How To Use Commas Esl

Whether or not you put a comma before and depends on how you re using and there s no single rule that applies to all situations.

How to use commas esl. When the last comma in a series comes before and or or after daughter in law in the above example it is known as the oxford comma most newspapers and magazines drop the oxford comma in a simple series apparently. Period question mark exclamation point comma semicolon colon dash hyphen parentheses brackets braces. Comma is used to mark off a participial phrase from the rest of the sentence. We use commas to mark off a noun or phrase in apposition. Of all the punctuation marks in english this one is perhaps the most abused and misused.

You usually put a comma before and when it s connecting two independent clauses. So how do you use commas correctly. Learn useful comma rules and how to use commas in english with example sentences and esl worksheet. Milton the great english poet was blind. A lot of people have strong feelings about putting a comma before and in a list.

A comma is a punctuation mark used to denote a pause in the sentence shorter than a colon or a semicolon. A comma is used to show the difference between two separate ideas or elements within a sentence. It s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list. Paul the apostle was beheaded during the reign of nero. There are lots of rules about comma usage and often the factors that determine whether you should use one are quite subtle.

And it s no wonder. The 14 most commonly used punctuation marks are. As an esl teacher i have seen commas misused in dozens of ways. Also make sure you end a sentence with a period unless the sentence is a question in which case you should end it with a question mark. My estate goes to my husband son daughter in law and nephew.

One simple trick i share with my students is that if they read a sentence out loud they will hear themselves momentarily pause where there should be a comma. 15 rules for using a comma. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. To use english punctuation correctly remember to always capitalize the first letter of a sentence as well as the names of specific people places and things. Commas can be used between statements to make a sentence easier to read.