"Let's eat Grandma!" "Let's eat, Grandma!" Comma's save lives.

A comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. Used properly, commas make the meaning of sentences clear by grouping and separating words, phrases, and clauses. Many people are uncertain about the use of commas, though, and often sprinkle them throughout their writing without knowing the basic rules. Here are the main cases when you need to use a comma: in lists in direct speech to separate clauses to mark off certain parts of a sentence with 'however' Using commas in lists You need to put a comma between the different items in a list, as in the following sentences: Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and French toast. The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages, onions, potatoes, and carrots. The final comma in these lists (before the word ‘and’) is known as the ‘serial comma’. Not all writers or publishers use it, but it is used by Oxford Dictionaries - some people refer to it as ‘the Oxford comma’. Using it can make your meaning clearer. Take a look at this sentence: My favourite sandwiches are chicken, bacon and ham and cheese. It isn’t entirely clear from this sentence whether the writer is listing three or four of their favourite sandwich fillings: is ‘ham’ one of their favourites and ‘cheese’ another, or is it ‘ham and cheese’ that they like? Adding an Oxford comma makes the meaning clear: My favourite sandwiches are chicken, bacon, and ham and cheese. Using commas in direct speech When a writer quotes a speaker’s words exactly as they were spoken, this is known as direct speech. If the piece of direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, you need to use a comma to introduce the direct speech. The comma comes before the first quotation mark. Note that the final quotation mark follows the full stop at the end of the direct speech: Steve replied, ‘No problem.’ You also need to use a comma at the end of a piece of direct speech, if the speech comes before the information about who is speaking. In this case, the comma goes inside the quotation mark: ‘I don’t agree,’ I replied. ‘Here we are,' they said. There are two exceptions to this rule. If a piece of direct speech takes the form of a question or an exclamation, you should end it with a question mark or an exclamation mark, rather than a comma: ‘Stop him!’ she shouted. ‘Did you see that?’ he asked. Direct speech is often broken up by the information about who is speaking. In these cases, you need a comma to end the first piece of speech (inside the quotation mark) and another comma before the second piece (before the quotation mark): ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘and I always keep my promises.’ ‘Thinking back,’ she added, ‘I didn’t expect to win.’ See more about Punctuation in direct speech. Using commas to separate clauses Commas are used to separate clauses in a complex sentence (i.e. a sentence which is made up of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses). The following examples show the use of commas in two complex sentences: Having had lunch, we went back to work. [subordinate clause] [main clause] I first saw her in Paris, where I lived in the early nineties. [main clause] [subordinate clause] If the commas were removed, these sentences wouldn’t be as clear but the meaning would still be the same. There are different types of subordinate clause, though, and in some types the use of commas can be very important. A subordinate clause beginning with ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘whom’, or ‘where’ is known as a relative clause. Take a look at this example: Passengers who have young children may board the aircraft first. [relative clause] This sentence contains what’s known as a ‘restrictive relative clause’. Basically, a restrictive relative clause contains information that’s essential to the meaning of the sentence as a whole. If you left it out, the sentence wouldn’t make much sense. If we removed the relative clause from the example above, then the whole point of that sentence would be lost and we’d be left with the rather puzzling statement: Passengers may board the aircraft first. You should not put commas round a restrictive relative clause. The other type of subordinate clause beginning with ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘whom’, etc. is known as a ‘non-restrictive relative clause’. A non-restrictive relative clause contains information that is not essential to the overall meaning of a sentence. Take a look at the following example: Mary, who has two young children, has a part-time job in the library. [relative clause] If you remove this clause, the meaning of the sentence isn’t affected and it still makes perfect sense. All that’s happened is that we’ve lost a bit of extra information about Mary: Mary has a part-time job in the library. You need to put a comma both before and after a non-restrictive relative clause. Using commas to mark off parts of a sentence Commas are used to separate a part of a sentence that is an optional ‘aside’ and not part of the main statement. Gunpowder is not, of course, a chemical compound. His latest film, Calypso Dreams, opens next month. In these sentences, the role of the commas is similar to their function in non-restrictive relative clauses: they mark off information that isn’t essential to the overall meaning. Using commas in this way can really help to clarify the meaning of a sentence. Take a look at this example: Cynthia’s daughter, Sarah, is a midwife. The writer’s use of commas tells us that Cynthia has only one daughter. If you removed Sarah’s name from the sentence, there would still be no doubt as to who was the midwife: Cynthia’s daughter is a midwife. If you rewrite the original sentence without commas its meaning changes: Cynthia’s daughter Sarah is a midwife. The lack of commas tells us that the name ‘Sarah’ is crucial to the understanding of the sentence. It shows that Cynthia has more than one daughter, and so the name of the one who is a midwife needs to be specified for the meaning to be clear. If you aren’t sure whether you’ve used a pair of commas correctly, try replacing them with brackets or removing the information enclosed by the commas altogether, and then see if the sentence is still understandable, or if it still conveys the meaning you intended. Using a comma with 'however' You should use a comma after 'however' when however means 'by contrast' or 'on the other hand': However, a good deal of discretion is left in the hands of area managers. Don't use a comma after however when it means 'in whatever way': However you look at it, existing investors are likely to lose out.

Some commas save lives "Let's eat, grandma!" Others destroy lives "A panda eats, shoots, and leaves."

Bartheleme seems like a very interesting person

As a non native English speaker, please make more videos like this!

That was a really creative way to put it.

You know it's kind of ironic that although the subordinate conjunction's character is is mighty and powerful, the word subordinate's actual definition means to be under someone like a leader or be a rank below...

I wish I was as talented as Bartheleme, with his UChicago acceptance and Stanford waitlist.

Maybe my brain works differently than most, but I feel like this is a really convoluted way to explain this topic.

This video needs re-naming: "How to confuse the shit out of someone trying to learn the correct use of a comma."

Why does Comma have a Lenny face.

THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! If teachers explained everything like we're 5 year olds and weren't pretentious, students perfomance would skyrocket. Feynman would be proud of this video.

Finally after years and years of getting confused between a comma and a dot, i finally learned it today! Thank you, very much!

Are you kidding me? This was the most convoluted way to explain the use of a comma - or the use of anything ever produced. TED is rolling over in his ED. Face smack.

I put off watching this video some years ago when I thought I didn't need videos about grammar. the video was all blah blah blah then. Now I'm doing some writing and it has occurred to me that I need to know precisely when and when not to use commas. What a memorable way to teach a concept. Thanks

I swear, this is the best lesson of using commas I've ever found. Thanks a lot, TED-ed!

Thanks TED-Ed. I needed this for my grammar class.

F.A.N.B.O.Y.S For And Nor But Or Yet So

WoW! You just explained the use of comma in less than 5 minutes while my teacher had been teaching that for a long time and no one yet understands.

I already know and understand how to use commas, however I enjoyed listening to the narrator describe the use of commas in such a fun manner. Great video!!!!

this lesson was the cutest video I have seen since elementary school. simple and easy to follow. great job educators!

What I have concluded from this video is that I should start placing commas after a complete thought. 😮

Not only does this channel teach me things I didn't know of, but this channel also teaches me grammar. Awesome!

I'm a 19-year-old girl who still struggles with the English language. It is not my first language, so it's understandable. With this video and its amazing visuals, I'm understanding it faster. Thank you!

What an amazing way of teaching this subject. Thank you.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS literally struggled with this for years, and you helped so much with this

first comma was hard to me but now i feel like i could do anything so thank you so much

I always come across the loveliest of videos on this channel.Extremely grateful for the creators!

man, that comma was sexy

*_"And his name is... JOHN CENA!!!"_*

I never had much problem learning the rules, but I like this approach because a story is memorable, while a mere rule may be forgotten or misremembered.

even after many years, this is sooooooo beautifully done. I hope I used the comma properly

Now explain to us why so many people are opposed to the Oxford comma.

4:18 those are some diverse majors, Barthleme.

This is so cool for me because my teacher showed this video to us in the 6th grade, I'm in my final year of high school now. Crazy how it's in my recommended and time sure does fly.

I still don’t understand commas for 6 years.

4:32: Conjunctions never need the help of commas. Commas are only used AFTER conjunctions in lengthy sentences to surround a portion of the sentence that, when removed, still makes sense. For instance, "Two of Bartheleme's many hobbies include dancing and, despite his fear of heights, skydiving." When the portion surrounded by the commas is removed, the sentence still makes sense: "Two of Bartheleme's many hobbies include dancing and skydiving." The sentence at 4:04, "Bartheleme was accepted into the University of Chicago, and he is on the waitlist for Stanford University" is sufficient without the comma. I find it strange why one would randomly and awkwardly place a comma where it is not needed. Commas are only placed before the conjunction "and" when listing multiple items in a list. For example, "Bartheleme needs to buy eggs, milk, cheese, bread, and yogurt."

What a beautifully narrated story!

Wow! The comma looks very pretty and kind! I love how you designed the characters!

To be honest, this is the best lesson for using commas that really helped me out. Thanks!

It actually helped quite a bit. Thank you very much!

And the floor is a schoolbook. How, convenient? wait... I wasn't talking to someone named Convenient.

This was very well done. I love the personification, it made it very entertaining and fun.

Very creative video in teaching the use of commas.

This is the cutest video I've ever seen... and I spend most my time watching cute animal videos

"Lets eat grandpa!" "Lets eat, grandpa!" Commas save lives.

Fantastic animation! You're helping this struggling mom out a whole lot!

This helped me more than my actual ELA teacher. He just told us that theses were subordinates and that however uses a semicolon.

Is WWE CHAMPION JOHN CENA a subordinate?

Brilliantly composed.

This helped me a lot, thank you so much! Hope this helped everyone else too!

I love these grammar videos. Keep it up, TED-Ed!

This was released 3 days before my birthday!

3:19 "Bartheleme loves to sing he never sings in _fron_ of others"

I love how this video explains it, super captivating!

Thank you for showing this! I had a test on grammar, and this this helped a lot.

Me in year 7 and still doesn’t know when to use commas

Commas are extremely important and can save lives. For example, “Let’s eat grandma.” can become “Let’s eat commas.”

This was an AMAZING video. Absolutely loved it.

Just why i love your grammar videos so hardly??? thank you much so Ted!!!!!

I love the idea of this video, but why is "however," an adverbial conjunction, lumped in with subordinating conjunctions like "although" and "unless"? It should operate differently in a sentence.

You are as clever and helpful as comma🥰

Wow! This was extremely, impressively put together in a memorable and informative way!

They never taught me this in school. Thank you TedEd for providing free education for those of us who were not taught it in school.

Ok but who is Bartheleme

I was too busy looking at the pictures I don’t think I learned anything 😆

Very educational videos Thank you to the amazing Ted ed staff.

One of the best lessons regarding "commas"

"However" functions differently than even though and other subordinate conjunctions.

3:19 Even though Bartheleme loves to sing he never sings in *fron* of others.

Thank you! Im not an english speaker,and I need to study this again because I forgot this lesson in elementary.

I'm glad there are channels like this one on KZfaq to make stuff like this COMMA-n knowledge.

Is it driving anyone else crazy that she keeps saying "subordinaNt"?

My English teacher would spin in his grave! We were taught never to place a comma before 'and'.

Great video. Love the visualisation, made things easy to understand. Thanks.

Thank you very much, I really needed this, because I feel embarrassed everytime i make a statement, I didn't remember how it works before LOL.

I feel like this is more aimed towards young children

That was really interesting with how Bartheleme was expressed to be to us, similar to us in fact in some things and others, not. The creative of remembering the conjunctions 'FANBOYS' is very much appreciated.

Beautiful way to explain a lesson ... Wonderful

Or you just do it like German and put commas everywhere. "She said that she didn't know what he meant" "Sie sagte, dass sie nicht wusste, was er meinte"

1:45 among us

Listen non-native English learners, TED is an excellent tool for learning and should be taken lightly. Although, it may seem difficult at times, education is a lifestyle not a competition of knowledge. Be courteous and stoic in your journey in life. Love the video and especially the fanboys acronym, I will use this in my lesson plan tomorrow in class. :)

can I just talk about how they added he in the 2nd sentence--- SAT questions still roam in my brain. . omfg.

So there is no coma before "or" or...?

"Your kill me mom!" "Your killing me, mom!" Comas mihht be super heros!?

thak you for your teaching.It led me to differentiate between conjuction and subordinate conjunction, and how to use comma in correct way

Such a creative way of teaching English. Thanks

Lol, The comma's hair is So Cool 😍

Nope. There are too many exceptions to these rules. I'll point out one exception, perhaps the most significant one. "However" is better classified as a conjunction, and that's if you're going to say it's either a conjunction or a subordinate, which is problematic in itself. It would be better to work from these examples of common conjunctions and subordinates to a more solid understanding of the two concepts themselves, then to work from there back to the words again to show that the issue is more about grammatical function than the words themselves. That is, given enough supporting structure, a word like "however" (or, dare I say, any word) could be a conjunction or a subordinate (or any other type of word), depending on the whole sentence. I appreciate using human cognitive shortcuts (i.e. anthropomorphization and common-sense physics) to construct rules of thumb; it's a clever pedagogical move, however (or but) there are too many exceptions to these rules of thumb to make them very handy.

English is a very convoluted language. As a speaker/student of nearly any language I can encounter I see that non-English speakers find it the most difficult language to learn. Complex, superfluous and ever changing in nomenclature. As a English-as-a-first language speaker I hit the wall with Bulgarian.

Thanks i really struggle with where to use comas, and this helped me a lot

i appreciate the objective but this actually makes it sound more complicated than it is

Why make the subject unnecessarily complicated? A comma is a moment to breathe, in my humble estimation. Boy, that video was stress inducing! Or was it just 'her' accent...

excellent illustration. even though grammar is pretty hard , i'm still improving every day my grammar and English.

Never knew a day in the life of a comma would be this interesting

@1:33, this person lists "however" as a subordinate conjunction. WOW! What an absurd mistake. "However" is a conjunctive adverb, not a subordinate conjunction. Following this person's advice, a person will be creating comma splices.

Did,I,do,it,right?

Super helpful video. Love the story :)

Really creative idea to teach! Love the idea! Thank you!

This is so old school. Say NO to commas before conjunctions in the 21st century!