Comma Down

It’s customary to follow an introductory phrase with a comma unless it’s really short and doesn’t seem to need one. You’re never wrong to use one, so I would recommend taking the guesswork out of the whole ordeal by just using one there. This one is pretty easy. A noun in direct address just means

It’s customary to follow an introductory phrase with a comma unless it’s really short and doesn’t seem to need one. You’re never wrong to use one, so I would recommend taking the guesswork out of the whole ordeal by just using one there. The most common introductory elements you’ll probably encounter are participial and prepositional

I tend to organize elements in my sentences in sets of three—three items in a series, three-phrase predicates, three adjectives before a noun. I do it a lot because it creates a certain rhythm, it balances out the sentence and I like it. You can probably see that I’m doing it now, that it seems

Commas lift, separate and clarify. When you have a series of single words, phrases or clauses in a sentence, commas need to get busy. Here are some examples of commas in a series. The Oxford Comma      In the examples above, take note of the commas that follow the words “brownies,” “dishes,” “puppy” and “shower.”

Believe it or not, punctuation is a hot-button issue. Not only is there controversy but there are factions that spawn some rip-roaring arguments about things like correctness and necessity and what punctuation marks to use when. Even the experts disagree on things—a lot. So where does that leave the rest of us? If we’re lucky,