Commas don’t just signify pauses in a sentence — precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. Commas are needed before coordinating conjunctions, after dependent clauses (when they precede independent clauses), and to set off appositives.

Talk to your parents about setting aside 10 additional minutes of time during the afternoon or night to complete more games and problems. Set a goal of earning 2 stickers per minute. If you play First in Math for 20 minutes everyday, and you earn 2 stickers per minute, then you’ll get to 1,000 stickers in only 25 days.

There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.

The comma , is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark (‘) in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline of the text.

Comma Use

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

Rule 1. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew. Note: When the last comma in a series comes before and or or (after daughter-in-law in the above example), it is known as the Oxford comma.

The proper definition of the Oxford comma is “a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’.” For example: (If Tom and Molly are your roommates, you could say “…with my roommates, Tom and Molly” without the Oxford comma.)

Why don’t they use it? Many opponents of the Oxford comma claim that it makes a piece of writing sound more pretentious and stuffy, and that it can make things seem cluttered and redundant. Many magazine publishers renounce its use as well, because sentences loaded with commas take up valuable page space.

AP style does not use Oxford commas. That’s the Chicago Manual of Style, which is commonly used by book publishers, academics and trade publications. So the decision about whether to use an Oxford comma relies on what type of writing you’re doing, and which style guide applies to that project.

When you’re writing a list, you naturally include commas to separate each item, but an Oxford comma is when you also put a comma before the “and [Final Item]”. For example: Without Oxford comma: “Her favourite foods were chocolate, marshmallows, cake and chicken.”

The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of things. For example: Please bring me a pencil, eraser, and notebook. The Oxford comma comes right after eraser. Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t.

Opinions among writers and editors differ on whether to use the serial comma, and usage also differs somewhat between regional varieties of English. British English allows constructions with or without this comma, while in American English it is common and sometimes even considered mandatory to use the comma.

If you are telling someone “thank you” directly, you always need a comma after “thank you.” This is the most common way of using the phrase, so in most cases you will want that comma. You should also put a comma or a period after “thank you” if it’s the last part of a letter or email before your name or signature.

The Oxford comma has been around for centuries, but is entirely optional: the rules of punctuation do not demand its use.

The Oxford comma is the final comma before the conjunction (e.g., and, or) in a series. It’s important to include Oxford commas in your writing because, in English, we also use what are called “commas of direct address” to separate what we’re saying from the person/object we’re addressing.