502. Words, phrases or clauses written in the sentence out of their natural order should be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
These words, phrases and clauses are often written at the beginning of the sentences or at the end of the sentences, or in some place out of their natural order, for the sake of emphasis, instead of with the words they modify.
Notice in the following sentences how these words, phrases and clauses are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Rewrite these sentences, placing these words, phrases and clauses in their natural order and omit the commas.
- Longingly and anxiously, he waited.
- With this exception, the figures are correct.
- The music, sweet and dreamy, floated upon the air.
- The waves came rolling in, white with foam.
- To deceive the men, he resorted to shameful tricks.
- Before anyone else could speak, he was on his feet.
503. Co-ordinate clauses, when closely related in meaning are separated by commas. The comma should precede the co-ordinate conjunction. For example:
- I have not intended to detain you, but the matter required explanation.
RULE 5.
504. The omission of the verb in a sentence or a clause should be indicated by a comma. Sometimes in writing for effect or to give emphasis we omit the verb in the sentence; at other times we omit the verb when the same verb occurs in a series of brief sentences, and its continued use would mean a tiresome repetition. For example:
- Reading maketh a full man; conference, a ready man; writing, an exact man.