2
1. Alexander Pope, the Restoration poet, is famous for his monologues. (appositive)
2. The poet Pope is famous for his monologues. (no appositive)
3. The New York Jets, the underdogs, surprised everyone by winning the Super Bowl.
(appositive)
6. USE A COMMA TO INDICATE DIRECT ADDRESS.
Rule: When a speaker in a sentence names the person to whom he is speaking, this addressing
of his audience is called direct address. Direct address is indicated by the use of a comma or
commas, depending upon its placement within the sentence.
1. I think, John, you’re wrong.
2. John, I think you’re wrong.
3. I think you’re wrong, John.
7. USE COMMAS TO SET OFF DIRECT QUOTATIONS.
Rule: A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. If the speaker (not the listener) in
the conversation is identified, his name, (or the noun or pronoun used to refer to the speaker), and
the verb that refers to his speaking are enclosed within commas.
1. Mary said, “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud.”
2. “I dislike concerts because the music is too loud,” she said.
3. “I dislike concerts,” proclaimed Mary, “because the music is too loud.”
8. USE COMMAS WITH DATES, ADDRESSES, TITLES, AND NUMBERS.
Rules for dates: In dates, the year is set off from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas.
Ex: On December 12, 1890, orders were sent out for the arrest of Sitting Bull.
Rules for addresses: The elements of an address or place name are separated by commas. A zip
code, however, is not preceded by a comma.
Ex: John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, in 1940.
Ex: Please send the letter to Greg Carvin at 708 Spring Street, Washington, IL 61571.
Rules for titles: If a title follows a name, separate the title from the rest of the sentence with a pair
of commas.
Ex: Sandra Belinsky, MD, has been appointed to the board.
Rules for numbers: In numbers more than four digits long, use commas to separate the numbers
into groups of three, starting from the right. In numbers four digits long, a comma is optional.
Ex: 3,500 [or 3500]
Ex: 100,000
Ex: 6,000,000