Commas That Shouldn't Be There

When a series has simple elements that are joined by conjunctions, no commas are used.

• The blackberry cobbler we had for lunch was sugary and gooey and divine.

A sentence with one subject that has two verbs does not need a comma between the verbs.

• She flourished her snotty Kleenex and waved to the masses. 
• Old farmer Bertha rode the lawnmower and lassoed weeds.

If the first adjective modifies the second adjective, no comma is used.

• Our pet pooch loves her Elmer Fudd chew toy.
• A fashion perennial in kindergarten class is the ever-popular fingerpainted shirt.

Tip: Rearrange the adjectives. Does this change the meaning? If it does, the adjectives should NOT be separated by commas.

If a direct quotation is used as a noun in the sentence, no comma is used.

• "You're a fine hootenanny of a gal, sugardoodle" was his favorite pick-up line.
• "The Phlegmatic Bassett Hound of Doom" is the name of his latest bad short story.

A comma is not used with an indirect quote.

• My grandmother always told me that children should be neither seen nor heard.
• His uncle often said that idle hands are the devil's rotillers.

A comma should not be used to set off a quote that acts as the object of the verb.

• Old Seismologist Heibert always says "Earthquakes aren't bad--they're just misunderstood."

With historical figures whose places of residence or origin have become part of their names, the comma should be omitted.

• Mary Queen of Scots 
• Julian of Norwich

The comma is optional after short introductory adverbial phrases. An adverbial phrase is one that is dependent on the main clause and than can be placed either at the beginning or the end of the main clause without changing the meaning of the sentence.

• In utero we're all pretty small. (or you could write) We're all pretty small in utero.
• At breakfast we consumed large quantities of fried meat products.

A comma is not used after an introductory phrase that comes right before the verb it modifies.

• Out of the bushes leaped a rather short gang of would-be train robbers.
• In the hallway sat a bell-bottomed calico cat.

No comma is used with a restrictive phrase. A restrictive phrase is one that limits, or restricts, the meaning of the word it refers to. If omitted, it would alter the intended meaning.

• The guys who are bearded have warm faces in the wintertime.
• The last person who disagreed with my grandfather got a set of dentures up her nose.

A restrictive clause that follows a main clause should not be set off by a comma. Like a restrictive phrase, a restrictive clause is essential and bound to the main clause.

• Old Soul Singer Range will perform at our high school reunion if she's provided with five pounds of Geritol and a bottle of Muscatel.

If an appositive (a word or phrase that renames a noun) is restrictive, commas are omitted.

• My cow Butterchurner refuses to give anything but skim milk.
• Our good friend Old Prestidigitator Pifer is coming to tea today.