This chapter reviews the comma, one of the most common and sometimes difficult punctuation marks. While commas may seem subtle, they can dramatically change the way a reader reads a given sentence. It’s important for writers to recognize the impact commas can have in their writing.

The chapter objectives that follow will help you figure out whether you have really mastered the material presented in this chapter.

After reading this chapter and completing its exercises, you should be able to:

1. Explain to another student the basic concept of restrictive (essential) and nonrestrictive (nonessential) elements in a sentence, and how comma use is sometimes determined by whether a word group is restrictive or nonrestrictive
2. Recognize common patterns of comma use, suLH.as punctuating with quotes, dates, addresses, appositives, and other sentence configurations discussed in this chapter
3. Use commas sensibly (not excessively) to clarify meaning and make it easier for readers to comprehend your writing

Copyright © 1995-2010, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Longman Legal and Privacy Terms