Commas

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5/96: From Dianne Simon:
Would like to share something I wrote to help MTs understand the use of commas with modifying adjectives and in a compound sentence.

1. Commas with modifying adjectives - any word that modifies or describes a noun is an adjective:

To test whether a comma is needed between adjectives, place the word AND between the adjectives. If AND cannot be inserted between the adjectives, no comma is used. If AND can be correctly inserted, then a comma is needed.

"Eleanore is considered a brilliant, reliable, accurate accountant." (The commas are correct because you can say brilliant AND reliable AND accurate. There is no comma after accurate, of course, because you would not say accurate AND accountant.) "Judy Marz discussed modern financial analysis with members of the committee." (No comma is used here. You would not say modern AND financial analysis. The first adjective, modern, modifies the unit financial analysis, which consists of the second adjective plus the noun.)

2. Comma in compound sentence:

Two or more independent clauses can be joined in one sentence--a compound sentence. When they are joined by a conjunction such as AND, BUT, OR, or NOR, a comma is used before the conjunction.

Remember the four conjunctions AND, BUT, OR, and NOR. When they join two independent clauses, then each clause can stand alone--that is, the clause before the conjunction and the clause after the conjunction can stand alone as independent sentences. Therefore, to test whether a sentence is indeed a compound sentence, simply try to use the clause after the conjunction as an independent sentence. If the clause after the conjunction can be used independently, then the original sentence is a compound sentence, and a comma must be used before the conjunction.

"The damage was reported only this morning, but it will be repaired by the end of the day." (Do you see the conjunction BUT? Now test whether what follows the conjunction is an independent clause by using it as a sentence: it will be repaired by the end of the day. Yes, it can stand alone; it is independent. Thus a comma is needed before the conjunction BUT.)

"The damage was reported only this morning but will be repaired by the end of the day." (Again, test whether the words that follow the conjunction BUT can be used as an independent sentence: will be repaired by the end of the day. No, these words cannot stand alone because they have no subject; they are not an independent clause. Therefore, no comma is used before the conjunction in this sentence.)

To put it simply, the rule is NO SUBJECT--NO COMMA. If the words following the conjunction do not have a subject, they are not independent and no comma should procede the conjunction. Hope this helps with comma confusion!