The Appendage Comma with



Among its six uses, the appendage comma separates interjections from the main thought of a sentence.

Use the Comma with Mild Interjections

Interjections are abrupt words and phrases that express emotion or signal for attention. English has collected many interjections over the years. Here are some:

When an interjection communicates a strong emotion, it typically uses an exclamation point to match its emphasis. For example: “Wow! That was epic.” Interjections that express less emphasis use the appendage comma, instead:

oh,I see it now.

And these mild interjections use an appendage comma pair when they occur in the midst of a sentence:

That,alas,was the last bite of chocolate in the house.

For the use of interjections with names, review the vocative comma page.

Use the Comma with Verbal Pauses

Interjections also require the appendage comma when they’re used as verbal pauses. Verbal pauses rarely occur in formal writing. But they make regular appearances in creative writing, emails, and text messages:

I,um,sorta broke your laptop.
Uh,did you also sorta buy a new one to replace it?

Knowledge Check

Copy the full quotation into the textbox. Then insert any necessary interjection appendage commas:

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