- Parenthetical phrases
Commas are often used to enclose parenthetical words and phrases within a sentence (i.e. information which is not essential to the meaning of the sentence). Such phrases are both preceded and followed by a comma, unless that would result in a doubling of punctuation marks, or the parenthetical is at the start or end of the sentence. The following are examples of types of parenthetical phrases:
- Introductory phrase: Once upon a time, I didn't know how to use commas.[6]
- Address: My father ate the bagel, John.
- Interjection: My father ate the bagel, gosh darn it!
- Aside: My father, if you don’t mind my telling you this, ate the bagel.
- Appositive: My father, a jaded and bitter man, ate the bagel.
- Absolute phrase: My father, his eyes flashing with rage, ate the bagel.
- Free modifier: My father, chewing with unbridled fury, ate the bagel.
- Resumptive modifier: My father ate the bagel, a bagel which no man had yet chewed.
- Summative modifier: My father ate the bagel, a feat which no man had attempted.
Chewing with UNBRIDLED FURY!!?????
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