Rule

Examples

Your Example

Use a comma in a series after every item.

a)      I like apples, bananas,

      and grapes.

Use a comma in dates between the day and the year and after the year if the date is in the middle of the sentence.

a)      October 18, 1990

b)      On June 12, 1992, I plan to graduate.

Use a comma in addresses between city and state or country.

a)      Turlock, California

b)   Caracas, Venezuela

Use a comma in letters after the greeting and the closing.

a)      Dear Maria,

b)   Your son,

Use a comma to separate introductory words or the name of a person from the rest of the sentence.

a)      No, my name is not Linda.

b)  Mark, can you hear me?

Use a comma before and after the name of a person in the middle of a sentence.

a)      You know, Jose, it isn't your turn to talk.

Use a comma before but.

a)      Sari is friendly, but not very popular.