How to Use Commas Correctly

You can go to all of the websites and read all the books on using commas that you like. You will still end up being confused. You will soon start to see inconsistencies. There will always be many experts who don't agree with each other and you will surely end up pulling out your own hair (and possibly other peoples). Using commas in any form of text can be confusing. You may think you have too many, you may think you don't have enough. Whichever category you fall into there are some easy and quick ways to make sure you are getting it right.

Here are some basic and simple rules to follow when using commas in any text.

1. Never ever put a comma in-between a subject and then a verb. It is always the wrong thing to do. For example: The cat, meowed. It's wrong, it sounds wrong and you will look a little bit silly and nobody wants that!

2. If you need to separate a clause in your text make sure you put a comma at both sides on the clause. If not don't bother with commas at all. For example: The cat, which had a ball of string in its mouth, ran to the door. You can see there are commas at both sides and if you remove the clause it still makes a compete sentence: The cat ran to the door.

3. See if you can actually make two sentences from one with a comma in it. This is an example of bad sentence structure: She saw the dog, the dog was sat near the fire. If you can see that there is a subject verb before the comma and after. This can actually make two sentences and will look more structured. If you don't want to make it into two sentences or if you can't then consider using a semi colon instead of a comma. Don't believe people when they tell you that you shouldn't use semi colons in fiction or any other writing. They can be used effectively but just don't overdo it.

4. Here is the final and most important rule when it comes to using commas. Read out loud what you have just written. If you find yourself pausing for a breath and you haven't got a comma in your work, you need one there. It's a tried and tested method and it does actually work. It is extremely easy to think that it's too difficult to write and write well. It doesn't have to be that way. Type or write what you say, and stick to the basic rules and you will be fine.

So as you can see these are extremely basic and easy methods to make sure your work is grammatically correct. At least in the comma sense anyhow!