the University(Since Andrei did not attend lectures, he was soon expelled from the university). · Although he was good and loving hus band, his wife divorced him(Even though he was a good and loving husband, his wife divorced him). If the subordinate clause is in the middle or at the end, then the author needs to consider whether it can be removed without losing the meaning of the sentence. It is especially difficult to answer this question when the subordinate clause begins with the word because(because): Sentences with this conjunction usually cannot be escaped, so a comma is not required. For example: · The British are called “subjects of Her Majesty” because the formal ruler of this country is the Queen(The British are called "Her Majesty's subjects" because the formal ruler of this country is the Queen). If there is a risk that without a comma, a sentence will be misinterpreted or difficult to understand, then a punctuation mark after because is placed: · She knew that the company’s director would resign soon, because she had a friend who worked as his private secretary who told her the news(She knew that the company director would soon resign because she had a friend who worked as his personal secretary and broke the news). Without this comma, the reader may get the impression that the director is resigning because the author “had a girlfriend who worked as his personal secretary.” |
If an interjection, adverbial clause, or subordinate clause comes after a conjunction connecting two main clauses, we do not precede them with a comma. For example:
· Chocolate taster is a great job, but of course, you should control your weight.(Chocolate taster is a great profession, but of course you need to control your weight) [I.e. comma after but not placed].
A comma is required when the city name is followed by the state name:
· The city San Francisco, California, was born as a result of the Gold Rush(The city of San Francisco, California was created as a result of the Gold Rush).
· Eton, in Great Britain, is the most famous school in the world- Eton, UK – the most famous school in the world.
Short participles and addresses are separated by commas:
· Her years of training now forgotten, she became an ordinary homemaker with excess weight(Her years of training are now forgotten, she has become an ordinary overweight housewife).
· Listen, Lena , if you continue to complain about your life, it will never improve(Listen, Lena, if you don't stop complaining about life, it will never get better).
The references should be distinguished from the following example, which does not use a comma:
· Itold Lena that if she continued to complain about her life, it would never improve(I told Lena that if she continues to complain about life, it will never improve).
Adjectives
If you can put conjunctions between adjectives and(And), but(but), then commas are used. For example:
· She is a nice, good-looking girl(She is a nice, pretty girl).
We can express this idea like this:
· She is nice and a good-looking girl.
If these conjunctions do not fit, then commas are not needed, for example:
· She is a tall old lady(She is a tall elderly woman).
Write She is tall and old lady we can not.
Direct speech
A comma is used to separate direct speech from the author's words. This rule is also not easy to learn because we don't use quotations very often. Helpful advice: Look through some newspaper or book, find the use of direct speech and keep it in front of you as an example. In general terms, the comma in this case is used to separate direct speech from the words of the author that explain or introduce it:
· Adventurer Bear Grylls once said, “Fight your dream-stealers.”(Adventurous Bear Grylls once said: “Fight the people who kill your dreams.”)
If the author's words are in the middle of direct speech, two commas are needed. But be careful: a second comma is placed after the author’s words only if they separate direct speech, consisting of one sentence, and not two. Compare:
· “You watch television to turn your brain off,” wrote Steve Jobs, “and you work on your computer to turn your brain on.”(“You watch TV to turn your brain off,” Steve Jobs wrote, “and work on the computer to turn it on.”)
· “ “I’ll tell you the difference between a boring teacher and a boring book,” said a student. “You can shut the book up”(“I’ll tell you the difference between a boring teacher and a boring book,” said the student. “You can slam the book.”)
A comma is not used if the quoted phrase is “embedded” in a sentence or a conjunction is used that(What):
· People often say “How are you? when they are not interested in it(People often ask “How are you” when they are not interested at all)
· Ray Bradbury wrote that “Love is the answer to everything...”(Ray Bradbury wrote that “Love is the answer to everything...”)
If the direct speech is formal, too long or consists of two or more sentences, a colon is placed instead of a comma:
· Abraham Lincoln said this: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation”(Abraham Lincoln said: “Eight score and seven years ago our fathers formed a new nation on this continent...”)
Opposition
Commas are used in contrasts:
· Marriage is a labor, not pleasure(Marriage is work, not pleasure).
· The teacher knew his subject well, but was not able to explain it(The teacher knew his subject well, but did not know how to explain it).
The most famous rule of punctuation
The most famous punctuation rule is: never use a comma between the subject and the predicate. For example:
· Criticizing the child is the way to bring up a loser(Criticizing a child is a way to raise a loser).
Even though we pause after the word child, we cannot put a comma.
Other cases
The comma is placed:
· Between the name of the city and the state [ SanFrancisco, California] (San Francisco, California)
· Between name and title, when the title comes after the name [ Steve Richard, Professor of Physics] (Steve Richard, professor of physics)
· For large numerical values
The comma is not used when writing dates if the day of the month is missing:
· August 2010 was a very hard time in Moscow because of the thick smog(August 2010 was very difficult in Moscow due to heavy smog).
Also, a comma is not used when we're talking about about historical or international events:
· In December 1773 the famous Boston Tea Party happened(The Boston Tea Party occurred in December 1773.)
Use commas with caution!
As you can see, there are a lot of uses of commas. However, the most common mistake made by 90% of students is their abuse. Some essays look as if the student “loaded a shotgun” with commas and “fired.” Also remember that pausing when reading aloud does not always mean there should be a comma at that point. Try not to use this punctuation mark without referring to punctuation rules.
