How to Use Commas

Video Transcript

Hi I'm Kari Wethington for expertvillage.com. Today we are doing Writer's Guide: Self Editing Basics Out of all punctuation, commas are often the most confusing. Even for very experienced writers. So we are going to review a couple places where commas can get confusing. Just remember that commas are a way to set off a word or a group of words within a complete thought. One way people often misuse commas is with an introductory phrase. Remember that if you have an introductory phrase you often need a comma to set it off from the rest of the sentence. One example is: Starting next week I will be working a new job downtown. When you say it you might not hear the comma but in writing you are going to want the comma there. So here is the simple example: Starting next week I will be working a new job downtown. If you say it all together it just seems like something is missing. You need a slight pause there and that is what a comma does. Starting next week, I will be working a new job downtown. So just to reiterate you are going to need the comma here because it is an introductory phrase to a sentence and it just helps the reader see that there is a slight pause there and it makes the words more effective.

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