The Only Comma Rules You’ll Ever Need!

Posted on by Chris The Story Reading Ape

Tips from Virginia šŸ‘šŸ˜ƒ

vanderso's avatarJust Can't Help Writing

The five basic comma rulesCommas are among my favorite tools for building meaning. Used intelligently, commas are wonderful signposts that tell readers which part of a sentence theyā€™ve stumbled intoā€”and then help them make their way out again. I like commas so much Iā€™ve written multiple posts about them.

If comma rules confuse you, take heart! If improving reader comprehension is your goal, there are really only a few ā€œrulesā€ to remember:

Use commas:

Rule 1: After introductory elements.

This is the one most people seem to know about. But I argue that commas are really only necessary when the introductory element gets long enough that readers may miss the lane change back into the main part of the sentence.

So:

After a moment he left the room. (No comma needed unless you want to emphasize a pause.)

But:

After he spentĀ  an extended vacation in a remote village in the Alps, where didā€¦

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