Meaning & use
comma
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Meanings
nouncountable
A punctuation mark (,) used to separate parts of a sentence, items in a list, or to show a pause.
Grammar: Countable: a comma, two commas. Often used in the phrase 'put a comma'.
Patterns
- put a comma
- use a comma
- comma before something
- comma after something
Remember to put a comma between the city and the state in an address.
In a list of three or more items, use a comma after each item except the last.
The teacher circled the missing comma in the sentence.
nouncountablebiology
A comma-shaped butterfly with orange and brown wings and ragged edges.
Grammar: Countable: a comma, commas. Often used in the phrase 'comma butterfly'.
Patterns
- comma butterfly
- a comma landed
A comma butterfly rested on the buddleia, its wings closed to look like a dead leaf.
The comma is named for the small white mark on its underside.
Word forms
| plural | commas |
|---|
Common combinations
- comma splice
- A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma.
- Oxford comma
- The Oxford comma is the comma before 'and' in a list.
- inverted commas
- In British English, quotation marks are often called inverted commas.
- comma-separated
- The data was stored in a comma-separated file.
Commonly confused: comma or coma?
comma vs coma
A coma is a deep unconscious state; a comma is the punctuation mark. They sound similar but have different meanings and spellings.
Practice
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
Choose one answer.
Commas separate items in a list. Option 0 correctly places commas between all items. Option 1 misplaces the comma after the verb, option 2 omits the comma after 'apples', and option 3 misplaces the comma after 'and'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “comma”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.