Editing Comma (section)

{{Short description|Punctuation mark (,)}}
{{About|the punctuation mark}}
{{distinguish|Coma}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox punctuation mark|mark=,<!--
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The '''comma''' '''{{char|,}}''' is a [[punctuation]] mark that appears in several variants in different languages. Some [[typeface]]s render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight, but inclined from the vertical; others give it the appearance of a miniature filled-in figure {{char|9}}<!-- not a typo|figure ''9''|reason=This is, very specifically, about the numeral/glyph/figure "9", not the word or concept "nine". --> placed on the [[baseline (typography)|baseline]].  In many typefaces it is the same shape as an [[apostrophe]] or single closing [[quotation mark]] {{char|’}}.

The comma is used in many contexts and [[language]]s, mainly to separate parts of a [[sentence (linguistics)|sentence]] such as [[clause]]s, and items in lists mainly when there are three or more items listed. The word ''comma'' comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] {{wikt-lang|grc|κόμμα}} ({{grc-transl|κόμμα}}), which originally meant a cut-off piece, specifically in [[grammar]], a short [[clause]].<ref>{{cite OED|comma|id=36944}}</ref><ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Comma|volume=6|page=765}}</ref>

A comma-shaped mark is used as a [[diacritic]] in several writing systems and is considered distinct from the [[cedilla]]. In [[Byzantine empire|Byzantine]] and modern copies of [[Ancient Greek]], the "[[rough breathing|rough]]" and "[[smooth breathing]]s" ({{lang|grc|ἁ, ἀ}}) appear above the letter. In [[Latvian orthography|Latvian]], [[Romanian orthography|Romanian]], and [[Livonian orthography|Livonian]], the [[#Diacritical usage|comma diacritic]] appears below the letter, as in {{char|ș}}.

In [[spoken language]], a common [[rule of thumb]] is that the function of a comma is generally performed by a [[Prosody (linguistics)#Pause|pause]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules for comma usage {{!}} English Language Help Desk |url= https://site.uit.no/english/punctuation/rules-for-comma-usage/ |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

''In this article,'' {{angbr|x}} ''denotes a [[grapheme]] (writing) and'' /x/ ''denotes a [[phoneme]] (sound).''
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