Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. The comma placed before and (or, nor) is not obligatory, but it is recommended because it sometimes disambiguates the sentence. We need another plan in case this one doesn't work. He left his car keys with the neighbor in case someone needs to move his car. Get some money in case you need to buy something. Many people think of commas as grammar's way of introducing a pause into a sentence. Thesaurus. Find … An Oxford comma changed this court case completely . Thus they would write Mr. Kershner says "You should know how to use a comma." 16 I brought two batteries just in case I needed a spare. Most of the time, you should not use a comma before because when it connects two clauses in a sentence.Because is a subordinating conjunction, which means that it connects a subordinate clause to an independent clause; good style dictates that there should be no comma between these two clauses.An exception can and should be made when the lack of a comma would cause ambiguity. If you were going to include 'in this case' you would write: This was the first time she played the main character in a film, the movie of her life, in this case. Dictionary Grammar Blog School Scrabble Thesaurus Translator Quiz More Resources More from Collins. No it's not always necessary to add a comma before instead. All you need to do to make sure you are correct is to check if your sentence is joining two independent clauses.. By AJ Willingham, CNN. However, if your intention is to convey that Alex lost and that his level of ability was the reason, insert a comma to make the causation clear. Commas don't just signify pauses in a sentence — precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before "and"? Don’t add a comma before the first or after the last item in a series. The punctuation will actually decide. "With . You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. Commas can separate items in a list. Yes :) Comma placement is more art than science. When an introductory prepositional phrase is very short (less than four words), the comma is usually optional. What’s ‘correct’ varies depending on the sense and composition of a sentence. 15 Just in case you don't already know, our Yobots piece was an April fool. It was just meant to be an easy example of a parenthetical. 17 I have also taken out a life insurance policy on him just in case . As a copy editor, I find people use them increasingly inconsistently, which often makes it difficult to be sure of the intended meaning. Summing up, all the sentences you have provided can do without commas before "that". * Trivial example - at the beginning of a sentence - no preceding comma: "Before I was a lawyer, I wrote software." So: This was the first time she played the main character in … In dates Month day, year. We keep the bedroom door open in case … This grammar lesson offers an explanation on the correct use of commas and gives examples of commas used in sentences. When to Use Commas After Introductory Prepositional Phrases. Thanks for this excellent guide, Mark. The comma says it's a parenthetical. Synonyms for just in case include if, in case, in the event, lest, whether or no, whether or not, whether, if necessary, as required and if need be. Don’t use a comma to separate the subject and verb in an independent clause. Commas can be used after the setting the scene for a sentence, after transitional phrases, after interjections, before conjunctions, for parentheses, after a long subject, in lists, and with the vocative case. (Hide at the moment when he comes in, not before.) Sentence (6) means that Tom likes fish and chips, and he also likes toasts. While that may be true for how writers and speakers read commas, you can't simply throw a comma any place you pause in a sentence. Besides, when you use that as a relative pronoun, you cannot use it in non defining sentences (where you use which), but these are the only ones where a comma is needed, to separate them from the main clause. I took the keys in case I came home late. In case Sentences How to use " in case" in a sentence . is either a long preposition which doesn't need a comma, or it's a parenthetical which does need one. . Let's hide if he comes in. 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.