kommas

Kommas are punctuation marks used to indicate a brief pause within a sentence and to separate items, clauses, or other elements. They help clarify meaning and rhythm, showing where one element ends and another begins. The plural form in several languages is kommas; in English the standard plural is commas.

Common uses include listing items (for example, apples, oranges, and bananas); following introductory words or phrases (After dinner, we left); and setting off nonessential information or appositive phrases (The speaker, a renowned expert, explained the method). They also mark direct address (Yes, Maria) and separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (It was late, but we stayed). The serial comma before the final conjunction in lists is style-dependent, with American usage often favoring it and British usage less so. In addition, the comma is used to enclose nonrestrictive clauses or parenthetical elements and to indicate contrasts within a sentence.

Numbers and formatting vary by locale: in many European languages the comma serves as a decimal separator (3,14), while English uses a period (3.14). Thousands separators and spacing rules differ by region and style guide. Spacing conventions generally place no space before a comma and one space after, though typographic rules may vary.