4.5 Commas

A comma indicates the smallest break in sentence structure to denote a slight pause. Effective use of commas involves good judgement and the goal is ease of reading.

PARI will not use serial commas (or the Oxford comma) – that is, the final comma in a list or a series of three or more, that occurs before the last ‘and’.

○Example

>Incorrect: The flag is saffron, white, and green.

>Correct: The flag is saffron, white and green.

○Exceptions

>Will depend on subjective judgement and usage in a sentence.

>Or when the meaning of two sentences becomes totally different depending on the placement of the comma, as in this example:

‘I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Mickey Mouse’;

I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Mickey Mouse’.

Use commas:

•After a city and state.

○Example

>The Ima Keital market is in Imphal, Manipur.

•After e.g. and i.e. But it is best to spell these out (for example; that is) and avoid using the short forms. Similarly, avoid using “etc.”, but if it occurs, use it with a full stop.

○Example

>Census data can be quite complicated, e.g., the table in the Primary Census Abstract.

–But it’s better to say:

>Census data can be quite complicated, for example, the table in the Primary Census Abstract.

Comma not needed:

•In a series whose elements are all joined by conjunctions, no commas are needed unless the elements are long and the pauses helpful.

○Examples

>Do you want potatoes or rice or both?

>You can turn left at the second fountain and right when you reach the temple, or turn left at the third fountain and left again at the statue, or just ask a local person how to get there.