The Use of Comma
The Use of Comma
Note:
Punctuation Marks:
IELTS Writing
Full stops
Full stops are very important. Put a clear full stop at the end of each sentence, and then
begin the next sentence with a capital letter. If you don't do this, you will get a low score.
Apostrophes
Avoid contractions in IELTS writing (Writing tasks 1 and 2 Academic, Formal letters
GTA). For example, Use "do not" instead of "don't".
Can’t- cannot
Hyphens
Compound modifiers should be hyphenated when they precede the nouns they are
modifying: a well-known sportsperson / a high-profile investigation / a 45-minute
meeting
three-quarters / two-thirds
But: a fifth or one fifth (not one-fifth), a quarter or one quarter etc.
1-In lists
Commas are used to separate words and phrases when there are three or more of
them.
Examples:
Music, art and drama are tremendously useful subjects. CORRECT(without comma)
OR
Music, art, and drama are tremendously useful subjects. CORRECT (with comma)
Taking music, art or drama at primary school is a waste of time. CORRECT (without comma)
OR
Taking music, art, or drama at primary school is a waste of time. CORRECT (with comma)
I will have a sandwich, an apple, an egg, and a bottle of milk for lunch.
The growing number of cars causes air pollution, noise pollution and traffic
problems.
Note: no comma should be put before and or or when they feature in two-item lists:
Many young adults cannot afford the living expenses by their own, so they live
with their parents to save money.
Correct example: She did her best, yet she failed the exam.
She did her best; she failed the exam.
There should always be commas after common cohesive devices/discourse markers when they
are at the start of a sentence:
In other words,
However,
On the other hand,
Moreover,
In addition,
Therefore,
Example: In the past, it took much more time for people to travel outside the
country.
In my opinion,
According to many experts, In
the majority of cases,
There was an increase in the number of cheap flights available, causing people to travel
abroad more often.
• After dependent clauses (if they come before the independent clauses)
Example: If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home.
Example: The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a
plethora of climbing mammals of moderately large size, which may include
monkeys, cats, civets, and porcupines.
such as / like
A comma should be used before clauses starting with such as and like when they are
used to give examples:
Income inequality has increased in many European countries, such as the UK and Germany.
8 | Advanced Grammar and Academic Writing
Some kinds of used clothes, like sweaters and jeans, are preferred by South Americans over
others.
➢ No comma is used before (or after) clauses starting with such as and like if they are
essential elements of the sentence (that is, removing them would change the meaning of
the sentence or produce a nonsensical sentence):
Countries such as Japan and Korea have been experiencing economic hardship.
Taking subjects like art, music and drama improves students’ creativity.
6. Dates
A comma should not be used between a month and a date:
6th July 2020 is when the wedding will take place. INCORRECT
6th July, 2020 is when the wedding will take place. CORRECT
7. Places
A comma should be inserted between a city or other geographical area and a country or
state:
The number of sports centers in Tokyo, Japan has been going up in recent years.
9 | Advanced Grammar and Academic Writing
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