HSPT: Commas: give every comma a job
Learn the comma jobs HSPT Language questions test, and how to spot a comma that has no job and doesn't belong.
How do you decide whether a comma belongs in a particular spot?
Short answer
Every correct comma has a job: ending an introductory part, setting off the name of someone being spoken to, enclosing extra information with a pair, or separating items in a list. A comma between a subject and its verb, or around information that identifies who or what, has no job and is wrong.
Know first: Subjects and verbs, Clauses that start with when, if and because
Step 1 of 5
Every correct comma does a job
Comma questions usually show the same sentence several times with the commas moved around. Deciding by ear is slow and risky, because people pause in different places.
Ask what job each comma is doing. If you can name its job, keep it. If you can't, the comma probably doesn't belong.
| Job | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| After an introductory part | One comma after the whole opening clause or phrase, right before the main subject | If the bus is late, we will walk. |
| Direct address | Commas set off the name of the person being spoken to | Marcus, please close the gate. / Please close the gate, Marcus. |
| Extra information | A pair of commas encloses a description you could remove | Our coach, a former runner, timed every lap. |
| Series | Commas separate three or more items | We bought apples, bread, and cheese. |
The comma before and in a list is the safe standard choice. A missing comma between any of the other items is always wrong.
Step 2 of 5
Test extra information by covering it
To decide whether a description gets a pair of commas, cover it up. If the sentence still makes sense and still tells you exactly who or what, the description was extra, and it needs a comma on both sides. If covering it changes the meaning, it was essential, and it takes no commas.
Worked example: A description in the middle
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- AOur neighbor, a retired pilot, still flies on weekends.
- BOur neighbor a retired pilot, still flies on weekends.
- COur neighbor, a retired pilot still flies on weekends.
- DOur neighbor a retired, pilot still flies on weekends.
- 1
Find the description
A retired pilot renames our neighbor.
- 2
Cover it
Our neighbor still flies on weekends still makes sense and still tells you who. The description is extra, so it needs a pair of commas.
- 3
Explain the wrong choices
The second and third choices each keep only one comma of the pair, and the lone comma in the second splits the subject from the verb flies. The fourth breaks up retired pilot, which is one description.
Answer
A. Our neighbor, a retired pilot, still flies on weekends.
Find the wrong step
A student adds a comma to this sentence: If the store is closed we will cook at home.
- 1
Spots an introductory clause that starts with if.
- 2
Puts the comma after store: If the store, is closed we will cook at home.
What went wrong
That comma lands inside the introductory clause and splits its subject from its verb. The clause doesn't end until closed.
- 3
Leaves the rest of the sentence alone.
The fix
Put the comma where the opening clause ends and the main subject begins: If the store is closed, we will cook at home.
Step 3 of 5
Name each comma's job
Check yourself · Question 1
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer: D
Dev is the person being spoken to, so a comma sets his name off from the rest of the sentence.
Check yourself · Question 2
Which sentence correctly punctuates the list?
Answer: B
Commas separate the three items. No comma comes before the first item.
Check yourself · Question 3
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer: B
Who wants a ticket tells you which people should see Ms. Lee. It's essential, so it takes no commas.
Trap answer: Anyone, who wants a ticket, should see Ms. Lee.
Commas around essential information
- Why it looks right
- The pair of commas looks balanced, just like the commas around a retired pilot.
- Why it's wrong
- Covering the who part changes the meaning. Without it, the sentence tells everyone to see Ms. Lee.
- The right answer
- No commas: Anyone who wants a ticket should see Ms. Lee.
Common mistake
Putting a comma wherever I'd take a breath.
- Why it's tempting
- When you read aloud, you pause in many places, so those spots feel like they need commas.
- Do this instead
- Pauses vary from reader to reader, and the rules don't. Before keeping a comma, name its job from the table. If it has none, leave it out.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Keep a comma only if you can name its job: introductory part, direct address, extra information or series.
- Extra information gets a comma on both sides; information that tells which one gets none.
- Never put a comma between a subject and its verb or in the middle of an introductory clause.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
In the practice question, where did the introductory part end, and how did that tell you where the comma belonged?