1. Commas with Direct Addresses

Direct address occurs when a speaker directly names or addresses a person or group in a sentence.

• Example: “Could you help me with this, John?”
• Rule: Use commas to separate the name of the person being addressed from the rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your guidance.”
• “Lisa, can you pass the salt?”

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2. Commas with Introductory Words

Introductory words include adverbs, phrases, or clauses that come at the beginning of a sentence. They set the stage for the main part of the sentence.

• Example: “However, I decided to go anyway.”
• Rule: Use a comma after an introductory word or phrase.

Examples:

• “Finally, we reached our destination.”
• “In the morning, I like to jog.”

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3. Commas with Interjections

Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotion or sudden exclamation. They can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

• Example: “Wow, that was amazing!”
• Rule: Use commas to separate interjections from the rest of the sentence, especially if they appear at the beginning or middle.

Examples:

• “Oh, I didn’t see you there.”
• “That was a great game, huh?”

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4. Commas with Interrupters

Interrupters are words or phrases that break the flow of a sentence. They can provide additional information or an aside.

• Example: “The team, I believe, will win the championship.”
• Rule: Use commas before and after the interrupter to set it off from the rest of the sentence.

Examples:

• “This movie, as I mentioned earlier, is a must-see.”
• “He is, to put it mildly, quite a character.”

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5. Commas with Antithetical Phrases

Antithetical phrases express contrasting ideas or ideas that oppose each other within the same sentence.

• Example: “I prefer tea, not coffee.”
• Rule: Use commas to separate the contrasting phrase from the main part of the sentence.

Examples:

• “She is very talented, but not humble.”
• “We can go to the beach, or we can stay home.”

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6. Common Mistakes

• Omitting Commas: Not using commas can lead to confusion.
• Incorrect: “Can you help me John?”
• Correct: “Can you help me, John?”
• Misplacing Commas: Incorrectly placed commas can disrupt the flow of the sentence.
• Incorrect: “Finally we reached our destination.”
• Correct: “Finally, we reached our destination.”

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