This document provides guidance on proper comma usage so readers don't sound like Captain Kirk from Star Trek. It defines the major elements of a sentence that commas separate and discusses rules for using commas with lists, adjectives, clauses, conjunctions, introductory phrases, and more. The document encourages avoiding "comma stuffing" sentences with too many commas that are hard to read. Overall, it serves as a reference for correctly placing commas in sentences.

1. “Don’t, let, the commas, take,
the ship, Mr. Spock!”
How to use commas correctly so you don’t sound like
Captain Kirk

2. What Do Commas Do?
To put it simply, commas separate the elements of a
sentence.

3. What Are the Major Elements of a
Sentence?
● An introductory clause introduces the information in a sentence.
● An independent clause contains a subject and verb and can stand alone
as a simple sentence.
● A dependent clause provides additional information but cannot stand
alone as a sentence.
● Restrictive information is essential to the meaning of a sentence. A
restrictive clause can be independent or dependent.
● Nonrestrictive information is not essential to the meaning of a sentence
and could be removed with no loss of understanding. A nonrestrictive
clause can be independent or dependent.

4. A Reminder from Mr. Spock Before
We Begin
You’ll notice that most of these
rules overlap, which can seem
overwhelming.
Don’t let your emotions get the
best of you.
Most of these are basic rules
that you’ve probably heard
before.

5. Commas in Lists
When writing a list, put a comma between each item or
phrase:
● Captain Kirk likes chess, Charles Dickens, Spock, and the Enterprise.
If any phrase in the list contains a comma, the phrases
should be separated by semicolons:
● Captain Kirk likes chess, but only in the evening; Charles Dickens, on his
birthday; Spock, most days; and the Enterprise, always.

6. The Serial Comma
The serial (or Oxford) comma appears before the final conjunction
in a list of three or more items:
● Spock likes music, chess, and his friend Kirk.
The serial comma is not required but can often clarify a confusing
or lengthy list:
● The Enterprise crew uniforms are gold for command and tactical, blue for
science and medical, and red for engineering and security.
Whether you choose to use the serial comma or not, be consistent.

7. Commas + Adjectives
When using multiple adjectives to
describe a noun, separate the
adjectives with commas:
● The dark, cold, silent void of space scares Dr.
McCoy.
Each adjective could function alone:
● The dark void of space scares Dr. McCoy.
● The cold void of space scares Dr. McCoy.
● The silent void of space scares Dr. McCoy.

8. Commas + Adjectives
When adjectives modify other
adjectives, don’t use a comma:
● Spock’s shirt matches the bright blue sky.
The word bright modifies blue, not
sky.
The shirt (and the sky) is bright
blue, not bright and blue.

9. Commas + Independent Clauses
A comma between two independent clauses forms a comma
splice (which is bad):
● James Kirk was born in Iowa, Spock was born on Vulcan.
To fix this problem, put a conjunction in there (or a semicolon):
● James Kirk was born in Iowa, and Spock was born on Vulcan.
● James Kirk was born in Iowa; Spock was born on Vulcan.
The conjunction you use can change the meaning of your
sentence, so choose wisely!

10. Commas + Independent and
Dependent Clauses
When the dependent clause appears
before the independent clause, it
should end with a comma:
● If you want to live, stay out of the radiation
chamber.

11. Commas + Independent and
Dependent Clauses
When the independent clause appears first, no comma is
needed (even if a conjunction is used) if the second clause is
restrictive:
● Stay out of the radiation chamber if you want to live.
● Stay out of the radiation chamber so you don’t die.
This information is restrictive because it tells you why to stay out.
You could still go in there if you wanted to die (I guess).

12. Commas + Independent and
Dependent Clauses
When the independent clause is first and the second clause is
nonrestrictive, use a comma:
● Stay out of the radiation chamber, which is dangerous.
Nonrestrictive clauses begin with “which.” Restrictive clauses
begin with “that”:
● Stay out of the radiation chamber, which is dangerous. (There is one
chamber and it is dangerous.)
● Stay out of the radiation chamber that is dangerous. (There is more than
one chamber; stay out of the dangerous one.)

13. Commas + Coordinating
Conjunctions
“For,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” & “so” (FANBOYS) are
coordinating conjunctions.
● Phrases like “as well as” and “so that” are simply longer ways to say things
like “and” and “so.”
When both clauses in a sentence are independent, they should
be separated by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. When
the second clause is dependent, no commas are needed.

14. Commas + Coordinating
Conjunctions
● Dr. McCoy is grumpy, yet he has a
good heart.
● Chekov is famous for his silly accent
as well as his wisecracks about
Russia.
● Nurse Chapel has a crush on Spock,
but he couldn’t be less interested.

15. Commas + Subordinating
Conjunctions
Words like “because,” “since,” and “although” are
subordinating conjunctions and signify the beginning of
a subordinate clause, which can be dependent or
independent.

16. Commas + Subordinating
Conjunctions
● Uhura likes tribbles because they are soft
and fluffy.
● Since he was raised on Vulcan, Spock
hides his emotions.
● Although Sulu loves plants, he becomes a
starship captain instead of a botanist.
If a subordinate dependent clause is at the beginning of the
sentence, it should end with a comma. If it appears after the
independent clause, no comma is used.

17. Subordinating Conjunctions +
Nonrestrictive Clauses
When the subordinate conjunction introduces a nonrestrictive
clause, a comma should be used. This applies whether the
nonrestrictive clause is independent or dependent.
Think of the commas as handles. You can lift the nonrestrictive
information out of the sentence and move it around or omit it
completely.
This rule also applies to parenthetical phrases, asides, and
transitional adverbs.

18. Subordinating Conjunctions +
Nonrestrictive Clauses
● Kirk likes to relax.
● Kirk is a busy man.
● Although Kirk is a busy man, he likes to
relax.
● Kirk likes to relax, although he is a busy
man.
● Kirk, although he is a busy man, likes to
relax.
In these examples, both clauses are independent and one
becomes nonrestrictive:

19. An Example of
Restrictive Information
Here is a similar sentence but with restrictive information
(and therefore no commas):
● Kirk only likes to relax at the end of the day.
The phrase “at the end of the day” cannot be removed
without hurting the overall meaning of the sentence:
● Kirk only likes to relax (when?).

20. Commas +
Transitional Adverbs
Since transitional adverbs are
nonrestrictive, they must be surrounded
by commas wherever they appear:
● Spock prefers to unwind by playing the
harp.
● Spock, however, prefers to unwind by
playing the harp.
● However, Spock prefers to unwind by
playing the harp.
● Spock prefers to unwind by playing the
harp, however.

21. Commas + Introductory Phrases
When the introductory
phrase is shorter than five
words, a comma is not
required (though you are free
to use one for clarity):
● Try as he might Spock cannot
pretend he isn’t excited to see
Kirk.
● Though he tries to hide it, Spock is
excited to see Kirk.

22. How to Avoid Comma Stuffing
Occasionally, comma
placement rules can be
overlooked to prevent comma
stuffing. The following sentence
is technically correct but hard to
read:
● Because the Klingons were being
mean, the Enterprise crew fought
back, and, afterward, Kirk disciplined
his crew.

23. How to Avoid Comma Stuffing
To simplify the sentence, the
comma after “and” can be
removed without compromising
the natural pausing points or
structure of the sentence:
● Because the Klingons were being
mean, the Enterprise crew fought back,
and afterward, Kirk disciplined his crew.
Even though only one comma has been removed, the
sentence looks significantly less crowded.

24. The End