In which cases is a comma? Commas in the sentences: rules

The comma is the simplest and most prosaic, but at the same time the most insidious sign. Her statement implies an understanding of how the speech is structured and structured, what meanings appear and disappear, if the comma is incorrectly put. Of course, in a small article it is impossible to describe in which cases a comma is put and to list absolutely everything, we will only focus on the most common and simple ones.

Enumeration and homogeneous terms

The correct statement of commas in a simple sentence begins with the knowledge of the rule that the homogeneous terms of a sentence must be separated by a comma:

I love, adore, worship the cats.

I love cats, dogs, horses.

Difficulties arise if there is an "and" union between the homogeneous members of the sentence. The rule here is simple: if the union is single, a comma is not needed:

I love dogs, cats and horses.

If there are more unions than one, then the comma is put before the second union and further:

I love dogs and cats and horses.

Otherwise, a comma is put before the union "a". The rule dictates the statement of the sign in any case and concerns also the union of "but", and the union "yes" in the meaning of "but":

My neighbor does not like dogs, but cats.

Cats love cautious people, but shun noisy and evil.

Definition in the personal pronoun

Difficulties with where you need a comma, arise even when it comes to defining. However, here everything is simple.

If a single definition refers to a personal pronoun, it is separated by a comma:

Satisfied, she entered the room and showed the purchase.

I saw this dog then. She, happy, wagged her tail, trembled and all the time jumped on the owner.

Separate definition

If you learn the rules about when a comma is put, the third item should be a detached definition.

By a detached definition we mean, first of all, a participial turn. It is separated by commas when it follows the word to which it refers:

A boy who has read books on travel will never pass indifferently past a travel agency or a shop with tents and flashlights.

The cat, barely waiting for the treat, was now purring and looking affectionately at the master.

Compare:

Having read books about travels, the boy will never pass indifferently past the travel agency or past a store with tents and flashlights.

Hardly awaiting a meal, the cat was now purring and looking affectionately at the owner.

Separate circumstances

The comma and in a simple, and in a complex sentence separated a single gerundive and a participial turn:

Pomurlykav, the cat settled on my lap.

The dog, growling, still calmed down and let us talk.

Having made a number of comments on the new project, the chief withdrew.

Introductory words

Introductory words are words that show the reliability of information, its source or attitude to this information of the speaker.

These are words that can potentially be deployed in a sentence:

This artist, of course, won the hearts of all his contemporaries.

Natasha, it seems, is not going to take care of her father.

Leonid, apparently, does not suspect, why about him in recent years, there are so many people.

Appeals

If there is an appeal in the sentence, and this is not a pronoun, then it must be separated by commas on both sides.

Hello dear Leo!

Good-bye, Lydia Borisovna.

You know, Masha, what do I want to tell you?

Linda, come to me!

Unfortunately, ignorance of when a comma is put on circulation often leads to illiterate registration of business letters. Among these errors - and a decimal point at the address, and the statement of an extra comma in the pronoun:

Good afternoon Pavel Evgenievich! (It is necessary: Good afternoon, Pavel Evgenievich! )

Svetlana Borisovna, we also prepared for you our new samples. ( It is necessary : Svetlana Borisovna, we also prepared our new samples for you.)

How, do you think this agreement should be concluded? ( It is necessary : Do you think this agreement should be concluded?)

A comma in a complex sentence

In general, all the rules regarding when a comma is put in a complex sentence are, in essence, reduced to one: all parts of any complex sentence should be separated from each other by a punctuation mark.

Spring came, the sun lit up, the sparrows fluttered, children triumphantly ran up.

He bought a new computer, because the old one could not work because of the small amount of memory and incompatibility with the new programs.

And what else can you do, if you do not have fun, when nothing else is left?

At the head of the procession was a red-haired boy, he, probably, was the most important.

A comma in a complex sentence is put in all cases, except for the unifying word, and if at the junction of the parts of the sentence there is no need for another sign, first of all - a colon.

Exception: unifying word

If parts of a compound sentence are combined with one single word (for example, a subordinate union), then a comma between these parts of the sentence is not put:

When the spring came and the birds arrived, our company somehow revived.

Wed: Spring came, the birds arrived, and our company somehow revived.

This word can be not only at the very beginning of the sentence:

We will attend this meeting only as a last resort, only if all the conditions are agreed upon and the text of the agreement is agreed upon.

A comma or a colon?

In an unconsolidated complex sentence, a colon should be used instead of a comma, if the meaning of the first part is revealed in the second:

It was a wonderful time: we painted what we wanted.

Now he started the most important thing: he was making a gift for his mother.

The dog no longer wanted to walk: the hosts were so intimidated by her training that it was easier to sit out under the table.

Sentences with the word "how"

Many mistakes regarding when a comma is put in place arise from a misunderstanding of the difference between the two meanings of the word "how".

The first meaning of this word is comparative. In this case, in the sentence, the comparative turnover is separated by commas:

The asp leaf, like a butterfly, rose higher and higher .

The second meaning is an indication of identity. In such cases, the turnover with "how" is not allocated with commas:

Butterfly as an insect is of little interest to people who are accustomed to seeing in animals a source of warmth and communication.

Therefore, the sentence: " I like your mother will not let you spoil your life " can be punctuated in two ways. If the speaker is really the listener's mum, then the word "as" is used as a word indicating identity ("I" and "Mom" are the same), so commas are not needed.

If the speaker compares himself with the listener's mum ("I" and "Mom" are not the same, "I" is compared to "Mom"), so commas are needed:

I, like your mother, will not let you spoil your life .

In the event that "how" is part of the predicate, the comma is also not put:

The lake is like a mirror. ( Wed : The lake, as a mirror, sparkled and reflected the clouds).

Music is like life. (Music, like life, does not last forever.)

Formal signs need a comma: to trust or not?

Pay attention to the fact in which cases the comma is put, will help special signs of proposals. But do not trust them too much.

So, for example, it primarily concerns whether a comma is put before "to". The rule, it would seem, is unequivocal: "Before", a comma is always put. " However, any rule should not be treated too literally. For example, the sentence "to" may be:

He wanted to talk with her to find out the truth and to tell about how he lived his life.

As you can see, the rule here works, but the second "to" does not involve a comma. Nevertheless, this error is quite common:

We went to the store to just look at the prices and to see what you can buy for dinner in this city.

That's right : We went to the store to just look at the prices and see what you can buy for lunch in this city.

The same goes for the word "how". It has already been said that, firstly, the word has two meanings, and secondly, it can be a part of different members of the sentence, so trust the conventional formulation "Before" as "always a comma" is not worth it.

The third common occurrence of the formal notation of necessity is a comma - the word "yes." However, it should be treated with great care. The word "yes" has several meanings, including "and":

He took brushes and went to draw.

The jackdaws and crows were flocking, and there was no blue tit, and no.

These formal signs should rather be treated as potentially "dangerous" places. Words such as "to", "what", "how", "yes" can signal that there might be a comma in this sentence. These "signals" will help you not to miss commas in the sentences, but the rule concerning these signs themselves, in no case should not be overlooked.

At the same time when placing commas, you should rather orient yourself, not on the "rules", but on the meaning of setting the sign. The comma is in general intended to separate the homogeneous members of the sentence, parts of the complex sentence, as well as fragments that do not fit into the structure of the sentence, which are foreign to him (appeals, introductory words , etc.). The rules only specify each case. This applies even to the formula "you need a comma before" to "". The rule is, in fact, concretizes the general principle of punctuation for complex sentences. And in general, of course, when writing needs to think!