10 Functions of the Comma

A comma is a versatile punctuation mark, serving ten basic functions. Here’s an enumeration, with
examples.

1. Separate the elements in a series: “Groucho, Harpo, and Chico developed the philosophy called
Marxism.”
Many periodicals and websites, and most colloquially written books, omit the serial, or final, comma,
but it is all but mandatory in formal writing and is recommended in all usage. As language maven
Bryan Garner observes, “Omitting the serial comma may cause ambiguities, whereas including it
never will.”

2. Separate coordinated independent clauses: “I like the Marx Brothers, but she thinks they’re too
silly.” (An independent clause is one that can stand on its own as a sentence but is linked with
another by a conjunction and/or a punctuation mark.)
Exceptions include sentences with closely linked clauses (“Go to the window and see who’s there”)
and those with a compound predicate (“The Marx Brothers are known for their puns and their sight
gags”).

3. Separate an introductory word (“Naturally, I agree with you”), phrase (“Last summer, I went on a
long vacation”), or subordinate clause (“If you’re too busy now, wait until later”) from the remainder of
the sentence.
4. Separate an optional parenthetical element from the remainder of the sentence. “We have, in a
manner of speaking, won despite our loss.” (The phrase “in a manner of speaking” could also be set
off by em dashes or parentheses, depending on whether the writer wishes to emphasize the
interruption of the statement “We have won despite our loss” or wants to diminish it as an aside.)
5. Separate coordinate adjectives from each other: “I could really use a tall, cool drink right now.”
(Do not separate noncoordinate adjectives with a comma; this post explains the difference between
these two types of adjectives.)
6. Separate an attribution from a direct quotation: “She said, ‘Neither choice is very appealing’”;
“‘That’s not my problem,’ he replied.” (A colon may be precede a formal pronouncement or an
attribution that forms a complete thought, as in, “He had this to say: ‘Her point is irrelevant.” Omit
punctuation when the attribution is implied, as in “Your response ‘Her point is irrelevant’ is evasive.”)
7. Separate a participial phrase or one lacking a verb from the remainder of the sentence: “Having
said that, I still have my doubts”; “The deed done, we retreated to our hideout.”
8. Separate a salutation from a letter (“Dear friends,”) or a complimentary close from a signature in a
letter (“Sincerely,”). A colon should be used in place of a comma in a formal salutation.
9. Separate elements when setting off a term for a larger geopolitical entity from that for a smaller
one located within it (“Santa Barbara, California, is located on the coast”) and for elements of street
addresses (“1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC”) (and dates (“January 1, 2013”).
 10. Separate groups of three digits in numbers: (Let me tell you how to make your first 100,000,000
dollars.” (Because large numbers are difficult to scan, it’s usually better to use one of the following
forms: “100 million dollars,” “one hundred million dollars.”)

Community health, a field of public health, is a discipline which concerns itself with the study
and improvement of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the
term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographical
areas rather than people with shared characteristics.

Top 10 Most Common Health Issues

1. Physical Activity and Nutrition
2. Overweight and Obesity
3. Tobacco
4. Substance Abuse
5. HIV/AIDS
6. Mental Health
7. Injury and Violence
8. Environmental Quality
9. Immunization
10. Access to Health Care