Commas with

Sentence Tags,
Conjunctive Adverbs,
Parenthetical
Elements, and
Interrupters
 Commas: stoplights in the traffic
of your writing
• Punctuation marks such as commas are
signposts used to construct and support the
meaning of your writing. Commas serve as
interrupters or signals to the reader to pause.
• If those signposts are missing, your meaning is
obstructed, and misunderstandings may lead to
collisions of
thought in the
mind of your
reader.
 The Dramatic Pause
Theory
• Do not place commas according to
where you, the writer, would pause.

• Instead, place commas according to

the following guidelines, which
signal the reader to pause.
 Use commas to separate
sentence tags from the rest of
the sentence.

• He’s going to Rome in August, isn’t he?

• It doesn’t have four legs, does it?

• You skipped class today, didn’t you?

• I had a car accident, that’s why.

 Commas with parenthetical elements
and interrupters
• Use a comma to separate
parenthetical words,
phrases, or clauses from the
rest of the sentence.
• A parenthetical element—
an interrupter—is a word or
word group that often
interrupts your sentence
and may be omitted
without affecting the
meaning of the sentence.
More commas with parenthetical
elements and interrupters
– Don’t forget to place commas before
and after the interrupter!
• Traffic signal management, on
the whole, has been a problem on campus.
• The Sabaru Justy, it seems, is very much like the Ford
Festiva.
• The cafeteria menu, in fact, has a variety of items.
• Barbara Jordan is, in my opinion, a prolific and
eloquent orator.
• We will, of course, honor Dr. Brown posthumously
and present the award to his widow after the service.
 Commas with conjunctive adverbs
• Common conjunctive adverbs include however,
therefore, thus, for example, moreover, nevertheless, and
furthermore; moreover, their purpose is to mark a
shift or contrast in the sentence.
• Use commas to separate them from the rest of the
sentence:
– You are, moreover, entirely correct in your
statement.
– Today, we cross the country in a few hours by
plane; however, our ancestors spent months
making the trip in covered wagons.
– Thus, the Gothic novel has supernatural, ghostly,
and mysterious themes.
 Direct traffic!
• We will therefore, have to operate.
• The meeting on the whole went well.
• He has, in fact been missing for three days.
• The dog however lost its bone in the fight.
• You missed your doctor’s appointment didn’t
you?
• As time passed furthermore Mike made many
enemies.
• I will of course complete the graduation
requirements this spring semester.
 Solutions!
• We will, therefore, have to operate.
• The meeting, on the whole, went well.
• He has, in fact, been missing for three days.
• The dog, however, lost its bone in the fight.
• You missed your doctor’s appointment, didn’t
you?
• As time passed, furthermore, Mike made many
enemies.
• I will, of course, complete the graduation
requirements this spring semester.