Do You Know How to Use Commas Properly?

I thought I did and I seriously needed a refresher. It's something I still struggle with. With the invention of spell-check and grammar-check, we've become lazy and forgotten our basic grammar rules. Trust me, I had to look most of these up to verify that I was getting them right.

Oxford Commas

This is also known as a serial comma. This is used to separate items in a series. For example, "I love ice cream, gelato, and fro-yo." The oxford comma is the last comma after gelato. This indicates that you like three separate things. If you forget the oxford comma, then your sentence will mean that you like ice cream individually and then gelato and fro-yo together. Make sense? Here's a handy graphic for the oxford comma. 

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Use a comma after introductory adverbs or if the sentence starts with a freestanding "yes" or "no".

Example: Thankfully, I got fro-yo.

Example: Yes, I would love some fro-yo.

Use a comma when attributing quotes.

Example: Amanda told me, "I will die if I don't get fro-yo this instant." 

Example: "I will die if I don't get fro-yo this instant," said Amanda.

Use a comma when directly addressing someone or something in a sentence

I'm totally guilty of being awful at this. Sorry!

Example: Thank you, Amanda.

Example: Amanda, thank you for bringing me fro-yo.

Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun.

A good tip for this is asking yourself if you can insert an "and" in between the adjectives for the sentence to still make sense. 

Example: My large, fruity fro-yo was the most delicious thing I've tasted all day.

See, the fro-yo was large and fruity, so use a comma between the two adjectives.

Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.

Example: I want fro-yo, not ice cream, to eat. 

Example: I want fro-yo to eat, not ice cream.

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The meme says it best! Use commas. Don't be a psycho. Just kidding! But hopefully this helps a few of you. Making this post definitely helped me refresh my grammar and punctuation skills. So I hope I got all of these right.

What grammar pet peeves do you have? Do you have any comma rules that you'd like to add to the list?

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