How to Use Commas
English Grammar Tips

The English grammar tips here are specifically about how to use commas. For most people the comma is the most annoying punctuation mark. It is the most misused due to the number of different functions it serves in English. Nevertheless once you understand how to use the comma it will benefit your writing immensely.


Basic grammar image 1


Why do we need commas?

A comma's job is to make writing clearer and more understandable. Its purpose is to remove ambiguity, so there can be no confusion about what the author meant.


For example listen to this sentence:

'See here you need to look at yourself before you judge others.'

However if we add a comma:

'See here, you need to look at yourself before you judge others.'

The first sentence, without the comma, is slightly ambiguous. You may think the first person is pointing something out on the other's clothing that they need to look at before judging the appearance of others.

However by using the comma in the second sentence it’s clear that the ‘See here,’ is the person interjecting and becoming annoyed with the other. It is also clearer that ‘you need to look at yourself before you judge others’ is a metaphor.


Is this making your head spin a bit?

Don't worry learning how to use commas can be confusing at first. This is why it's probably easier if you watch a couple of videos. Here are two of the best the internet has to offer.


Video No.1:

This first video shows you the different ways you can use a comma. It is a bit fast paced, so feel free to pause it when you need to. Pay attention to how they use the commas in the examples.




Video No.2:

The second video shows you some of the most common misuses of the comma, and how to correct them.




Conclusion:

Hopefully you found the videos useful. Don't worry if you didn't understand all the English grammar tips for using commas. If you don't use them all it's not the end of the world. Knowing a few new ways of using the comma will, nevertheless, improve the quality of your writing.



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