A comma in English: the basic principles of punctuation

A comma in English is the most common and, therefore, the heaviest for writing a punctuation mark. It is in cases with the use of commas that there are the greatest number of various difficulties and questions that are often determined by the author's opinion, personal emotional perception and interpretation of the specific case and situation described in the text. A comma in English, unlike Russian, is not always put in subordinate clauses to separate from the main, while in Russian, clauses are always separated by commas.

When the comma is not put

The comma is not separated in English:

• Subordinate subject / predicate / complement:

It is important that she should be there on Wednesday. It is important that she was there on Wednesday.

My rule is that you should not drink. My condition is that you do not drink.

I insist that you call him soon. We insist that you call him quickly.

• Subordinate clauses, where there is a circumstance when they go after the main sentence:

She told her all when she went downstairs. She told her everything as she walked down the stairs.

I had to end my work earlier to aid mother. I had to finish my job earlier to help my mother.

The police may take your car. The police can confiscate the car if you park there.

The most typical situations using a comma

The most common situations are using a comma.

• A comma in English is always used when referring.

Waiteress, I would like a menu, please. Waitress , bring Menu , please .

Father, there is no one here. Father, there's no one here.

• A comma in English is used to separate individual items of enumeration:

Purple, lily, red flowers filled several vases. The vases were filled with purple, lilac, red flowers.

Not rose, went around the table, leaned down and took the little armchair. He got up, walked around the table, bent down and took a small armchair.

She laughs, drinks and speaks too much. He laughs too much, drinks and talks.

It should be remembered that in this case the comma before and can be used, but not necessarily.

• It is used (but not necessarily) between 2 main sentences, conjunctions and / as / but / and others. The comma in English is especially often used when the first sentence is long:

He will affirm it, and I will help him with his problems. He will confirm this, I will help him with his problems.

They stopped to look at each other, and she asked about this hard day. They stopped to look at each other, and she asked about this hard day.

The crowd was stupefied, as the clown was trying to entertain with his jokes. The crowd was enchanted when the clown tried to entertain with his jokes.

• It is used after circumstances in subordinate clauses going before the main sentence:

When she went downstairs, she told him that Selena had already come. When she went down, she told him that Selena had already come.

To support my sister, he had to leave Moscow. To help my sister, he had to leave Moscow.

Having called Sara, she quickly went to the station. After calling Sarah, she quickly went to the station.

When in doubt, you should come to see me. When in doubt, come to me.

If you park the car there, the police will seize it. If you park the car there, the police will confiscate it.

• Used after any part of the proposal, where there is additional information about the subject:

The waiter, who was old, told that he knew me. The waiter, an elderly man, claimed to know me .

Subtlety of use

A strict rule of English punctuation is the postulate that the use of a comma between a subject (several subjects) and a predicate is prohibited. This case represents one of the few situations where it is possible to put a comma, but it should be borne in mind that only the additional information is underlined by the comma, and on both sides:

The girl who was so pretty, assuared that he saw me. / The girl, who was so pretty assuared that he saw me. - Both sentences are wrong. There is no second comma .

The girl, who was so pretty, assuared that he saw me - That's right.

The man, who aided me that night. The man who helped me that night said that he recognized me. - Incorrect, here there is no additional information about the subject, but only an explanation, commas are not required.

That's right : The man who aided me that night.

The strike at the nuclear plant, which lasted theree days, is already over. - Additional data are separated by commas, since there is more specific information. Strike on Nuclear Plant , which lasted three Day , is over .

The woman with whom Tom was in love left him after five years. - Explanation, commas are not required . Woman in Which Tom Was In love , left him After five Years .

The manson, which was empty for three years, has been sold out. The mansion, which was empty for three years, was sold.

The girl whom I wanted to meet was away on vacations. The girl I wanted to meet with went on vacation.

Apostrophe (Apostrophe)

An apostrophe, or, in common parlance, a comma (in the English language at the top) is put together with the letter s for all cases of using the possessive case, except for the plural of objects and things, is formed according to the standard rule (then the apostrophe goes without s):

Father's look;

The princess's ring;

Men's gloves (man-men);

Students' tasks.

Note:

The comma in English on top of the formation of the possessive case from proper names, ending with the -s letter, you can use both options:

King Charles's wife / King Charles' wife.

Put in abbreviated forms to indicate missing letters or numbers:

I'm - I am;

He's - he is / has;

'86 - 1986.

The apostrophe is put together with the letter -s when forming the plural from letters, numbers or abbreviations (with numbers and capital letters the apostrophe can be omitted):

In the 1970's / the 1970s;

VIP's / VIPs;

He could not distinguish his L's. He indistinctly pronounced the letter L.

Separation at circulation

The comma in English in the process of treatment is in English dialect (in American the colon is used) when writing business correspondence, and also in simple everyday speech.

Dear Mr. Frendick, We have received your letter ...

It is used in official or business correspondence after the last greeting phrases, separating it from the name and position (between which there are no punctuation marks):

Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely, Ranason-.Ltd. A. Simpson Manager.

The comma is used in the addresses on the envelope or in the upper letter area (above the text), underlining the name of the addressee / organization name / address / (the comma is not required between the house numbers and the street name):

Stephen P. Denny, 5678 Starling Avenue, Garlem, LA 10857.

Also used to separate explanatory words from direct speech, if there are no other punctuation marks:

"How were you?" Nick questioned. "He was ok", she replied. "Do you still hurt?" He asked. "No", she said, "not much." He said, "I am not aware."

Comma for introductory phrases and other words

A comma in English before is not used.

He could not get into the house.

Sentences containing a circumstance require the use of a comma in the event that they precede the main sentence. Comparison:

Because he was strange, I broke up with him. Because he was strange, I broke up with him.

A comma in English after opening words (for example: so, well, however, probably, certainly, naturally)

In fact, I had a little chance to do it.

Probably, Tom would come to Paris at 8 pm.

In the presence of introductory words that have a participle or a gospel:

Heartbroken, he has gone to his cottege. With a broken heart she went to the cottage.

It is used before the word for , if it goes as an alliance (the secondary sentences attached by this union rarely go much ahead of the main one):

I begged her to be there, for I had some information to tell her. I asked her to be there, since I needed to give her some information.

I could tell about this woman. I could talk about this woman, since I saw her before.

Features of use

This is just a fraction of the rules that must be used in everyday everyday life. And it always helped to be at the height when communicating with an educated contact person and, without hesitation, get in touch, discuss topics on the forums.

In English, or rather, in the American dialect, which is used in the US, everything is arranged much easier. This grammatical issue Americans do not pay so much attention, as, for example, in Russian grammar.

The fact is that two different teachers can tell you different rules about the correct use of a comma in the English sentence, and both may be right. And all because of the fact that in America there is no strict, organized system for applying commas. But still there are general rules, adhering to which a person can get a basic knowledge of English punctuation.

Conclusion

In normative English, a comma is a multifunctional punctuation mark, and its modern usage is an example not only of transformations in the application of punctuation, but also of how the entire target concept of what is considered a normative sentence in English is modified. Until the end of the XIX century, authors and writers used a semicolon where one comma is usually used, and a comma in those cases where no punctuation is required at all now. Throughout the twentieth century, there have been dramatic changes in the punctuation rules of modern English.