Put in commas (,) to show the natural breaks in your sentence. This helps the reader to make sense of it, especially if it is long. It also lets your reader stop for a bit. But do not overdo it and put in too many commas: it will only lead to confusion.
When you reread and are in doubt about whether to take a comma out or put one in, leave the commas as they are. Whatever you put first is probably right.
Where to put commas can often come down to a matter of judgement and taste. Nevertheless, there are some clear cases where commas are needed. Here are the more common ones:
1. After each element in a list:
I love wine, women, and song.
The comma before the and is called an Oxford comma. The Oxford press and most Americans use it. The British, by and large, do not:
I love wine, women and song.
Either way is acceptable.
But if one of the things in your list has an and in it, then you must put a comma before the final and:
I like the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Dead.
where “Simon and Garfunkel” is one of the elements of the list.
2. To separate the clauses in your sentence.
A clause is part of the sentence that has its own verb. There are two sorts of clauses:
- A main clause, which can stand on its own as a sentence
- A subordinate clause, which cannot
For example:
Feeling unloved, my dog ran away.
“My dog ran away” can make a sentence on its own: it is the main clause. “Feeling unloved” is not a sentence, but it does have a verb, so it is a subordinate clause.
Now notice where the comma was put: between the two clauses.
Subordinate clauses often have a verb ending in -ing:
Having paid for a room, he went out to see the town.
Subordinate clauses often start with words like but, yet, and, or, although, while, which and who. Put your comma before these words:
He got there on time, but he forgot to bring the ball.
Note: There are cases where you do not put a comma before which, who or whom. That brings us to our next rule:
3. Before which, who and whom – but not always!
If the which or who clause adds something that could be left out of the sentence without changing its meaning much, then makr it off from the sentence with commas:
My dog, who hates water, is a natural-born swimmer.
But if it tells us who or what the statement applies to, then do not put in commas:
The dog who never gives up will find his way home.
4. Before or after quoted speech.
She said, “I love you.”
“I never want to see you mother again,” she said.The rules for this are a bit involved. See “Italics and quotes”.
Never put commas:
- In dates: Tuesday May 22nd 2007
- After question marks or exclamation marks.
See also:
Abagond 
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