College Composition / Unit 7 CMP 0168 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Commas in a Long Sentence
The idea
Placing commas in a long sentence means checking each candidate spot against a rule.
In practice
Work in order. First, find the sentence's core subject and verb, and make sure no comma separates them. Second, mark any introductory element and put a comma after it. Third, find every coordinating conjunction; put a comma before it only if it joins two independent clauses. Fourth, find nonessential elements and enclose them in commas. Fifth, separate items in any series. Sixth, remove any comma that no rule supports. Take "After the vote the committee which had met for hours adjourned, and released its report." It needs a comma after vote, commas around which had met for hours, and no comma before and, since released shares the subject committee.
Where people slip
Long sentences collect extra commas more often than missing ones. The most common fault is a comma before and in a compound predicate.
Your place on the trail
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