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Comma Rules
1- Dependent X Independent Clauses

2- How not to use commas

3- Commas and Conjunctions

4- When to always use commas

5- Hunting

1-Dependent X Independent Clauses

 Dependent and Independent Clauses and Why They Matter

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a
subject and a verb and forms a complete thought.

The kitten was cute.

Dependent clauses contain a subject and a verb, too, but they’re not complete thoughts. You
can often spot them because they begin with conjunctions or prepositions, like after, as,
before, if, since, that, though, unless, until, when, and while.

After I visited the animal shelter.

After you visited the animal shelter, what happened? The dependent clause can’t stand by
itself.

Although independent clauses can stand on their own, they don’t have to. You can join one or
more independent clauses to form a compound sentence, and independent clauses can be
added to dependent clauses to form complex sentences. That’s where understanding commas
comes in handy!

Now that we have some background, let’s get into some ways that commas are used (and not
used).

2-How not to use commas

 The comma splice.

A comma splice happens when you connect two independent clauses with a comma instead of
a conjunction or other appropriate punctuation like a semicolon.

The kitten was cute, I wanted to take it home with me.

“The kitten was cute” is an independent clause. It can stand alone as a sentence. The same
thing applies to “I wanted to take it home with me.” The comma incorrectly splices the two
sentences together. Let’s look at correct ways to write this sentence.

As Two Independent Sentences Separated by a Period

The kitten was cute. I wanted to take it home with me.

As Two Independent Clauses Separated by a Conjunction

The kitten was cute, so I wanted to take it home with me.

As Two Independent Clauses Separated by a Semicolon

The kitten was cute; I wanted to take it home with me.

GET GRAMMARLY

3-Commas and Conjunctions

 Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together.
(Check the class about Conjunctions in the Advanced module)
  Comma before “So”

-Use a comma before “so” if it precedes an independent clause.

The pet store was fresh out of kitten toys, so I had to improvise.

* tip: If you can substitute “therefore” for “so” in the sentence, then what follows is an
independent clause.

The pet store was fresh out of kitten toys; therefore I had to improvise.

-Don’t use a comma before “so” if it precedes a dependent clause.

I scrunched a piece of paper into a ball so my new kitten could play with it.

*Here’s a tip: If you can add “that” after “so” in the sentence, then what follows is a
dependent clause.

I scrunched a piece of paper into a ball so that my new kitten could play with it.

 Comma before “But”

-Use a comma before “but” if it precedes an independent clause.

The kitten may be small, but it’s feisty!

-Don’t use a comma before “but” if it doesn’t precede an independent clause.

The kitten is small but feisty.

 Comma Before “And”

-Use a comma before “and” if it precedes an independent clause.

The shelter had puppies, and I considered adopting one.

-Don’t use a comma before “and” if it doesn’t precede an independent clause.

Maybe I’ll get a puppy and train it to do tricks.

-Use your judgment or follow prescribed style guides when using a comma before “and” in lists
of three items or more. This is a famous debate in the grammar area.

I love puppies, kittens, and ferrets.

I love puppies, kittens and ferrets.

-Do use a comma before “and” for the sake of clarity.

I love my dogs, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.

(This means you love your dogs, and you named them after a couple of pop stars.)

I love my dogs, Ed Sheeran, and Bruno Mars.

(This means you love your dogs . . . and also a couple of pop stars.)

 Comma Before “Or”

-The principles that apply to “and” also apply to “or”.

 Comma Before “Because”

- “Because” is a slightly different animal. Its job is straightforward—it introduces a “clause of

purpose.” A clause beginning with “because” answers the question “Why?” There’s usually no
comma before “because”.

-Don’t use a comma before “because” as a general rule.

I want a pet because animals make me happy.

-Do use a comma before “because” if the sentence’s meaning would be unclear without it.

I didn’t visit the shelter, because they had ferrets.

(The comma makes it clear that the ferrets are the reason I didn’t visit the shelter.)

I didn’t visit the shelter because they had ferrets.

(Without the comma, the sentence suggests that I visited the shelter for some reason that had nothing to do with
ferrets.)

4-When to always use commas

 With Interrupters or Parenthetical Elements

Interrupters are thoughts injected in the middle of a sentence to show emotion or add
emphasis. A parenthetical element is a phrase that adds extra information to the sentence but
could be removed without changing the meaning. Both should always be set off with commas.

The puppy I chose sadly had already been adopted.

(the choice was made in tears)

The puppy I chose, sadly, had already been adopted.

(Interrupters)

Rabbits especially the ones with floppy ears are another favorite of mine.
(this sentence is incorrect without commas)

Rabbits, especially the ones with floppy ears, are another favorite of mine.
(Parenthetical Element)

 With a Direct Address

-When directly addressing a person by name, add a comma after the name.

Charlie, have you ever considered a pet tortoise?

 With a Question Tag

When you make a statement and follow it up with a question for emphasis, use a comma
before the question.

This subject is full of rules, isn’t it?

5- Hunting

 5 dias seguidos de Caçada (5 frases/dia):

(Total: 25 frases)
-5 frases que contenham vírgula

*Tente explicar qual das regras vistas na aula justifica o uso da

vírgula
**Tudo bem se você não conseguir. O que importa é caçar as frases.
***Vírgula é um dos elementos mais incorretamente utilizados
atualmente. Se achar que o uso da vírgula não está correto, caçe
outra frase.
****Se não fizer ideia, Verdade #5 e copie sem culpa