Correct Placement Of Commas

Do you shove a comma into your writing every 10 words or so because you don't actually know where they're meant to go?
Or do you leave them out completely so that your readers are left gasping for breath?
After reading this column, I can't promise that you'll be able to do everything you've ever wanted, but you should be able to write without breaking into tears every time you have to use a comma.

1. Indirect speech:
A very common mistake that people make, and one that I often make myself, is to put a comma before indirect speech.

The following sentence is correct in three of the four forms.
He says that she is ugly. correct
He says, that she is ugly correct
He says, she is ugly. incorrect
He says she is ugly. correct

If you include a ‘that’ before the indirect speech, you can either add a comma or not, depending on personal preference. However, if you do not include a ‘that’, you do not put a comma before the indirect speech.





2. Direct Speech:
Something that confuses many people is the positioning of commas with direct speech, because there are so many things to think about.

2.1 End of speech.

This sentence is correct in one of the three forms.
“I like you,” he said. Correct
“I like you”, he said. Incorrect
“I like you” he said. Incorrect

There must be punctuation at the end of the speech, even if it is continued before the end of the sentence. (eg. “I like you,” he said, “because you’re funny.”
The comma must be placed inside the speech marks (the same is true of any punctuation at the end of speech).

However, if you are quoting somebody, the comma is placed outside the speech marks.
He said that ‘it’s the end of the world’, because she died.


2.2 Start of speech

This sentence is correct in one of the two forms.
He said “Madam, you are very beautiful.” incorrect
He said, “Madam, you are very beautiful.” correct

A comma must be used before the start of the speech, outside the speech marks, to separate narrative from dialogue.
This must be used with continued speech as well. (eg. “Madam, you look very beautiful,” he said, “wearing that hat.)

Remember to break your dialogue in a suitable place, so that you don’t have a ‘he said’ or ‘she wailed’ halfway through a clause that they are saying.




3. Separating individual words
There are times when it is necessary to place a comma after a single word, often in dialogue after an agreement or addressing somebody by name. This is reasonably simple.

“James, your dinner is ready.”
“Yes, I know.”

However, it is advisable to avoid sentences where it may be necessary to place a comma after every word. (eg. “Yes, James, hot, very, very hot.”) Not only does it make the sentence sound awkward, but it is also very confusing!




4. Lists/Adjectives
Although these are often single words, I decided to give them their own section.

Lists are very simple:
Milk, eggs, bread, cheese and water.
Commas are used for lists with single words, but for phrases or events, a semi-colon may be more appropriate:
He pushed me onto the floor; beat me black and blue; spat on the dirt beside me; and stormed off into the distance.
(Notice that when using semi-colons, one is required before the ‘and’ of the last item in the list, whereas no comma is required there if you are using commas.)

When an object is described by more than one adjective, the adjective must be separated by commas:
The big, blue box.
The scary, spooky, creepy house.
(Note that the last adjective in the list is not followed by a comma.)



5. Separating Clauses
This is the place where most people get confused. Sentences are divided into clauses, which are parts of a sentence that cannot often stand on their own. They contain the main elements of a sentence, but often would not make sense. (eg. But often would not make sense… That clause doesn’t work as a sentence)

There are ways to get around using a comma to separate clauses, but they sometimes involve changing the meaning of the sentence.
Cows are black and white, which I think is pretty.
Cows are black and white. I think that is pretty.
(In this case the two clauses can be separated very easily without changing the meaning, by turning each clause into a separate sentence.)

He stole the book, which was blue and red.
He stole the book that was blue and red.
(This time the ‘“ comma” which’ construction is replaced by ‘that’ to join the clauses into a single clause sentence. However, the meaning is changed somewhat. In the first sentence, the second clause is describing the book that was stolen, whereas in the second sentence the idea is that “he” stole the “blue and red” book instead of a different colour one.)

If you can’t place commas correctly to separate clauses, try to separate the clauses into individual sentences, or combine them into one clause.





6. Ending sentences
Something I see quite regularly is the overuse of commas instead of full stops (periods). People seem to be afraid of ending a sentence and starting a new one.

“Help,” he shouted, he waved his hands in the air, screaming, his arms thrashed against the bars of the cage.

This could easily be split into three sentences:
“Help,” he shouted. He waved his hands in the air, screaming. His arms thrashed against the bars of the cage.

Or it could be turned into one proper sentence by changing the pronouns and verb forms.
“Help,” he shouted, waving his hands in the air, screaming, his arms thrashing against he bars of the cage.



7. Multiple Clauses
Long sentences with lots of clauses can get very confusing, especially if you don’t know where to put your commas. If you are really unsure, try to shorten the sentence to avoid confusing your readers. Otherwise, you can learn where the commas need to go.

He walked out of the shop swinging his arms which were long and hair as he walked whistling a sweet jaunty tune which had been playing on his radio just five minutes previously and onto the road.

So here we have the simple sentence:
He walked out of the shop and onto the road.

Then there is a ‘sentence’ about ‘his’ arms:
(He was) swinging his arms which were long and hairy.

And a ‘sentence’ about the tune:
(He was) whistling a sweet, jaunty tune which had been playing just five minutes previously.

The two later sentences can each be split into two clauses, and there must be an extra comma in the last sentence to describe the ‘sweet, jaunty tune’.

So, by breaking the whole sentence down into smaller sentences, we can work out where to put the commas:

He walked out of the shop, swinging his arms, which were long and hairy, as he walked, whistling a sweet, jaunty tune, which had been playing on his radio just five minutes previously, and onto the road.

Sentences like this are a great way to challenge your readers as well as yourself, so as soon as you’ve got the confidence, give it a go. You can start with just three or four clauses, and build it up until you can write a huge paragraph with just one sentence (a popular contest challenge!).





There are other instances where commas are needed, or where they are used and, in fact, shouldn’t be, but here I have outlined the main ones. I hope this column helps you overcome your ‘commaphobia’, and improves your writing.