Commas: four rules that cover most sentences

Commas tell the reader where to pause and how a sentence fits together. These four rules cover most situations.

1. Lists

“I packed a torch, a map, some water and a blanket.” In British English, there is usually no comma before “and” at the end of a list, unless it helps avoid confusion.

2. After an introduction

“After the match, we went for pizza.” “However, nobody was hungry.” The comma separates the opening phrase from the main sentence.

3. Around extra information

“My brother, who hates spiders, screamed.” If you can remove the words between the commas and the sentence still makes sense, the commas are correct.

4. Before a joining word linking two sentences

“It started to rain, but we kept playing.”

When not to use a comma

Never use a comma alone to join two complete sentences. That is a comma splice (see our article on comma splices).

Try it: add commas: “Before breakfast Ali who is always hungry ate two apples a banana and a biscuit.”