Use commas between coordinate adjectives (a bright, cheerful room) but not cumulative ones (a little old man). Use a comma before a trailing participle phrase that describes the subject: “The crowd cheered, waving their flags.”
A comma can set off a contrasting phrase introduced by but: “The test was hard, but not impossible.”
Clear comma use prevents misreading and shows control. In exams, punctuation accuracy is part of the marks for writing.
Worked example
Should there be a comma? “a long boring speech”
- Can you say “long and boring speech”? Yes.
- So the adjectives are coordinate.
Answer:Yes: a long, boring speech.
Key words
- coordinate adjectives
- adjectives of equal weight
- cumulative adjectives
- adjectives that build on each other
- participle phrase
- a phrase based on an -ing or -ed verb
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.9-10.2