How to Use Commas to Separate Unnecessary Words

Unnecessary words

Sentences sometimes contain words that provide additional context or information but are not strictly necessary for the sentence to function.

For a word to be considered unnecessary, it must:

  • Not serve a critical role in the grammar of the sentence
  • Not serve a critical role in the meaning of the sentence

Use a comma to separate unnecessary words from the rest of a sentence.

Here is an example of a sentence with an unnecessary word.

  • Example: She stayed home.
  • Example: She, however, stayed home.

In the examples above, She stayed home functions as a complete sentence, so the word however is not grammatically necessary. Both examples above convey the same information, so however is not critical to the meaning of the sentence either.

Words that are grammatically necessary

Here is an example of a sentence where a word is grammatically necessary.

  • Correct: However hungry the dog may be, don’t feed him your hamburger.
  • Incorrect: However, hungry the dog may be, don’t feed him your hamburger.
  • Incorrect: Hungry the dog may be, don’t feed him your hamburger.

In the examples above, the word However is necessary for the grammar of the sentence to work. The word However should not be separated by a comma.

Words that are necessary for meaning

Here is an example where a word is necessary for the meaning of a sentence. Imagine that you have two sisters, Catherine and Julie.

  • Example: Your sister came to visit you.
  • Example: Your sister Catherine came to visit you.

In the above example, the word Catherine is not separated by commas because it is critical to the meaning of the sentence. Without the word Catherine, it is not clear which sister came to visit.

Now imagine that Catherine is your only sister.

  • Example: Your sister came to visit you.
  • Example: Your sister, Catherine, came to visit you.

In the above example, the word Catherine is separated by commas because it is not critical to the meaning of the sentence. There is only one person that your sister could be referring to.

Printer Friendly, PDF & Email