Editing Comma

{{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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==History==
{{main|Punctuation#Western antiquity}}
The development of [[punctuation]] is much more recent than the alphabet.

In the 3rd century BC, [[Aristophanes of Byzantium]] invented a system of single [[Interpunct|dots]] ({{lang|grc-Latn|théseis}}) at varying levels, which separated verses and indicated the amount of breath needed to complete each fragment of the text when [[Reading (process)|reading]] aloud.<ref>{{cite book |title= Eats, Shoot & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation|last= Truss|first= Lynn|year= 2004|publisher= Gotham Books|location= New York|isbn= 1-59240-087-6|page=72}}</ref> The different lengths were signified by a dot at the bottom, middle, or top of the line. For a short passage, a {{lang|grc|komma}} in the form of a dot {{angbr|·}} was placed mid-level. This is the origin of the concept of a comma, although the name came to be used for the mark itself instead of the clause it separated.

The mark used today is descended from a {{char|/}}, a diagonal [[slash (punctuation)|slash]] known as {{lang|la|virgula suspensiva}}, used from the 13th to 17th centuries to represent a pause. The modern comma was first used by [[Aldus Manutius]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.haverford.edu/classics/courses/2006S/lat101/handouts/no_spaces_aeneid.pdf |title=Reading Before Punctuation – ''Introduction to Latin Literature'' pamphlet |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060902185038/http://www.haverford.edu/classics/courses/2006S/lat101/handouts/no_spaces_aeneid.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2006}}, [[Haverford College]]</ref><ref>[https://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/ms-course/course/punc.htm#mtop Manuscript Studies, Medieval and Early Modern] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203023/http://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/ms-course/course/punc.htm#mtop |date=4 March 2016}} – [[Palaeography]]: Punctuation glossary</ref>

==Uses in English==
In general, the comma shows that the words immediately before the comma are less closely or exclusively linked [[grammar|grammatically]] to those immediately after the comma than they might be otherwise. The comma performs a number of functions in [[English language|English]] writing. It is used in generally similar ways in other languages, particularly European ones, although the rules on comma usage – and their rigidity – vary from language to language.

===List separator and the serial (Oxford) comma <span class="anchor" id="Serial comma"></span><span class="anchor" id="Oxford comma"></span>===
{{Further|Serial comma}}
Commas are placed between items in lists, as in ''They own a cat, a dog, two rabbits, and seven mice.''

Whether the final conjunction, most frequently ''and'', should be preceded by a comma, called the ''serial comma'', is one of the most disputed linguistic or stylistic questions in English:

*They served apples, peaches, and bananas. (serial comma used)
*They served apples, peaches and bananas. (serial comma omitted)

The serial comma is used much more often, usually routinely, in the United States. A majority of American style guides mandate its use, including ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'', [[William Strunk Jr.|Strunk]] and [[E. B. White|White]]'s classic ''[[The Elements of Style]]'', and the [[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Publishing Office]]'s ''Style Manual''.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office |page=202 |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> Conversely, the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'' for journalistic writing advises against it.

The serial comma is also known as the Oxford comma, Harvard comma, or series comma. Although less common in British English, its usage occurs within both American and British English. It is called the Oxford comma because of its long history of use by Oxford University Press.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=What is the 'Oxford comma'? |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=15 September 2015 |url= http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-is-the-oxford-comma?q=oxford+comma |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151006162613/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-is-the-oxford-comma?q=oxford+comma |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 October 2015}}</ref>

According to ''New Hart's Rules'', "house style will dictate" whether to use the serial comma. "The general rule is that one style or the other should be used consistently." No association with region or dialect is suggested, other than that its use has been strongly advocated by Oxford University Press.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ritter |first1=R. M. |title=New Hart's Rules|url= https://archive.org/details/newhartsrules00rmri |url-access=registration |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newhartsrules00rmri/page/77 77], 300 |isbn=9780198610410 |edition=2nd}}</ref> Its use is preferred by [[Henry Watson Fowler|Fowler]]'s ''[[Modern English Usage]]''. It is recommended by the United States [[Government Printing Office]], [[Harvard University Press]], and the classic ''Elements of Style'' of [[Strunk and White]].

Use of a comma may prevent ambiguity:

* The sentence ''I spoke to the boys, Sam and Tom'' could mean either ''I spoke to the boys and Sam and Tom'' (I spoke to more than three people) or ''I spoke to the boys, who are Sam and Tom'' (I spoke to two people);
* ''I spoke to the boys, Sam, and Tom'' – must be ''the boys and Sam and Tom'' (I spoke to more than three people).

The serial comma does not eliminate all confusion. Consider the following sentence:
*''I thank my mother, Anne Smith, and Thomas.'' This could mean either ''my mother and Anne Smith and Thomas'' (three people) or ''my mother, who is Anne Smith; and Thomas'' (two people). This sentence might be recast as "my mother (Anne Smith) and Thomas" for clarity.
* ''I thank my mother, Anne Smith and Thomas.'' Because the comma after "mother" is conventionally used to prepare the reader for an [[apposition|appositive phrase]] – that is, a renaming of or further information about a noun – this construction formally suggests that my mother's name is "Anne Smith and Thomas". Because that is implausible, it is relatively clear that the construction refers to two separate people. Compare "I thank my friend, Smith and Wesson", in which the ambiguity is obvious to those who recognise [[Smith & Wesson|Smith and Wesson]] as a business name.

As a [[rule of thumb]], ''[[The Guardian]] Style Guide''<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/o |title=Guardian and Observer style guide: O |access-date=1 April 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=19 December 2008 |archive-date=9 November 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131109084838/http://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/o |url-status=live}}</ref> suggests that straightforward lists (''he ate ham, eggs and chips'') do not need a comma before the final "and", but sometimes it can help the reader (''he ate cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade, and tea''). ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' and other academic writing guides require the serial comma: all lists must have a comma before the "and" prefacing the last item in a series {{see below|[[Comma#Differences between American and British usage|Differences between American and British usage]] below}}.

If the individual items of a list are long, complex, affixed with description, or themselves contain commas, [[semicolon]]s may be preferred as separators, and the list may be introduced with a [[Colon (punctuation)|colon]].

In [[News style#Headline|news headlines]], a comma might replace the word "and", even if there are only two items, in order to save space, as in this headline from Reuters:<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-handshake-idUSKBN18L1OB |title=Trump, Macron engage in a little handshake diplomacy |date=25 May 2017 |work=Reuters |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170702183243/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-handshake-idUSKBN18L1OB |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Trump, Macron engage in a little handshake diplomacy.''

===Separation of clauses===
Commas are often used to separate [[clause]]s. In English, a comma is often used to separate a [[dependent clause]] from the [[independent clause]] if the dependent clause comes first: ''After I fed the cat, I brushed my clothes.'' (Compare this with ''I brushed my clothes after I fed the cat.'') A [[relative clause]] takes commas if it is non-[[restrictiveness|restrictive]], as in ''I cut down all the trees, which were over six feet tall.'' (Without the comma, this would mean that only the trees more than six feet tall were cut down.) Some style guides prescribe that two [[independent clause]]s joined by a coordinating [[Grammatical conjunction|conjunction]] (''for'', ''and'', ''nor'', ''but'', ''or'', ''yet'', ''so'') must be separated by a comma placed before the conjunction.<ref name="Fowler3rev1">{{Cite book |last=Fowler |first1=Henry Watson |author1-link=Henry Watson Fowler |last2=Burchfield |first2=Robert W. |author2-link=Robert Burchfield |title=The New Fowler's Modern English Usage |edition=Third, revised |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-860263-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern0000fowl_2000/page/162 162] |url= https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern0000fowl_2000/page/162}}</ref><ref name="getitwriteonline1">{{cite web |first=Nancy |last=Tuten |url= https://getitwriteonline.com/articles/when-to-use-comma-before-and/ |title=When to Use a Comma before "And" |work=Getitwriteonline.com |access-date=25 March 2012 |archive-date=12 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190112211303/https://getitwriteonline.com/articles/when-to-use-comma-before-and/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In the following sentences, where the second clause is independent (because it can stand alone as a sentence), the comma is considered by those guides to be necessary:
* ''Mary walked to the party, but she was unable to walk home.''
* ''Designer clothes are silly, and I can't afford them anyway.''
* ''Don't push that button, or twelve tons of high explosives will go off right under our feet!''
In the following sentences, where the second half of the sentence is a dependent clause (because it does not contain an explicit [[subject (grammar)|subject]]), those guides prescribe that the comma be omitted:
* ''Mary walked to the party but was unable to walk home.''
* ''I think designer clothes are silly and can't afford them anyway.''
However, such guides permit the comma to be omitted if the second independent clause is very short, typically when the second independent clause is an [[imperative mood|imperative]],<ref name="Fowler3rev1" /><ref name="getitwriteonline1" /> as in:
* ''Sit down and shut up.''
The above guidance is not universally accepted or applied. Long [[coordinate clause]]s, particularly when separated by "but", are often separated by commas:<ref>{{cite book|last=Swan |first=Michael |year=2006 |title=Practical English Usage |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>
* ''She had very little to live on, but would never have dreamed of taking what was not hers.''

In some languages, such as [[German language|German]] and [[Polish language|Polish]], stricter rules apply on comma use between clauses, with dependent clauses always being set off with commas, and commas being generally proscribed before certain coordinating conjunctions.

The joining of two independent sentences with a comma and no conjunction (as in ''"It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark."'') is known as a ''[[comma splice]]'' and is sometimes considered an error in English;<ref>{{cite book |last=Strunk |first=William |date=May 2007 |title=The Elements of Style |publisher=Filiquarian Publishing |isbn=978-1-59986-933-9 |page=12 |quote=Do not join independent clauses by a comma.}}</ref> in most cases a semicolon should be used instead. A comma splice should not be confused, though, with the literary device called ''[[asyndeton]]'', in which coordinating conjunctions are purposely omitted for a specific stylistic effect.

A much debated comma is the one in the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which says ''"A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."'' but ratified by several states as ''"A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."'' which has caused much debate on its interpretation.

===Certain adverbs===
Commas are always used to set off certain [[adverb]]s at the beginning of a sentence, including ''however'', ''in fact'', ''therefore'', ''nevertheless'', ''moreover'', ''furthermore'', and ''still''.

* ''Therefore, a comma would be appropriate in this sentence.''
* ''Nevertheless, I will not use one.''

If these adverbs appear in the middle of a sentence, they are followed and preceded by a comma. As in the second of the two examples below, if a semicolon separates the two sentences and the second sentence starts with an adverb, this adverb is preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.

* ''In this sentence, furthermore, commas would also be called for.''
* ''This sentence is a bit different; however, a comma is necessary as well.''

Using commas to offset certain adverbs is optional, including ''then'', ''so'', ''yet'', ''instead'', and ''too'' (meaning ''also'').

* ''So, that's it for this rule.'' or
* ''So that's it for this rule.''
* ''A comma would be appropriate in this sentence, too.'' or
* ''A comma would be appropriate in this sentence too.''

=== Parenthetical phrases ===
{{anchor|Parenthetical phrase}}
Commas are often used to enclose [[parenthesis (rhetoric)|parenthetical]] words and phrases within a sentence (i.e., information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence). Such phrases are both preceded and followed by a comma, unless that would result in a doubling of punctuation marks or the parenthetical is at the start or end of the sentence. The following are examples of types of parenthetical phrases:
*Introductory phrase: ''Once upon a time, my father ate a muffin.''<ref>''Garner's Modern American Usage'', (Oxford: 2003, p. 655)</ref>
*Interjection: ''My father ate the muffin, gosh darn it!''
*Aside: ''My father, if you don't mind me telling you this, ate the muffin.''
*[[Apposition|Appositive]]: ''My father, a jaded and bitter man, ate the muffin.''
*Absolute phrase: ''My father, his eyes flashing with rage, ate the muffin.''
*Free modifier: ''My father, chewing with unbridled fury, ate the muffin.''
*Resumptive modifier: ''My father ate the muffin, a muffin which no man had yet chewed.''
*Summative modifier: ''My father ate the muffin, a feat which no man had attempted.''

The parenthesization of phrases may change the connotation, reducing or eliminating
[[ambiguity]]. In the following example, the thing in the first sentence that
is relaxing is the cool day, whereas in the second sentence, it is the walk since the introduction of commas makes "on a cool day" parenthetical:

:''They took a walk on a cool day that was relaxing.''

:''They took a walk, on a cool day, that was relaxing.''

As more phrases are introduced, ambiguity accumulates, but when commas separate
each phrase, the phrases clearly become modifiers of just one thing. In the
second sentence below, that thing is ''the walk'':

:''They took a walk in the park on a cool day that was relaxing.''

:''They took a walk, in the park, on a cool day, that was relaxing.''

===Between adjectives===
A comma is used to separate ''coordinate adjectives'' (i.e., [[adjective#Order|adjectives]] that directly and equally modify the following noun). Adjectives are considered coordinate if the meaning would be the same if their order were reversed or if ''and'' were placed between them. For example:
*''The dull, incessant droning'' but ''the cute little cottage.''
*''The devious lazy red frog'' suggests there are lazy red frogs (one of which is devious), while ''the devious, lazy red frog'' does not carry this connotation.

===Before quotations===
Some writers precede quoted material that is the grammatical object of an active verb of speaking or writing with a comma, as in ''Mr. Kershner says, "You should know how to use a comma."'' Quotations that follow and support an assertion are often preceded by a [[Colon (punctuation)|colon]] rather than a comma.

Other writers do not put a comma before quotations unless one would occur anyway. Thus, they would write ''Mr. Kershner says "You should know how to use a comma."''

===In dates===

====Month day, year====
When a date is written as a month followed by a day followed by a year, a comma separates the day from the year: December 19, 1941. This style is common in American English. The comma is used to avoid confusing consecutive numbers: December 19&nbsp;1941.
Most style manuals, including ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]''<ref>Chicago Manual of Style:
"It's conventional to put a comma after the year. The commas are like parentheses here, so it doesn't make sense to have only one."</ref>
and the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.apstylebook.com/ask_editor.php |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081204072022/https://www.apstylebook.com/ask_editor.php |archive-date=4 December 2008 |title=Ask the Editor |access-date=7 June 2019 |work=AP Stylebook |date=3 December 2008 |quote=When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas... ''Feb. 14, 1987, was the target date''.}}</ref>
also recommend that the year be treated as a parenthetical, requiring a second comma after it: ''"Feb. 14, 1987, was the target date."''

If just the month and year are given, no commas are used:<ref>{{cite web |url= https://terriblywrite.wordpress.com/terribly-right-writing-for-the-web/top-5-comma-errors/ |title=Top 5 Comma Errors |date=30 June 2008 |access-date=24 July 2020 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200728174136/https://terriblywrite.wordpress.com/terribly-right-writing-for-the-web/top-5-comma-errors/ |url-status=live}}</ref> "Her daughter may return in June 2009 for the reunion."

====Day month year====
When the day precedes the month, the month name separates the numeric day and year, so commas are not necessary to separate them: "The [[Raid on Alexandria (1941)|Raid on Alexandria]] was carried out on 19&nbsp;December&nbsp;1941."

===In geographical names===
Commas are used to separate parts of geographical references, such as city and state (''Dallas, Texas'') or city and country (''Kampala, Uganda''). Additionally, most style manuals, including ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]''<ref>"Mary traveled to Seattle, Washington, before going on to California." {{cite web |url= https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Commas/faq0041.html |title=FAQ item: Commas |access-date=20 May 2021 |work=The Chicago Manual of Style Online |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210520224116/https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Commas/faq0041.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
and the ''AP Stylebook'',<ref>"Acme Pens was founded in Padua, Italy, in 2004." {{cite web |url= http://www.apstylebook.com/ask_editor.php |title=Ask the Editor |access-date=29 October 2008 |work=AP Stylebook |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081204072022/http://www.apstylebook.com/ask_editor.php |archive-date=4 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
recommend that the second element be treated as a parenthetical, requiring a second comma after: ''"The plane landed in Kampala, Uganda, that evening."''<ref>''Chicago Manual of Style'', 14th ed., §5.67.</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.usps.com/ship/preparing-domestic-shipments.htm|title=Preparing Shipments|publisher=The United States Postal Service |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143533/https://www.usps.com/ship/preparing-domestic-shipments.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Royal Mail]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/81 |title=How to address your mail |publisher=Royal Mail (UK) |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 August 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230812135834/https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/81 |url-status=live}}</ref> recommend leaving out punctuation when writing addresses on actual letters and packages, as the marks hinder [[optical character recognition]]. [[Canada Post]] has similar guidelines, only making very limited use of hyphens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to address mail and parcels |url= https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/sending/general-information/how-to-address-mail-and-parcels |access-date=13 October 2022 |website=Canada Post |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221013231522/https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/sending/general-information/how-to-address-mail-and-parcels |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== In mathematics ===
Similar to the case in natural languages, commas are often used to delineate the boundary between multiple [[mathematical object]]s in a list (e.g., <math>(3, 5, 12)</math>). Commas are also used to indicate the [[comma derivative]] of a [[tensor]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weisstein |first=Eric W. |title=Comma |url= https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Comma.html |access-date=22 August 2020 |website=Wolfram MathWorld |archive-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201003015218/https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Comma.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===In numbers===
{{Main|Decimal separator}}
In representing large numbers, from the right side to the left, English texts usually use commas to separate each group of three digits in front of the decimal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Common Mathematical Symbols and Terminology |url= https://www.skillsyouneed.com/num/common-symbols.html |access-date=22 August 2020 |website=SkillsYouNeed |archive-date=2 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201002225233/https://www.skillsyouneed.com/num/common-symbols.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This is almost always done for numbers of six or more digits, and often for four or five digits but not in front of the number itself. However, in much of Europe, Southern Africa and Latin America, [[full stop|period]]s or spaces are used instead; the comma is used as a [[decimal separator]], equivalent to the use in English of the [[decimal separator|decimal point]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weisstein |first=Eric W. |title=Decimal Point |url= https://mathworld.wolfram.com/DecimalPoint.html |access-date=22 August 2020 |website=Wolfram MathWorld |archive-date=21 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220321195047/https://mathworld.wolfram.com/DecimalPoint.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In India, the groups are two digits, except for the rightmost group, which is of three digits. In some styles, the comma may not be used for this purpose at all (e.g. in the [[International System of Units#Unit symbols and the values of quantities|SI writing style]]<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://standards.ieee.org/guides/style/section6.html#695 |title=IEEE Standards Style Manual |date=May 2000 |website=Standards.IEEE.org |publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] |access-date=9 November 2004 |archive-date=28 October 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041028103201/http://standards.ieee.org/guides/style/section6.html#695 |url-status=dead}}</ref>); a space may be used to separate groups of three digits instead.

===In names===
Commas are used when rewriting names to present the surname first, generally in instances of alphabetization by surname: ''Smith, John''. They are also used before many titles that follow a name: ''John Smith, Ph.D.''

It can also be used in regnal names followed by their occupation: ''Louis XIII, king of France and Navarre''.

Similarly in lists that are presented with an inversion: ''socks, green: 3 pairs; socks, red: 2 pairs; tie, regimental: 1''.

===Ellipsis===
Commas may be used to indicate that a word, or a group of words, has been omitted,<ref>{{cite web |title=Writing Tips: Comma Use |url= http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/commas/ |website=Center for Writing Studies |publisher=[[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]] |access-date=12 March 2017 |quote=A comma is sometimes used to indicate the omission of one or more words |archive-date=4 May 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170504203221/http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/commas/ |url-status=unfit }}</ref> as in ''The cat was white; the dog, brown.'' (Here the comma replaces ''was''.)

===Vocative===
Commas are placed before, after, or around a noun or pronoun used independently in speaking to some person, place, or thing:
*''I hope, John, that you will read this.''

===Between the subject and predicate===
In his 1785 essay ''An Essay on Punctuation'', [[Joseph Robertson (clergyman)|Joseph Robertson]] advocated a comma between the subject and predicate of long sentences for clarity; however, this usage is regarded as an error in modern times.
*''The good taste of the present age, has not allowed us to neglect the cultivation of the English language.''
*''Whoever is capable of forgetting a benefit, is an enemy to society.''

===Differences between American and British usage in placement of commas and quotation marks===
{{See also|Quotation marks in English#Order of punctuation}}
The comma and the [[quotation mark]] can be paired in several ways.

In Great Britain and many other parts of the world, punctuation is usually placed within quotation marks only if it is part of what is being quoted or referred to:<ref name="APA">{{cite web |title=Punctuating around quotation marks |date=August 11, 2011 |series=APA Style Blog |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |url= https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/08/punctuating-around-quotation-marks.html |first1=Chelsea |last1=Lee |access-date=12 September 2015 |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201009062705/https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/08/punctuating-around-quotation-marks.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WilbersonChicago14">{{cite web |last=Wilbers |first=Stephen |title=Frequently Asked Questions concerning punctuation |type=web site |url= http://www.wilbers.com/FAQPunctuation.htm |access-date=10 September 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180613040839/http://www.wilbers.com/FAQPunctuation.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. --> |title=Scientific Style and Format: The CBE manual for authors, editors and publishers |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780521471541 |format=PDF |quote=In the British style ([[Oxford University Press|OUP]], 1983), all signs of punctuation used with words and quotation marks must be placed ''according to the sense''. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PoFJ-OhE63UC&q=%22quotation+marks%22+%22according+to+sense%22+British&pg=PA180 |access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>
* My mother gave me the nickname "Bobby Bobby Bob Bob Boy", which really made me angry.

In American English, the comma was commonly included inside a quotation mark:<ref name="APA" /><ref name="WilbersonChicago14" />
* My mother gave me the nickname "Bobby Bobby Bob Bob Boy," which really made me angry.

During the [[Second World War]], the British carried the comma over into abbreviations. Specifically, "Special Operations, Executive" was written "S.O.,E.".  Nowadays, even the [[full stop]]s are frequently discarded in British usage.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lovell |first=Stanley P. |year=1963 |title=Of Spies and Stratagems |publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] |asin=B000LBAQYS |location=[[Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey|Englewood Cliffs]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]}}</ref>

==Languages other than English==

=== Western Europe ===
Western European languages like German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese use the same comma as English, with similar spacing, though usage may be somewhat different. For instance, in Standard German, subordinate clauses are always preceded by commas.

===Comma variants===
{{Contains special characters|Uncommon Unicode|section}}
The basic comma is defined in [[Unicode]] as {{unichar|002c|html=}}, and many variants by typography or language are also defined.

{{clear}}
:{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
!scope="col"|Character
!scope="col"|Unicode point
!scope="col"|Unicode name
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ,}}
| U+002C
| {{sc| COMMA}}
| Prose in European languages<br/>[[Decimal separator]] in [[Continental Europe]], [[Brazil]], and most other [[Latin America]]n countries<!-- But not Mexico, for one. -->
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ،}}
| U+060C
| [[Arabic script|{{sc|ARABIC}}]] {{sc|COMMA}}
| Used in all languages using [[Arabic alphabet]]<br/>Also used in other languages, including [[Syriac alphabet|Syriac]] and [[Thaana]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ⸲}}
| U+2E32
| {{sc| TURNED COMMA}}
| [[Palaeotype alphabet|Palaeotype]] transliteration symbol – indicates [[nasalization]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ⸴}}
| U+2E34
| {{sc| RAISED COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ⹁}}
| U+2E41
| {{sc| REVERSED COMMA}}
| Used in [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]<!--Script unspecified.-->, among other languages 
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ⹉}}
| U+2E49
| {{sc| DOUBLE STACKED COMMA}}
| Used in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical book [[Typikon]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| 、}}
| U+3001
| [[ideogram|{{sc|IDEOGRAPHIC}}]] {{sc|COMMA}}
| Used in [[Written Chinese|Chinese]] and [[Japanese writing system|Japanese]] writing systems {{see below|{{section link||East Asia}}, below}}
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ︐}}
| [[Vertical Forms|U+FE10]]
| {{sc| PRESENTATION FORM FOR VERTICAL COMMA}}
| Used in vertical writing
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ︑}}
| [[Vertical Forms|U+FE11]]
| {{sc| PRESENTATION FORM FOR VERTICAL}} [[ideogram|{{sc|IDEOGRAPHIC}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
| Used in vertical writing
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ﹐}}
| [[Small Form Variants|U+FE50]]
| {{sc| SMALL COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ﹑}}
| [[Small Form Variants|U+FE51]]
| {{sc| SMALL}} [[ideogram|{{sc| IDEOGRAPHIC}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ，}}
| [[Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms (Unicode block)|U+FF0C]]
| {{sc| FULLWIDTH COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ､}}
| [[Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms (Unicode block)|U+FF64]]
| {{sc| HALFWIDTH}} [[ideogram|{{sc| IDEOGRAPHIC}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|}

Some languages use a completely different sort of character for the purpose of the comma.

:{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|Character
!scope="col"|Unicode point
!scope="col"|Unicode name
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ·}}
| U+00B7
| {{sc| MIDDLE DOT}}
| Used as a comma in [[Georgian scripts|Georgian]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ∘}}
| U+2218
| {{sc| RING OPERATOR}}
| Used as a comma in [[Malayalam script|Malayalam]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ՝}}
| U+055D
| [[Armenian alphabet|{{sc|ARMENIAN}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ߸}}
| U+07F8
| [[N'Ko alphabet|{{sc|NKO}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ፣}}
| U+1363
| [[Ge'ez script|{{sc|ETHIOPIC}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ᠂}}
| U+1802
| [[Mongolian script|{{sc|MONGOLIAN}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ᠈}}
| U+1808
| [[Manchu alphabet|{{sc|MONGOLIAN MANCHU}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ⹌}}
| U+2E4C
| [[Middle Ages|{{sc|MEDIEVAL}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ꓾}}
| U+A4FE
| [[Lisu language|{{sc|LISU}}]] {{sc| PUNCTUATION COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ꘍}}
| U+A60D
| [[Vai syllabary|{{sc|VAI}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ꛵}}
| U+A6F5
| [[Bamum script|{{sc|BAMUM}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| 𑑍}}
|data-sort-value="U+X1144D"| U+1144D
| [[Prachalit Nepal alphabet|{{sc|NEWA}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| 𑑚}}
|data-sort-value="U+X1145A"| U+1145A
| [[Prachalit Nepal alphabet|{{sc|NEWA}}]] {{sc| DOUBLE COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| 𖺗}}
|data-sort-value="U+X16E97"| U+16E97
| [[Medefaidrin|{{sc|MEDEFAIDRIN}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| 𝪇}}
|data-sort-value="U+X1DA87"| U+1DA87
| [[SignWriting|{{sc|SIGNWRITING}}]] {{sc| COMMA}}
|
|}

There are also a number of comma-like [[diacritic]]s with "{{sc|COMMA}}" in their Unicode names that are not intended for use as [[punctuation]]. A comma-like low quotation mark is also available (shown below; corresponding sets of raised single quotation marks and double-quotation marks are not shown).

:{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|Character
!scope="col"|Unicode point
!scope="col"|Unicode name
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ʻ}}
| U+02BB
| {{sc| MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA}}
| Used as ''{{lang|haw|[[ʻokina]]}}'' in [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ʽ}}
| U+02BD
| {{sc| MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA}}
| Indicates weak aspiration
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| &nbsp; ‍̒}}
| U+0312
| [[Combining character|{{sc|COMBINING}}]] {{sc| TURNED COMMA ABOVE}}
| Latvian diacritic [[cedilla]] above
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| &nbsp; ‍̓}}
| U+0313
| [[Combining character|{{sc|COMBINING}}]] {{sc| COMMA ABOVE}}
| Greek ''{{lang|el|psili}}'' (smooth breathing mark)
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| &nbsp; ‍̔}}
| U+0314
| [[Combining character|{{sc|COMBINING}}]] {{sc| REVERSED COMMA ABOVE}}
| Greek ''{{lang|el|dasia}}'' (rough breathing mark)
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| &nbsp; ‍̕}}
| U+0315
| [[Combining character|{{sc|COMBINING}}]] {{sc| COMMA ABOVE RIGHT}}
|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| &nbsp; ‍̦}}
| U+0326
| [[Combining character|{{sc|COMBINING}}]] {{sc| COMMA BELOW}}
| Diacritical mark in Romanian, Latvian, Livonian
|-
|style="text-align:center;"| {{big| ‚}}
| U+201A
| {{sc| SINGLE LOW-9 QUOTATION MARK}}
| Opening single quotation mark in some languages
|}

There are various other Unicode characters that include commas or comma-like figures with other characters or marks, that are not shown in these tables.

=== Greece ===
{{vanchor|Greek comma|komma|text=[[Greek language|Modern Greek]] uses the same [[Unicode]] comma for its {{Transliteration|el|kómma}} ({{lang|el|κόμμα}})<ref name="nicky">Nicolas, Nick. "[http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html Greek Unicode Issues: Punctuation]" {{webarchive |url= https://archive.today/20120806003722/http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html |date=6 August 2012}}. 2005. Accessed 7 October 2014.</ref> and it is officially [[romanization of Greek|romanized]] as a Latin comma,<ref>{{lang|el|Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τυποποίησης}} [{{Transliteration|el|Ellīnikós Organismós Typopoíīsīs}}, '[[Hellenic Organization for Standardization]]']. {{lang|el|ΕΛΟΤ 743, 2η Έκδοση}} [{{Transliteration|el|ELOT 743, 2ī Ekdosī}}, "ELOT 743, {{nowrap|2nd ed.}}"]. ELOT (Athens), 2001. {{in lang|el}}.</ref> but it has additional roles owing to its conflation with the former [[hypodiastole]], a curved [[interpunct]] used to disambiguate certain homonyms. As such, the comma functions as a [[silent letter]] in a handful of Greek words, principally distinguishing {{lang|el|{{linktext|ό,τι}}}} ({{Transliteration|el|ó,ti}}, 'whatever') from {{lang|el|{{linktext|ότι}}}} ({{Transliteration|el|óti}}, 'that').<ref name="nicky" />}}

=== East Asia ===
{{vanchor|Enumeration comma|Ideographic comma|text=The '''enumeration''' or '''ideographic comma'''}} ({{unichar|3001}}) is used in [[Chinese punctuation|Chinese]],<ref name=":Reinders">{{Cite book |last=Reinders |first=Eric |title=Reading Tolkien in Chinese: Religion, Fantasy, and Translation |date=2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] Academic |isbn=9781350374645 |series=Perspectives on Fantasy series |location=London, UK}}</ref>{{Rp|page=20}} [[Japanese punctuation]], and somewhat in [[Korean punctuation]]. In China and Korea, this comma ({{zhi|t={{linktext|頓號}}|s={{linktext|顿号}}|p=dùnhào}}) is usually only used  to separate items in lists, while it is the more common form of comma in Japan ({{langx|ja|label=none|{{linktext|読点}}|tōten}}, {{lit.|clause mark}}).

In documents that mix [[Japanese script|Japanese]] and [[Latin script]]s, the '''full-width comma''' ({{unichar|FF0C}}) is used; this is the standard form of comma ({{zhi|t={{linktext|逗號}}|s={{linktext|逗号|p=dòuhào}}}}) in China. Since East Asian typography permits commas to join dependent clauses dealing with certain topics or lines of thought, commas may be used in ways that would be considered [[comma splice]]s in English.{{Clarification needed|reason=Comma splices join independent clauses, not dependent clauses.|date=October 2024}}

[[Korean punctuation]] uses both commas and [[interpunct]]s for lists.

In Unicode 5.2.0, "numbers with commas" ({{unichar|1F101|size=100%}} through {{unichar|1F10A|size=100%}}) were added to the [[Enclosed Alphanumeric Supplement]] block for compatibility with the [[ARIB STD B24 character set]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Suignard |first=Michel |date=11 March 2008 |title=Japanese TV Symbols – ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 N 33 97 – UTC L2/08 - 077 R 2 |url=http://unicode.org/wg2/docs/n3397.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121022050/http://unicode.org/wg2/docs/n3397.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2018 |access-date=20 November 2018 |publisher=[[The Unicode Consortium]] |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.2.0/ch15.pdf#G37643 |title=The Unicode Standard, Version 5.2: Chapter 15.9 – Symbols – Enclosed and Square |date=December 2009 |publisher=[[The Unicode Consortium]] |isbn=9781936213009 |page=490 (PDF: 33) |format=PDF |access-date=20 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109195919/http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode5.2.0/ch15.pdf#G37643 |archive-date=9 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== West Asia ===
{{vanchor|Arabic|text=The comma in the [[Arabic script]] used by languages including [[Arabic]], [[Urdu]], and [[Persian language|Persian]], is "upside-down" {{angbr|{{lang|ar|،}}}} ({{unichar|060C}}), in order to distinguish it from the [[Arabic diacritic]] {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḍammah}} {{angbr|{{lang|ar|ُ}}}} representing the vowel {{IPA|/u/}}, which is similarly shaped.<ref>{{Cite book |last=AbiFarès |first=Huda Smitshuijzen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UacVAQAAIAAJ |title=Arabic Typography: A Comprehensive Sourcebook |publisher=Saqi Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-86356-347-8 |location=London |page=106 |quote=The comma used in Arabic script is not only a mirror image of its Latin counterpart, but its tail is also turned upwards in order to avoid any possibility of confusing it with the ''Dammah'', the ''u'' short vowel mark.}}</ref> In Arabic texts, the Western-styled comma ({{lang|ar|٫}}) is used as a [[decimal point]].}}

[[Hebrew script]] is also written from right to left. However, [[Hebrew punctuation]] includes only a regular comma {{angbr|{{lang|he|,}}}}.

=== South Asia ===
{{vanchor|Sindhi|text=Reversed comma ({{unichar|2E41}}) is used in [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] when written in Arabic script. It is distinct from the standard Arabic comma.}}

[[Dravidian languages]] such as [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Kannada]], and [[Malayalam]] also use the punctuation mark in similar usage to that of European languages with similar spacing.<ref>[[:ta:கால்புள்ளி (தமிழ் நடை)]]</ref>{{circular reference|date=March 2024}}

==Computing==
In the common [[character (computing)|character]] encoding systems [[Unicode]] and [[ASCII]], character 44 ([[hexadecimal|0x2C]]) corresponds to the comma symbol. The [[HTML]] [[numeric character reference]] is <code>&amp;#44;</code>.

In many computer languages commas are used as a field delimiter to separate arguments to a [[Subroutine|function]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Trailing_commas#Trailing_commas_in_functions |title=Trailing commas |access-date=31 May 2019 |first1=Felix |last1=Kling |first2=Florian |last2=Scholz |first3=Eric |last3=Shepherd |date=23 March 2019 |website=[[Mozilla|Mozilla Blog]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190405084616/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Trailing_commas |archive-date=5 April 2019}}</ref> to separate elements in a [[Array data type|list]], and to perform data designation on multiple variables at once.

In the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]] the comma symbol is an [[Comma operator|operator]] which evaluates its first [[Parameter (computer programming)|argument]] (which may have side-effects) and then returns the value of its evaluated second argument. This is useful in ''for'' [[statement (programming)|statement]]s and [[Macro (computer science)|macros]].

In [[Smalltalk]] and [[APL (programming language)|APL]], the [[comma operator]] is used to [[Concatenation|concatenate]] collections, including strings. In APL, it is also used [[unary operation|monadically]] to rearrange the items of an array into a list.

In [[Prolog]], the comma is used to denote [[Logical Conjunction]] ("and").

The [[comma-separated values]] (CSV) format is very commonly used in exchanging text data between database and spreadsheet formats.

==Diacritical usage==
<!-- more combining commas in Unicode: above, ... -->
{{Infobox diacritic
 |char=◌̦
 |name=Combining comma below |unicode={{unichar|0326|cwith=◌}}
}}
<!-- This section is linked from [[Romance languages]] -->
{{main|D-comma|S-comma|T-comma}}

The comma is used as a [[diacritic]] mark in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] under {{angbr|s}} ({{angbr|Ș}}, {{angbr|ș}}), and under {{angbr|t}} ({{angbr|Ț}}, {{angbr|ț}}). A [[cedilla]] is occasionally used instead of it, but this is technically incorrect. The symbol {{angbr|d̦}} ('[[D-comma|d with comma below]]') was used as part of the [[Romanian transitional alphabet]] (19th century) to indicate the sounds denoted by the Latin letter {{angbr|z}} or letters {{angbr|dz}}, where derived from a [[Dze|Cyrillic ѕ]] ({{angbr|ѕ}},  {{IPA|/dz/}}). The comma and the cedilla are both derivative of {{angbr|ʒ}} (a small cursive {{angbr|z}}) placed below the letter. From this standpoint alone, {{angbr|ș}}, {{angbr|ț}}, and {{angbr|d̦}} could potentially be regarded as stand-ins for /sz/, /tz/, and /dz/ respectively.

In [[Latvian language|Latvian]], the comma is used on the letters {{angbr|ģ}}, {{angbr|ķ}}, {{angbr|ļ}}, {{angbr|ņ}}, and historically also {{angbr|ŗ}}, to indicate [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]]. Because the lowercase letter {{angbr|g}} has a [[descender]], the comma is rotated 180° and placed over the letter. Although their [[Adobe Systems|Adobe]] [[glyph]] names are 'letter with comma', their names in the [[Unicode]] Standard are 'letter with a cedilla'. They were introduced to the Unicode standard before 1992 and, per Unicode Consortium policy, their names cannot be altered. In the late 1920s and 1930s, the [[Latgalian language|Latgalian]] orthography used in Siberia used additional letters with comma: {{lang|ltg|{{angbr|c̦}}, {{angbr|d̦}}, {{angbr|m̦}}, {{angbr|p̦}}, {{angbr|ș}}, {{angbr|ț}}, {{angbr|v̦}}, {{angbr|z̦}}|italic=unset}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Andronovs |first=Aleksejs |last2=Leikuma |first2=Lidija |date=2009 |title=Par latgaliešu rakstu jeb literārās valodas pareizrunas kopšanu |url= http://www.lu.lv/fileadmin/user_upload/lu_portal/apgads/PDF/Baltu-filologija_XVIII-1-2_2009.pdf |journal=Baltu filoloģija |language=lv |volume=18 |issue=1/2 |pages=5–14}}</ref>

In [[Livonian language|Livonian]], whose alphabet is based on a mixture of Latvian and [[Estonian language|Estonian]] alphabets, the comma is used on the letters {{angbr|ḑ}}, {{angbr|ļ}}, {{angbr|ņ}}, {{angbr|ŗ}}, {{angbr|ț}} to indicate palatalization in the same fashion as Latvian, except that Livonian uses {{angbr|ḑ}} and {{angbr|ț}} to represent the same [[palatal consonant|palatal]] [[plosive consonant|plosive]] phonemes which Latvian writes as {{angbr|ģ}} and {{angbr|ķ}} respectively.

In [[Czech language|Czech]] and [[Slovak language|Slovak]], the diacritic in the characters {{angbr|ď}}, {{angbr|ť}}, and {{angbr|ľ}} resembles a superscript comma, but it is used instead of a [[caron]] because the letter has an [[ascender (typography)|ascender]]. Other ascender letters with carons, such as letters {{angbr|ȟ}} (used in [[Finnish Kalo language|Finnish Romani]] and [[Lakota language|Lakota]]) and {{angbr|ǩ}} (used in [[Skolt Sami language|Skolt Sami]]), did not modify their carons to superscript commas.

In 16th-century [[Guatemala]], the archaic letter [[cuatrillo]] with a comma ({{angbr|Ꜯ}} and {{angbr|ꜯ}}) was used to write Mayan languages.<ref>{{cite web |last=Everson |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Everson |title=N3028: Proposal to add Mayanist Latin letters to the UCS|url= https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06028-n3028-tresillo.pdf |date=30 January 2006 |access-date=4 February 2017 |archive-date=6 July 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170706090302/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06028-n3028-tresillo.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Copy editing]]
*[[English punctuation]]
*[[Latin-script alphabet]]
*[[List of typographical symbols and punctuation marks]]
*[[Ogonek]]
*[[Part of speech]]
*[[Sentence clause structure]]
*[[Traditional grammar]]

===Related history===
*[[Global spread of the printing press]]
*[[History of printing in East Asia]]
*[[History of sentence spacing]]
*[[History of Western typography]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|comma}}
{{Commons category|Commas|lcfirst=yes}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090327041029/http://www.sti.nasa.gov/publish/sp7084.pdf ''Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization'' – a comprehensive online guide by NASA]
*[https://specgram.com/CL.2/03.doolittle.odcom.html The Oxford Comma: A Solution] – a satirical suggestion to settle the problem of the Oxford Comma once and for all
*[https://specgram.com/CLI.4/04.celen.quotta.html The Quotta and the Quottiod] – another satirical compromise between the American and British traditions relating to quotes and commas.

{{Latin script|comma}}
{{navbox punctuation}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Punctuation]]
[[Category:Greek-script diacritics]]
[[Category:Latin-script diacritics]]