Subsection 2.1: The Art of Correctly Placing Commas

In this subsection, we'll cover the intricacies of comma placement in the English language. It's a minefield, we know.

Commas are like the ninjas of punctuation: stealthy, sneaky, and always lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

Here are a few rules to keep in mind:

• Use commas to separate items in a list, but only if they're actually separate items.
• Avoid using commas to separate items that are not, in fact, separate items.
• Use commas to separate items in a series, but only if the series is actually a series.

Example: "I had eggs, toast, and coffee for breakfast." (Good job, comma!)

Example: "I had eggsandtoast andcoffee for breakfast." (Uh, not so good, comma...)

For more advanced techniques, see Subsection 3: The Advanced Art of Semicolon Usage or Subsection 4: The Dark Art of Dashes.