Learning About Commas with "The Yahoo! Style Guide"

"The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World" is written specifically for online writers. Information about purchasing "The Yahoo! Style Guide" is available here for any interested writers.

This sourcebook answers many of the questions that I have had while writing articles for the web. I had never written online until last year when I started writing for Associated Content. It has been many years since my last English class, so often I'm not sure if my punctuation and grammar are correct.

The proper use of comma punctuation often confuses me. I'll be writing away and come to a complete stop while asking myself, "Should a comma be used here in this sentence?" "The Yahoo! Style Guide" answers my questions. In its Editing 101 section, comma punctuation is thoroughly explained.

Two Primary Purposes Of Commas -

The first purpose of a comma is to separate elements, as in a list.

The second purpose of a comma is to indicate a missing word or words, much as an apostrophe is used to replace a missing letter or letters.

FANBOYS Acronym For Commas -

One of the best acronyms for writers who have comma punctuation problems is shared in "The Yahoo! Style Guide." Use this acronym to help remember the conjunctions that can link two clauses that can stand alone as sentences: FANBOYS.

Do use a comma before all of these conjunctions in a sentence.
F = for
A = an
N = nor
B = but
O = or
Y = yet
S = so

5 Tips For Using Commas -

1. Do use a comma at the end of a quote when someone is speaking.

Example: "I'm going to the store," Mom said.

2. Do not use a comma when there is a question mark or exclamation mark at the end of a quote.

Example: "Who are you?" asked the little boy.

3. Do not use a comma when an ampersand is used in a series of words to replace the word and. Using both the ampersand and comma together visually clutters the writing.

Examples:
Before: My lawyer is with the firm of Smith, Bailey, & Wayne.
After: My lawyer is with the firm of Smith, Bailey & Wayne.

4. Do use a comma, or pair of commas, to set off a modifying word, phrase, or clause that is not necessary in a sentence. Those words can be deleted without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Examples:
Before: The boys went to watch a movie, Peter Pan, at the local theater.
After: The boys went to watch a movie at the local theater.

5. Do use a comma before conjunctions in series that list three or more elements to avoid confusion of the sentence's meaning. Conjunctions are connecting words (and, like, or) used to link sentences, clauses, phrases, or words.

Example: My sisters' names are Sally, Suzie, and Sarah.

More punctuation information that will help online writers can be found in new "The Yahoo! Style Guide." Get your copy soon and you'll be giving a big YAHOO!

Source:

"The Yahoo! Style Guide"

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