This entire series could be named, “everything you ever wanted to know about commas” since we still have quite a few more instances to cover when you need to use them. Here are a few simple-to-remember instances for today.
Setting Off Direct Quotations
This rule is probably the easiest to remember. Use the comma to separate the quotation from the introductory phrase and use the comma inside the final quotation mark when you start a sentence with a quote.
Examples:
At a recent speech former governor Sarah Palin gave she declared, “We didn’t elect Republicans to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
“Woody stems and shattered limestone rocks poked their way out of the heaving red soil pelted by the spring rains. The steep forest trail was barely visible and promised dangerous slipping toward the creek for the unwary,” he wrote.
Using Commas with Dates, Addresses, Titles, and Numbers
These rules are also easy to remember. Remembering to use them correctly is that invisible polish you put on your work that sets you apart from the many who have no idea how to write in these situations.
Date: Set the year off from the rest of the sentence using a comma after the date and after the year.
Example:
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, a day many Americans will never forget.
Exceptions: We always have these, don’t we? If the date is inverted as in military or foreign use, you skip the comma. Also, if only the month and year are given.
Examples:
When people ask Jim for his birthday, he always says, “17 July 1936.”
The great ice storm that hit southwest Missouri in recent years was late April 2008.
Addresses: Use commas after each element of an address except BEFORE the zip code.
Example:
Peter lived in Omaha, Nebraska, in the late 1970s.
The pizza delivery man was looking for Jack Benny at 1503 S. Jefferson, Stillwater, Oklahoma 62803.
Titles: Separate with commas a title following a name from the rest of the sentence.
Examples:
Philip Newton, M.D., will be our speaker at the Rotary meeting Tuesday.
Jack Jones, Jr., planned this real estate development.
Numbers: Use commas to separate numbers more than four digits long. Group the digits in threes, starting from the right. If a number only has four digits, comma use is optional.
Examples:
7,500 or 7500
112,000,000
650,000
Exceptions: Don’t use commas in street numbers, zip codes, phone numbers, or years.
Examples:
No commas should be used here: 1607 South 93rd Avenue
or here: 65810 (zip code)
or here: 417-555-8181
or here: 2000 B.C.
That’s it for today. We’ll have a few more pointers on commas in upcoming posts. Until then, happy writing!
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