How to use commas in English. Punctuation marks in English

Hello friends! I discovered one interesting fact - punctuation in the English language is a topic that does not receive due attention. Often, students of English are so caught up in the goal of “speaking” this very language that they forget about such supposedly “not the most important” nuance as English punctuation. Naturally, there is some truth in this. This is really not an initially necessary topic to study. However, the need to know it arises with the first letter to your, for example, foreign-language friend. This letter, no matter how grammatically correct it is composed, in the absence of proper “formatization”, will completely distort the overall “composition”. And in general, any written work needs the correct placement of punctuation marks. Punctuation marks create very important strokes, without which the “picture of the text” would lose its clear outlines.

The rules of punctuation in the English language are simple, but necessary. So, today we will study the rules of punctuation in the English language.

Punctuation marks in English:

Rules for placing commas in simple sentences

How to place commas correctly in English

1. If a sentence contains an enumeration, that is, a number of homogeneous members, they are separated by commas. Usually there is a conjunction “and” before the final homogeneous member, which is also preceded by a comma if there are three or more members in total in the sentence.
   • I want to buy milk, chocolate cake, and brad. - I want to buy milk, chocolate cake and bread

   However, if the so-called final homogeneous term consists of several words, then the comma is omitted

   • I want to pass my exams, to travel and to find common language with my relatives. — I want to pass exams, travel and find a “common” language with my loved ones
2. In English, as in Russian, introductory words need to be highlighted.
   • Unfortunatly, the doctor was late. - Unfortunately the doctor was late
   • His brother, I’ve forgotten to mention, works in the Ministry of Education. — His brother, I forgot to mention, works at the Ministry of Education
3. Again, as in Russian, explanatory words are highlighted.
   • Ion Creanga, the great Moldavian writer, died on December 31. — Ion Creangă, the great Moldovan writer, died on December 31
4. The independent participial phrase is also separated by commas.
   • The director being absent, the resolution of the problem was postponed. — Since the director was not there, the solution to the problem was postponed
5. After words that introduce direct speech.
   • She said, "I will write an essay." — She said, "I'll write an essay."
6. Address is emphasized in English, as in many other languages.
   • — Kate, I’m waiting for you. — Kate, I'm waiting for you
7. After contacting by letter.
   • Dear Tom, I want to tell… — Dear Tom, I want to tell you...

   Please note: in Russian, an exclamation mark often follows an address in a letter:

   • Dear Andrey! I want to tell you...

   In English, the address is always separated by a comma.

8. At the end of the letter, after words like “with respect”, “with love”.
   • Yours faithfully, Rotari Olga — Best regards, Rotar Olga
9. When designating dates, the date and year are separated by a comma.
   • This decision was taken on the 13th October, 1993. — This decision was made on October 13, 1993
10. Parts of the address such as the name of the street, city, postal area are separated by commas

Rules for using commas in compound sentences

1. Several simple sentences combined into one compound sentence without any conjunctions are separated by commas.
   • A light breeze was blowing, the sun was shining brightly, a wonderful day began. — A light breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, a wonderful day had begun
2. Simple sentences joined using coordinating conjunctions other than and (and), or (or), require the use of a punctuation mark.
   • I asked her for help, but she didn’t want doing any tries to help. — I asked her for help, but she didn't want to make any attempt to help.

Complex sentence and missing comma

The rules of the Russian language regarding the punctuation of complex sentences differ in many ways from those in English. If in Russian the “law” states that the main clause is separated from the subordinate comma, then the rules of English often reject the need to use it.

1. Subject, additional and predicate clauses are not separated by punctuation.
   • How this happened is clear to me. — It's clear to me how it happened
2. Individualizing and classifying attributive clauses are not separated by a comma.
   • I saw the documents which were lying on that table. — I saw the documents that were lying on that table

   However, descriptive ones, which provide some new details about an already known object or subject, stand out.

   • They went to the river, which was stormy last week. - They went to the river, which had been very wild for the past week.
   • We spoke with the director, who was very tired because of the problems existing in the company. — We spoke with the director, who was very tired due to problems in the company
3. If the adverbial clause comes before the main clause, only then does it stand out.
   • If you decide to leave the house, close the windows and door. — If you decide to leave the house, close the windows and door

   Close the windows and door if you decide to leave the house

Use of other punctuation marks in English

Where should the colon be placed?

Apostrophe in English

A punctuation mark such as an apostrophe indicates an abbreviation of one or more letters in the following cases

1. When shortening several words
   • So as = so's
   • Don't = don't
2. When abbreviating one word
   • Them = ‘em
   • Today = t'day
3. In date abbreviations
   • Summer of 1998 = summer of "98
4. When forming the possessive case
   • Mother's pen - mother's pen
   • Parents" car - parents' car

The need to use a dash

The dash is more often used in informal texts. The rules of formal writing are not so favorable to this punctuation mark.

1. An unexpected clarification in the middle of a sentence
   • Nick - he is Kate’s brother - was very glad to see his old friend. - Nick (Kat's brother) was very happy to see her old friends
2. Additional thought in a sentence
   • He will be here by Friday - at least, he promised to be. — He'll be here by Friday, or so he promised.
3. An unfinished thought in English is also indicated in writing by a dash, which is completely alien to Russian speakers, since the ellipsis plays this role.
   • If you want to understand me - If you want to understand me...

When we need a question mark

We need a question mark in interrogative sentences, respectively.

• Why did she cry? — Why was she crying?

But do not forget that questions translated into indirect ones do not need a question mark.

• He asked where his portfolio was. — He asked where his briefcase was

Rare need for a semicolon

1. Place a semicolon between sentences that are grammatically separated
   • The house needs renovation; the shed needs painting. — The house needs renovation; the barn needs painting
2. Complex sentences which, due to their grammatical complexity, cannot be separated by a comma

Using an exclamation mark

The rules for using an exclamation mark in English are no different from the rules for using this punctuation mark in Russian.

1. Orders
   • Don't answer! - Do not answer!
2. Greetings
   • Hi! — Hello!
   • Glad to see you! — I'm glad to see you!
3. Sentences accompanied by strong emotions (joy, admiration, annoyance)
   • What a beautiful dress! — What a beautiful dress!

Hyphen - connector

A hyphen (dash) is a punctuation mark used to connect parts of compound words.

We all went to school and remember that one of the most difficult wisdom was the rules of punctuation in the Russian language. These rules are quite strict, and we all wrote kilometers of dictations in which it was necessary to correctly place all these commas, dashes, colons, etc. In English, the rules of punctuation are not so strict, but they still exist and it is advisable to follow them in writing. In this post, we will tell you about the 10 most used punctuation marks and when we should use them.

English punctuation marks

1. Comma - comma

1. Commas are used to separate simple sentences joined by conjunctions:

• The lesson was over, but the students remained in the classroom. – The lesson ended, but the students remained in the classroom.
• Yesterday was my day-off, so I took the children to the zoo. – Yesterday I had a day off, so I took the children to the zoo.

Google shortcode

However, if the sentence is short, use a comma before conjunctions and or or may be omitted, for example:

• The rain stopped and it got much warmer. – The rain stopped and it became much warmer.

2. Commas are used after introductory words, phrases or subordinate clauses that precede the main one:

• While I was talking on the phone, the cat stole my steak. – while I was talking on the phone, the cat stole my steak.
• If you are not well, you should stay at home. – if you feel unwell, you should stay at home.

Note: If, on the contrary, the main clause comes first, and then the subordinate clause, the rule does not apply, for example, the following two examples are incorrect, they do not need a comma:

• The cat stole my steak, while I was talking on the phone.
• You should stay at home, if you are not well.

3. Affirmative word yes, negative word no, as well as introductory words well, you know, I mean etc. separated by commas, for example:

• Yes, you can come in - yes, you can enter
• You know, it’s a hard question. - you see, this is a difficult question.

4. An explanatory introductory phrase is separated by commas on both sides, for example:

• Pete and Ellen, my former classmates, got married a week ago. – Pete and Ellen, my former classmates, got married a week ago.

You can test yourself by cutting a similar introductory phrase from a sentence. If the meaning of the sentence has not changed, then you put commas where necessary. Let's check our example: Pete and Ellen got married a week ago.

5. Unlike the Russian language, a comma is not placed before the conjunction in a complex sentence that, For example:

• He said that he was going to quit. - He said he was going to quit
• The problem is that they cannot bear each other - The problem is that they cannot bear each other.

6. When listing homogeneous members of a sentence, a comma is also placed before the conjunction and, For example:

• At the supermarket I bought sugar, tea, coffee, and matches - At the supermarket I bought sugar, tea, coffee and matches.

This comma is called "Oxford comma" in some sources because it is the standard method taught at Oxford University.

7. Commas are used to highlight direct speech:

• He said indifferently, “I don’t mind.” – He said indifferently: “I don’t mind.”
• “I was going,” she answered, “to do everything myself.” “I’m going,” she said, “to do everything myself.”

8. Use commas if needed to avoid confusion:

• To Mary, Clair has always been the main authority. – Claire has always been the main authority for Mary.

9. Commas are used to set off all place names, dates (except month and day), addresses (except street number and name), and headings in names.

• Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England. — Birmingham, Alabama takes its name from Birmingham in England
• December 15, 2009, was an important day in his life. — December 15, 2009 was an important day in his life.

You may see a comma somewhere between the house and street numbers. This is not a bug, just an outdated style.

2. Period or Full Stop - period

The main purpose of this punctuation mark is to complete the sentence.

The period is also used in most abbreviations. Some sources say that a period should be added at the end of an abbreviation only when the last letter of the abbreviation is not the last letter of a word, for example: Gen. (Secretary) – General Secretary. If the last letter of the abbreviation is the last letter of the word (Mr - Mister, St - Saint), then the period is not put.

If an abbreviated phrase is pronounced, we do not put periods, for example, NASA is correct, but N.A.S.A is incorrect.

3. Question Mark - question mark

The question mark is a relatively easy punctuation mark to use. It is used only in one case - at the end of a sentence containing a question, for example:

• How many people will go on an excursion? — How many people will go on the excursion?

However, there is no question mark:

• He asked how many people would go on an excursion - I wonder how many people will go on an excursion.

There is also no question mark if the sentence begins with a phrase such as I wonder / He doesn’t know / I don’t remember. (This is the most common mistake when using a question mark.)

• I wonder how long this film lasts - I wonder how long this film lasts
• He doesn't know where they live. - He doesn't know where they live.

4. Exclamation Mark - exclamation mark

Use it only to express a command or order or to express an emotion, for example:

• Stop talking! - Stop talking!
• What a picturesque place! – What a picturesque place!

5. Quote Marks - quotes

1. Quotation marks are used when you need to accurately convey the words of another person (direct speech), for example,

• John said, “We are not going to help him.” - John said: “We won’t help him.”

If you are quoting a person who is quoting another person, use single quotes:

• John said, “My neighbor yelled at me today!” ‘Get off my lawn!’ he said” – John said, “My neighbor yelled at me today! he said ‘get off my lawn! ’”

2. Quotation marks can also be used to express irony or sarcasm, or to indicate something unusual:

• Your so called “friend” should have given you a lift home. “Your so-called “friend” should have given you a ride home.

3. Quotation marks are also used to highlight a quote.

6. Colon - colon

A colon is used after a statement to then introduce one (or more) directly related idea, such as a listing, quotation, or other commentary that illustrates or explains the statement, for example:

• The following European countries were represented at the meeting: Great Britain, France, and Italy. – The following European countries were represented at the meeting: Great Britain, France and Italy.
• Music is more than something mechanical: it is an expression of deep feeling and ethical values. — Music is not just mechanical sounds: it is an expression of deep feelings and moral values.

7. Semicolon - semicolon

Use a semicolon to connect independent clauses not joined by a conjunction, for example:

• Some people think that students must be given homework; others do not agree with it. — Some believe that students must be given homework, others do not agree with this.
• The sky is covered with heavy clouds; it is going to rain soon. — The sky is covered with heavy clouds, it will rain soon.

The semicolon is also used to join parts of a sentence or complex sentences that already have commas, for example:

• My grandfather lived in a small cottage, rather far from the nearest town; there was no running water or electricity in his cottage. “My grandfather lived in a small house, quite far from the nearest city; his house had neither running water nor electricity.

8. Parentheses - parentheses

Parentheses are used when you want to highlight additional, non-essential material included in a sentence as background information, such as dates, sources, or ideas:

• He was appointed a Head of the department (some people say, this is because he was a brother of the Minister) and worked for two years in this company. – He was appointed head of the department (some say it was because he was the brother of the minister) and worked in this company for 2 years.

9. Dash or Hyphen - dash or hyphen

1. Use a dash to emphasize the point of a sentence or an explanatory comment, but don't use a dash too often or it will lose its meaning.

• To some of you, my proposals may seem radical – even revolutionary. – For some of you, my proposals may seem radical - even revolutionary.

2. As for the hyphen, it is used in complex words, for example chocolate-covered, seventy-nine, re-sign.
The hyphen is always used with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-, non-; between a prefix and a word with a capital letter, numbers or letters:
ex-wife
self-esteemed
mid-August
all-inclusive
non-commercial
T-shirt

Before studying this material in more detail, let's remember something from the Russian language.

After all, there are enough common points in both languages, with the help of which we can apply some rules from Russian to English, in this case - to the spelling of commas.

Returning to the general education curriculum, I would like to remember in what cases we use commas in our native Russian language, and in what cases we do not.

First of all, it is worth noting those rules, knowing which you will avoid unpleasant moments when someone uses your elementary mistakes as a criterion of low mental development:

1) Spelling of commas between homogeneous members of a sentence:

• Dasha bought milk, bread, loaf and gingerbread.

2) Spelling of commas before: a, but, what, how, which, etc.

3) It is often necessary to use commas to separate two simple sentences into one complex one:

• Today there was a terrorist attack in one of the US military zones, 14 people were killed.

4) You can safely highlight with commas that part of the sentence without which the sentence does not lose meaning:

• Our teacher, who was in the classroom, said, “Have a good weekend.”

These are just some of the rules that you have to use in everyday life. And this has always helped to “stay afloat” when communicating with competent people, and not to fall face in the dirt when discussing topics on forums

In English, or more precisely in Anglo-American, everything is a little simpler. They do not pay such close attention to this issue as, for example, here.

The fact is that 2 different teachers can tell you different rules about spelling a comma in an English sentence, and both may be right. Because in America there is no strict, structured system for using commas. But still, there are general rules, adhering to which, you will have basic knowledge about punctuation. Let's look at these key rules:

1) Use a comma to separate homogeneous nouns:

• Jane went to the supermarket to buy milk, potatoes, ice-cream and pizza.

You can always put a comma after "ice-cream" and it won't be considered an error.

2) Use a comma in the list of adjectives:

• Your father has a big, expensive, fast car

3) The dependent and independent parts of the sentence should be separated by commas:

As you can see, “which was founded in 2004” is additional information, without which the sentence would not lose its meaning. Therefore, such phrases should be separated by commas.

5) Use a comma in contrasting expressions:

• His actions, not his looks and money, made me love him

6) A comma is needed to separate the quote from direct speech:

• They said to me, ‘If you can’t decide your problems, call us.’

7) Separate with commas such introductory words as: in fact, to tell the truth, well, yes, no, however, in my opinion, on the other hand, indeed, fortunately, unfortunately, etc.

• Indeed, she saw me with you
• Unfortunately, we didn’t get money for our work.

8) When writing addresses, dates, large numbers, commas are used everywhere:

• She was born July 14, 2003
• I live in 45 Fadeev st., Moscow, Russia
• 1,598,465 dollars were stolen from the bank

9) When writing letters, you should put a comma after the greeting and at the end of the letter. Business style rules.

Dear, addressee

Text of the letter

Best regards, your name

10) If you are already writing long sentences consisting of a number of simple ones, then do not forget to separate them with commas:

• I met girl of my dream in St. Petersburg, we’ve lived a happy life, we’ve children and enough money.

This is the main comma placement rules. There are many more cases of their use, but they are not so common.
We hope you learned something new. Leave any questions and suggestions in the comments. Let's figure it out together

I really love the expression “author’s punctuation.” After all, this means that you can stick on punctuation marks in any type and quantity, and no one will make a comment. It’s just a pity that teachers don’t want to understand this and mercilessly draw a swan when you miss a couple of commas, a colon, a dash and other squiggles in a small story.

Fortunately, the British are less pretentious people. They have a looser attitude towards punctuation, so English teachers usually don't focus much on punctuation. You can write a life-long sentence without adding a single character. True, it will still have to be completed. Either a period, or an exclamation/question mark, or an ellipsis. There was a story going around among our teachers that if, while taking the exam for the Faculty of Philology, an applicant writes an interrogative English sentence and forgets to put this humpbacked “?” at the end, then the teacher will immediately put “fail” and ask him to leave in English.

So that no one sends us anywhere without saying goodbye, let’s get a little familiar with the capricious squiggles.

. - full stop/period (dot)
, - comma (comma)
? - note of interrogation/question mark (question mark)
! - note of exclamation/exclamation mark (exclamation mark)
- hyphen (hyphen)
- dash
; semicolon (semicolon)
: - colon (colon)
… - dots (ellipsis)
‘ - apostrophe (apostrophe)
, () - brackets/parenthesis (square, round brackets)
“ “ - inverted commas/quotation marks ( quotes)
. - dot (dot, which is used in Internet addresses, email addresses and for abbreviations)

POINT WHICH IS “FULL STOP”

It is logical that, as in Russian, it completes a declarative sentence:
My name is Ivan .

e . g . (For example), Mr .

POINT WHICHDOT

I will never forget my “shame” when a Western partner called and dictated his email address to me over the phone. Instead of a dot before the uk extension, I courageously inserted the word “dot” and sent the address in this form to my boss. Lucky that he had a sense of humor. And I have since remembered: mike @tralala .uk reads as “m, i, k, e, at, t, r, a, l, a, l, a, dot, u, k.”

In addition, in English, a period is used to shorten words:
e . g . (For example), Mr . U.S.A. (although it is possible and simple Mr or USA ) .

SEALED, who is “in a coma”

Here, again, everything is the same as ours. Only even if you don’t put a comma, no one will be offended.

. when transferring:
I have a PC, TV, i-phone and 2 books .

. after introductory words and constructions:
Anyway , you are wrong ! To be better, you must study better. (Be that as it may, you are wrong! To be better, you need to study better)

. after participial phrases:
The clock having showed 5, she ran out from his flat. (As the clock struck 5, she ran away from his apartment)

. after also, if this word is used for emphasis:
Also, you mustn’t tell me such things! ( Oh, and also: you shouldn’t say things like that to me!)

. in complex sentences, as well as in those sentences where you need to make a semantic pause:
I decided to be honest with you , but today I don ’ t think so (Yesterday I decided to be honest with you, but today I don’t think so anymore).

UNLIKE RUSSIAN English comma is NOT PUT:

. in the address(the regular one, not the one with the dog):
221 B Baker Street London

. in a complex sentence between the subject and the predicate, if this information is not basic, but additional:
The dog which was following me all day long turned to be our aunt ’ s pet (It turned out that the dog that had been following me all day was our aunt’s favorite).

QUESTION AND EXCLAMATION MARKS

Well, here, I think, there’s not even anything to chew on: interrogative - for questions, exclamation - for exclamations.
Don ’ t you know that ? Didn't you know?
That's striking! Amazing!

COLON, or COLUMN
Those who are okay with Russian will not be surprised: in English, the colon is used in the same cases. That is, when you need to explain something in more detail or list it. But there is also some difference: if a full sentence comes after a colon, then it must be written with a capital letter.
I’ve got 3 friends: Ann, Mary, Inna. (I have three girlfriends: Anya, Masha, Inna).
I’m furious: Your cat has broken my favorite vase ! (I'm furious: your cat broke my favorite vase!)

Semicolon or semicolon
You will find such a complex sign only in official letters, literary texts and articles in serious newspapers/magazines. Semicolons are needed in long, complex sentences that are already full of all sorts of other characters.

A dash that you can't give so easily
Most often it is used in the same way as in Russian: for example, you suddenly need to explain something right in the middle of a sentence, or list it with a generalizing word.
Last summer I was absolutely alone - you know, my boyfriend was in Paris - and that annoyed me so much! (Last summer I was completely alone - you know, my boyfriend was in Paris - and it irritated me so much!)

There is also a very original use of the English dash... instead of an ellipsis!
My mother has never-(My mother never...)

Hyphen that starts with the letter "x"
Many people in Russian confuse a hyphen with a dash. In fact, they even look different. The hyphen is short, it is needed only to connect complex words ( rock -n -roll). A dash is long and is used as a punctuation mark in a sentence.

An apostrophe, which is an apostrophe and nothing else, because it appeared recently in the Russian language
This is the same little mark that we go through in grammar. Helps:
. form the possessive case ( Mary ’ s book- Masha's book)
. successfully replace missing letters (I 'm fine = I am fine)
. form the plural for years (1960's - sixties), abbreviations (VIP's - VIPs).

Quotation marks and ellipsis
Both are traditional. Those. quotation marks - to indicate direct speech, and ellipsis...

It seems like nothing was missed. Although, of course, there are many nuances in the use of punctuation marks, which are more important for philologists than for those who study English for communication and career growth. However, no one

It seems like nothing was missed. Although, of course, there are many nuances in the use of punctuation marks, which are more important for philologists than for those who study English for communication and career growth. However, no one forbids sharing these nuances with those who suffer: that’s why there are comments on the article.

Anastasia Petrova, especially for

Today I want to talk about English punctuation. Perhaps I will even write a whole block of articles devoted to this topic. I suggest starting with a comma, because as many of you have already noticed, the comma in the English language has its own orders, different from the Russian comma, and sometimes these orders seem completely incomprehensible.

It is in cases with the use of a comma that the largest number of different options and improvisations are observed, which is largely determined by the erudition of the author, his emotional perception and interpretation of the situations presented in the text. The main difference between the use of a comma in English compared to Russian is that in Russian subordinate clauses are always separated from the main clause by a comma, but in English this is not always the case.

Not separated by comma:

• subordinate clauses / predicates / additional:

It is important that you should be here tomorrow.
Our advice is that you should not smoke.
We insist that you call him immediately.
I know what men are and just remember what they say cleanliness is next to godliness.
Caliban was surprised that I seemed so positively gay when he came in.

• adverbial clauses when they come after the main clause:

She told him everything when he went downstairs.
I had to finish my work earlier to help mother.
The police will take your car away if you park it here.
The only chance I might have is when he comes in with the tray.
He always asks me if he may stay.

The most typical cases of using a comma in English writing:

1. Used to highlight appeal:

Waiter, I"d like the menu, please.
But mother, there is no one here.
Ferdinand, what's wrong?
But... Ferdinand, if a young man gives a girl a present like this, it can only mean one thing.

2. Placed to separate individual elements of the enumeration:

Red, pink, yellow(,) and white flowers filled the vases.
Notrose, went around the desk, leaned down(,) and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
Noteats, drinks(,) and talks too much.
Well, we stood there, she made me laugh, she kept on pretending that the room was full of people, waving at them, and telling me about them, and them about my new life, and then she put a record on the gramophone, it was soft music, and she looked beautiful.

In this case, a comma can be placed before and, but is not required.

3. Placed (optional) between two main clauses connected by conjunctions and/as/but etc. This technique is used especially often if the first sentence is long:

You will confirm it(.) and I shall help you with the money
They turned back to look at each other, and again she wondered if this man knew he was being cuckolded.
The crowd sat stupefied (,) as the death dance whirled towards its climax.
They’re only little stones (,) but they’re high quality.
Mostly she just sat with her back to me as if she didn’t hear me.
That night I cooked her a supper of fresh frozen peas and frozen chicken in white sauce and she ate it and seemed to like it.
Will you stay down here with me and let the door be open for air?

4. Used after adverbial subordinate clauses and phrases preceding the main clause:

When he went downstairs, she told him everyone had gone to the tennis court.
Thathelp mother, I had to finish my work earlier.
Having called Sam, she immediately went to the airport.
When in doubt, you should come to visit me.
If you park your car here, the police will take it away.
When I came out, wearing the least horrid of the shirts he’d bought for me, he stood up.
When I got home, I washed the necklace and hid it so that I could get it out at the correct time.

5. Placed before and after any part of the sentence containing additional information about the subject:

The driver, who was very young, insisted that he knew me.
It’s only small stones, she said, but all very fine water and these Victorian designs.
Toinette, with her silly female House and Garden ideas of austere good taste, calling it ‘cluttered’.
I gave you that book, the Catcher in the Rye, because I thought you would feel identified with him.

One of the strictest rules of English punctuation is the rule prohibiting the use of a comma between the subject (subject group) and the predicate; this case describes one of the few options when a comma can be placed, but it should be remembered that only additional information is highlighted, and always on both sides:

The driver who was very young, insisted that he knew me.
The driver, who was very young insisted that he knew me. –this option incorrect, So How No second comma.
The driver, who helped me that morning, insisted that he knew me. – this option is incorrect, since there is not additional information about the subject, but simply an explanation - no commas are needed.

Right:

The driver who helped me that morning insisted that he knew me.
The strike at the carpet factory, which lasted two weeks, is now over. -additional information - stands out commas.
The girl with whom he fell in love left him after a few weeks. -explanation – Not stands out commas.
The house, which has been empty for a year, has just been sold.
The man whom I wanted to see was away on holiday.

6. Placed to separate any part of the sentence containing additional information about the addition (however, if such part of the sentence is in the nature of an explanation or clarification, a comma is not placed):

She is the woman, whose husband has been dead for three years.
A widow is a woman whose husband is dead.
Yesterday I met John, who told me he was getting married.
I don't want to go back to the town where I was born.
They would like to stay in this town, where their son was born.
Norman won $10,000, half of which he gave to his sister.
What was the name of the girl whose passport was stolen?

7. Used to indicate missing words in the text:

Fishing forms a quiet man; hunting, an eager man; gambling, a greedy man.

On 10 hectares, you can produce meat to feed just two people, maize, 10 people, grain , 24 people or soya to feed 61 people.

8. Placed on both sides of any element that interrupts a sentence:

The fire, although it had been put out, was still very hot.
Can't you see, Peter, how big he is?
Look, Ferdinand, I don’t know what you see in me.
It was embarrassing, of course, I didn’t know what to say.
There had, of course, been other women along the way.
Then again, it may not have been that first morning she drew me, I can’t remember which day it was, she suddenly started crying.

9. Placed after introductory words or expressions to separate them from the rest of the sentence:

Well, I like this.
Well, the next day she brought up the business about having a bath and fresh air again.
Well, after supper she was on to me again about the bath and I let her begin to go sulky again.
By the way, I also need money.
However, nobody drank much.

10. Placed in cases where there is a possibility of misperception of the meaning of the sentence:

As the police car pulled up, the crowd surged forward.(without the comma, you would think that the car crashed into the crowd)
After a period of calm, college students have begun to demonstrate again.(without a comma, the word college could be classified as calm)

11. Often used to separate adverbial phrases that appear at the beginning of a sentence and are weakly related in meaning to the rest of it:

In the summer of 1984, many trees died.
After the coffee and three cigarettes, he dressed in what he always dressed in.
At forty-two, he was a deceptive-looking man.
In thirteen months, he had parted with all of them.
For some reason, sex and politics for him had always gone hand in hand.
In search of gold, my great-grandfather landed in America.

12. Placed to separate the interrogative part in dividing questions:

You saw this film, didn't you?
She was here yesterday, wasn't she?
They haven't come today, have they?
You are going to show me your house, aren’t you?
You’re definitely going to come an live in London, aren’t you?

13. Placed before words too(in affirmative sentences) and either(in negative sentences), if they belong to the group subject - predicate and also denote (like someone else):

Hasn't been to London, too. - He too (like you/me/anyone) was in London.
Has not been to London too. - He was also in London (as well as in Moscow/Paris/elsewhere). - no comma is used.
Has not been to London, either. - He, too (like you/me/anyone) has not been to London.
Has not been to London either. - He wasn’t in London (as well as in Moscow / Paris / anywhere else). - no comma is used.

14. Placed before the word for, if it acts as a conjunction (subordinate clauses attached to this conjunction very rarely come before the main one):

I asked her to stay, for I had something to tell her.
I could tell much about this man, for I had met him before.

15. Placed in dates to separate the day and month from the year:

Notwas born June 14, 1940.
It happened in May, 1977.

16. Placed to highlight digits in large numbers:

Notonce estimated that he was living slightly more than $1,000 a year.
The federal government's official poverty line that year was $4,680.

17. Placed in the English version (in the American version a colon is used) for business correspondence after requests:

Dear Mr. Johnson, I have received your letter...
(Amer.) Dear Sir:
I have received your letter...

18. Placed in business correspondence after the final greeting phrases, separating the greeting from the last name and position (between which there is no punctuation):

Yours faithfully, / Yours truly, ABCDCo-.Ltd. R. Johnson President

19. Placed in the address on the envelope or at the top of the letter (above the text), highlighting the addressee's last name / organization name / district / city / state (district) / country (a comma is not used between the house number and street name):

Stephen P.Naere, 2141 Starling Avenue, Bronx, N.Y. 10462

20. Placed to separate explanatory words from direct speech if there are no other punctuation marks:

“How was he?” Dirk asked. “He was well,” she said.
“Do they still hurt?” he asked. “No,” she said, “not much.”
He said, “I don't know.”

Asya ©