Good description of comma usage.

[AnyaKimlin]

I'm sure it will improve.

 

[DrMclony]

interesting topic. I was involved in a discussion elsewhere about this a while back (after my editor took an axe to my comma knowledge) and since then find so much variety in the rules from place to place, I think its whatever you like as long as it makes sense. I will still avoid comma and lines though.

a good tip is when you have two commas in a sentence, see if it makes sense when you cut everything between them. if it does you have them placed fine. eg The monster, a big green and hairy one, was scared of the mouse. take out 'a big green and hairy one' and the sentence is still understandable. similarly, if only one comma, do the halves make sense alone? or at least if separate, are they mutually cohesive? and for shorter sentences, what happens without the division?

remember the classic lifesaver - Let's eat Grandma! vs Let's eat, Grandma!