Which clauses and commas

We heard three speeches, the longest of, which went for an hour. We heard three speeches, the longest of which went for an hour. The envelope in, which the letter arrived had no return address.

The envelope in which the letter arrived had no return address. The platform on, which we built our program is very stable.

The platform on which we built our program is very stable. Which bus should I take? But when a sentence contains an indirect question, which might not be the first word. However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent subordinate clause follows it except for cases of extreme contrast.

Common introductory phrases that should be followed by a comma include participial and infinitive phrases, absolute phrases, nonessential appositive phrases, and long prepositional phrases over four words.

Common introductory words that should be followed by a comma include yes, however, well. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause. If you answer "yes" to one or more of these questions, then the element in question is nonessential and should be set off with commas. Here are some example sentences with nonessential elements:. Clause : That Tuesday , which happens to be my birthday, is the only day when I am available to meet. Phrase : This restaurant has an exciting atmosphere.

The food , on the other hand, is rather bland. Word : I appreciate your hard work. In this case , however, you seem to have over-exerted yourself. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that relative clauses.

That clauses after nouns are always essential. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential. My niece , wearing a yellow jumpsuit, is playing in the living room. The Green party candidate , who had the least money, lost the election. Apples , which are my favorite fruit, are the main ingredient in this recipe. Professor Benson , grinning from ear to ear, announced that the exam would be tomorrow. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.

The Constitution establishes the legislative , executive , and judicial branches of government. The candidate promised to lower taxes , protect the environment , reduce crime , and end unemployment. The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime , who had a strong revenge motive , and who had access to the murder weapon , was guilty of homicide. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun.

Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are adjectives with equal "co"-ordinate status in describing the noun; neither adjective is subordinate to the other.

You can decide if two adjectives in a row are coordinate by asking the following questions:. If you answer yes to these questions, then the adjectives are coordinate and should be separated by a comma. Here are some examples of coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives:. The 1 relentless , 2 powerful 3 summer sun beat down on them. The 1 relentless , 2 powerful , 3 oppressive sun beat down on them.

Rule: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames a nearby noun. Appositives offer nonessential information. Nonrestrictive appositives are set off with commas; restrictive appositives are not.

Rule: When a speaker in a sentence names the person to whom he is speaking, this addressing of his audience is called direct address. Direct address is indicated by the use of a comma or commas, depending upon its placement within the sentence.

Rule: A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. If the speaker not the listener in the conversation is identified, his name, or the noun or pronoun used to refer to the speaker , and the verb that refers to his speaking are enclosed within commas.

Rules for dates: In dates, the year is set off from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas. Rules for addresses: The elements of an address or place name are separated by commas. A zip code, however, is not preceded by a comma. Rules for titles: If a title follows a name, separate the title from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas. Rules for numbers: In numbers more than four digits long, use commas to separate the numbers into groups of three, starting from the right.

In numbers four digits long, a comma is optional. Commas Eight Basic Uses. Commas Eight Basic Uses To better understand the use of the comma, begin by learning the following eight basic uses.