| Introductory parts of sentences |
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Set off an introductory phrase or clause or direct quote
or noun of direct address or exclamation with a comma. |
| Interrupting parts of sentences |
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In the middle of a sentence, set off
a phrase or nonrestrictive clause or appositive or noun of direct address or exclamation or direct quote with two commas or two dashes or two parentheses. |
| Concluding parts of sentences |
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Set off a concluding appositive or nonrestrictive modifier
or noun of direct address or direct quote with a comma, a dash, or two parentheses. If an appositive is a list, use a colon. |
| Two independent clauses |
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Separate independent clauses with a period or a semicolon
even if there is a conjunctive adverb between them. |
| Two independent clauses
with a conjunction between them |
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When independent clauses have a conjunction between them,
you usually separate them with a comma. But since they're independent, you can use a period or semicolon. |
| Items in a list |
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Separate items in a list with commas. Standard English
puts a comma before the and, but journalism style doesn't. |
| Items in a list
that already have commas |
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Use a semicolon to separate items in a list when one or more
of the items are already punctuated with commas. |
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