ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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Some child stars get mad because they’re grown up, making Very Serious movies… [Woman swinging on a wrecking ball]

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but all anybody recognizes them for is the dumb sitcom they did when they were twelve. Ugh.

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I hate it when that happens.

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Well… commas have the same problem. [Commas photographed]

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Everybody’s like, “Oh, my God! Comma! I love you in lists!”

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But commas are so much more than just placeholders in lists.

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They’re sick of being pigeon-holed and typecast.

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Because… you know what else they’re great at? Making introductions. [Comma on a skateboard]

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That’s right. A comma can help introduce a sentence.

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It can set up what’s happening, where it's happening, how it's happening, or provide

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any other interesting information so we can better understand what follows. [Dino explaining what commas set up]

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See? This thing is soooo multi-talented.

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Okay…let’s take a look at this sentence: "In the gym after school, David and Eric sat

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on the floor in their practice jerseys."

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Before we start reading, we have no idea what's happening, but the bit of the sentence before

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the comma helps to set the scene. [First part of the sentence highlighted]

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"In the gym after school" tells us not only where stuff is happening – in the gym – but

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also when: after school.

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Double duty. Yee-haw.

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So before we even get around to David and Eric and whatever trouble it is they’re [David and Eric sitting on a basketball court after school]

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getting into… the stage is already set.

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Now let's imagine that same sentence, but without the introductory part:

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"David and Eric sat on the floor in their practice jerseys."

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Okay… It’s a well-formed sentence and all, but it makes the reader work a bit harder.

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We know that David and Eric are sitting on a floor, but we have no idea where.

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In a classroom? [David and Eric sitting on the floor in a classroom]

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In a stadium?

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In a juvenile detention hall, perhaps?

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Without that little introductory bit, the reader has no idea.

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Which is fine if it’s a mystery novel, but just plain confusing in pretty much any other situation. [Girl reading a book]

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And, yes, you can ask a comma for its autograph if you see it at the mall.

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Just don’t accidentally confuse it for a semi-colon. It will brush you off in a hurry. [Girl asks comma for an autograph and comma rides off on a skateboard]

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