Commas
The five comma jobs children learn from Year 2 to Year 5, and the one thing a comma cannot do.
The answer
A comma (,) separates parts of a sentence, such as items in a list, a fronted adverbial or extra information, to make the meaning clear.
Examples
We bought apples, pears, plums and grapes.
A list: no comma before the final and.
After lunch, we played rounders.
After a fronted adverbial.
My dad, who is a nurse, works at night.
A pair of commas around extra information.
“Come here,” said Mum.
Inside the inverted commas, before the reporting clause.
Let’s eat, Grandma!
Without the comma, it sounds as if you are going to eat Grandma.
How to spot it
- Lists: a comma between the items, and usually none before the final and in British schools.
- After a fronted adverbial or a subordinate clause at the start of a sentence.
- Around extra information that could be lifted out, and to make the meaning clear, as in Let’s eat, Grandma!
The common mistake
Joining two sentences with just a comma.
‘It was sunny, we went to the beach’ is a comma splice. Use a full stop, a semi-colon or a conjunction: It was sunny, so we went to the beach.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “comma”
Year 2 names the comma and uses it to separate items in a list. Year 4 adds commas after fronted adverbials and in direct speech. Year 5 uses commas for parenthesis and to clarify meaning or avoid ambiguity.
Try a question
Insert the missing commas.
We need eggs flour sugar and butter.
Show the answer
Answer: We need eggs, flour, sugar and butter.
Commas separate the items in the list. British schools usually teach no comma before the final and.
Practise it
An interactive exercise where your child taps the gap where the comma belongs after a fronted adverbial.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Punctuate a list
- Practise the 11+ skill: Punctuate direct address
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Do children use the Oxford comma?
The Oxford comma is a comma before the final and in a list (red, white, and blue). Most British primary schools teach lists without it: red, white and blue.
Do you need a comma before because?
Usually not: We stayed in because it rained. If the because clause comes first, put a comma after it: Because it rained, we stayed in.
What is a comma splice?
Two main clauses joined by only a comma. The national curriculum glossary calls it a common error; a full stop, a semi-colon or a conjunction fixes it.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.