Commas, Commas, and More Commas

What I Am Getting At
     Last time I gave you guys several resources talking about the uses of apostrophes.  What is more fitting than to now talk about commas??
    Commas are both overused and underused.  Unfortunately, in writing, a comma can make all the difference:

Do you see what I mean?? If we leave out the commas, we come up with something completely different than what was intended...unless of course you like the idea of something that eats kids or that Rachel Ray cooks her family and her dog...For the most part, however, I do not think this is the case (:
     There are many ways to use a comma. For example, we use commas when we join sentences with conjunctions, when we create lists, or when we use dependent clauses in a sentence.  There are other times to use commas, but we will focus on these three uses for this post.
    Again, I do not think I could do justice to what others have already said before me on this subject, but I hope to make a list of resources that will help you in your quest to conquer commas!

When Joining Sentences with Conjunctions

• Grammar-monster demonstrates using commas to join independent clauses.  He gives examples of the right way as well as the wrong way.
• When joining sentences, beware of "comma splices".  If you want to connect your sentences with a comma, you need to use a conjunction as well.
• GrammarGirl has a neat little post about comma splices.  Not only does she show how to use a comma correctly when joining sentences, she also gives you an alternative to using commas--a great way to avoid the horror of comma splicing!

When Creating Lists

• Grammar-monster relates that lists only need commas when there are three or more items being listed. He also defines and demonstrates when and where to use the Oxford Comma (a.k.a. Serial Comma).
• Get It Write shows us how the serial comma would be used in a sentence and demonstrates how it could be used to avoid confusion when listing items.

When Adding Dependent Clauses Onto a Sentence

• Towson University's Online Writing Support has a page defining dependent clauses.  While this is not strictly related to commas, by going through the examples, you can get a pretty good idea about when to use and when not to use a comma in relation to the clause.

For Your Information

• Purdue OWL has an "Extended Rules for Using Commas" page that is full of helpful tips.
• Grammarbook lists 21 rules for comma usage and has a quiz that allows you to test your knowledge.

Hopefully these resources are helpful! Let me know what you think (:

Amanda