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# comma

noun (a comma, commas)

«comma» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A comma is a punctuation mark (,) that shows a short pause or separates parts of a sentence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#m1)
2. Commas separate things in a list: «eggs, milk and bread». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#m2)
3. In numbers, a comma groups digits in threes to make them easy to read: «1,000,000»; in many European countries a comma is used as the decimal point instead. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#m3)

### In the lessons

In English lessons pupils use commas in lists, after a fronted adverbial («After lunch, we played»), around extra information («My brother, who is ten, plays chess»), before speech marks and in addresses. Phrases: «Oxford comma» or «serial comma» (a comma before «and» in a list), «comma splice» (two sentences joined only by a comma — a mistake). In maths, commas separate thousands in big numbers in the UK, USA and Australia, and coordinates are written with a comma: (3, 4).

### Examples

- Put a comma between the items in a list. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x1)
- «Let's eat, Grandma!» needs a comma, or it sounds like we are eating Grandma. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x2)
- After a fronted adverbial, put a comma: «Later that day, it rained.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x3)
- My sister, who loves horses, rides every Saturday. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x4)
- Write ten thousand as 10,000. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x5)
- The point (2, 5) is two across and five up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x6)
- A comma shows the reader where to take a short breath. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/#x7)

### Note

Plural «commas». A comma is not a full stop: do not join two complete sentences with only a comma. In maths, «3,5» in France or Germany means three and a half, but in the UK and USA it is «3.5» — the comma and the decimal point swap between countries. Do not confuse «comma» with «coma» (a deep sleep after an illness or injury).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «comma» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/comma/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«comma» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/comma.html) on Mova free.