When is a comma placed before the union, and when not? When is a comma used? Commas in sentences: rules What if a comma helps

The Russian language is one of the most difficult in the world. A huge number of rules and exceptions leads to the fact that it is difficult to master the language at a good level not only for foreigners, but also for the natives of Russia.

When writing and editing texts, it is often necessary to brush up on the rules of the Russian language. In order not to turn to Google or Yandex every time, I have collected the most important rules on my blog. And I want to start with the rules of punctuation in Russian.

Put a comma or not

« Besides» - always stands out with commas (both at the beginning and in the middle of a sentence).

« More likely” in the meaning of “very likely, most likely” - is separated by commas. For example: “Of course, it’s all because of the cognac and the steam room, otherwise he would most likely keep silent.” In the meaning of "fastest" - does not stand out. For example: "This way, most likely, you could come to the house."

« Quicker» is not separated by commas:

if in the meaning of "better, more willing" For example: "She would rather agree to die than betray him."
if in the meaning of "better to say". For example: "pronouncing some remark or rather an exclamation."

« Quicker”is separated by a comma if it is an introductory word expressing the author’s assessment of the degree of reliability of this statement in relation to the previous one (in the meaning of “most likely” or “most likely”). For example: "He cannot be called a smart person - rather, he is on his own mind."

« Of course», « Certainly"- does not stand out with commas at the beginning of the response remark, pronounced in a tone of confidence, conviction: "Of course it is!".
In other cases, a comma is needed.

Expressions " All in all», « generally" are separated in the meaning of "in short, in a word", then they are introductory and are separated by commas.

« First of all” are separated by commas as introductory words in the meaning of “firstly”. For example: “First of all, he is quite a capable person.” The comma is not put if these words are used in the meaning of "first, first." For example: "First of all, you need to contact a specialist." comma after " A», « But” etc. is not needed: “But first of all, I want to say.” When clarifying, the entire turnover is highlighted: “There is hope that these proposals, primarily from the Ministry of Finance, will not be accepted or will be changed.”

« At least», « at least” - are isolated only when inverted: “This issue was discussed twice, at least.”

« In its turn"- does not stand out with a comma in the meaning of" on its part, "in response, when the turn has come." And as introductory are isolated.

« Literally» - not introductory, not separated by commas.

« Hence". If in the meaning “therefore, thus, it means”, then commas are needed. For example: "So you, therefore, are our neighbors."
BUT! If in the meaning "therefore, because of this, based on the fact that", then the comma is needed only on the left. For example: “I found a job, so we will have more money”; “You are angry, therefore you are wrong”; "You can't bake a cake, so I'll bake it."

« Least". If in the value of "the smallest", then without commas. For example: “At least I will wash the dishes”; "He made at least a dozen mistakes."
BUT! If in the meaning of comparison with something, emotional evaluation, then with a comma. For example: “At a minimum, this approach involves control”, “For this you need, at a minimum, to understand politics.”

« That is, if», « especially if” - a comma is usually not needed.

« That is» is not an introductory word and is not separated by commas on both sides. This is a union, a comma is placed before it (and if in some contexts a comma is placed after it, then for other reasons: for example, to highlight some separate construction or subordinate clause that comes after it).
For example: “It’s still five kilometers to the station, that is, an hour’s walk” (no comma is needed), “It’s still five kilometers to the station, that is, if you go slowly, an hour’s walk” (a comma after “that is” is placed to highlight the subordinate clause sentence "if you go slowly").

« Anyway” are separated by commas as introductory if they are used in the meaning of “at least”.

« Besides», « Besides», « besides (other things)», « besides everything (other things)» are separated as introductory.
BUT! "Besides" is a conjunction, a comma is NOT needed. For example: "In addition to the fact that he does nothing, he also makes claims against me."

« Thereby», « thanks to», « thanks to something" And " along with something» - A comma is usually not required. Separation is optional. The presence of a comma is not an error.

« Especially» - no comma.

« Especially when», « especially since», « especially if" and so on. - a comma is needed before "especially". For example: “Such arguments are hardly needed, especially since this is a false statement”, “especially if it means”, “relax, especially since you have a lot of work ahead of you”, “you shouldn’t sit at home, especially if your partner invites to dance."

« And» - is distinguished by a comma only in the middle of a sentence (on the left).

« Nevertheless"- a comma is placed in the middle of the sentence (on the left). For example: "He decided everything, nevertheless I will try to convince him."
BUT! If “but nevertheless”, “if nevertheless”, etc., then commas are NOT needed.

If " however" in the meaning of "but", then the comma on the right side is NOT put. (An exception is if it is an interjection. For example: “However, what a wind!”).

« In the end"- if in the value" in the end ", then the comma is NOT put.

« Really” is not distinguished by commas in the meaning “in fact” (that is, if this is a circumstance expressed by an adverb), if it is synonymous with the adjective “real” - “real, genuine”. For example: “Her bark itself is thin, not like that of oak or pine, which are really not afraid of hot sun rays”; "You are really very tired."

« Really” can act as an introductory and stand apart. The introductory word is distinguished by intonational isolation - it expresses the speaker's confidence in the truth of the reported fact. In controversial cases, the issue of punctuation is decided by the author of the text.

« Because of”- a comma is NOT needed if it is a union, that is, if it can be replaced with “because”. For example: “As a child, he underwent a medical check-up because he fought in Vietnam”, “maybe it’s all because I love it when a person sings” (a comma is needed, because replace “because” with it is forbidden).

« Anyway". A comma is needed if the meaning is "however". Then this is an introduction. For example: "She knew that, one way or another, she would tell Anna everything."
BUT! The adverbial expression "one way or another" (the same as "one way or another" or "in any case") does NOT require punctuation. For example: "War is somehow necessary."

Always without commas

Firstly;
at first sight;
like;
like;
for sure;
likewise;
More or less;
literally;
in addition;
in the (ultimate) end;
in the end;
as a last resort;
best case scenario;
Anyway;
at the same time;
overall;
mostly;
especially;
in some cases;
through thick and thin;
subsequently;
otherwise;
as a result;
due to this;
nevertheless;
in this case;
in the same time;
generally;
in this regard;
mainly;
often;
exclusively;
as a maximum;
meanwhile;
just in case;
in case of emergency;
if possible;
as far as possible;
still;
practically;
approximately;
with all (with) that;
with (all) desire;
on occasion;
wherein;
likewise;
the biggest;
the least;
actually;
generally;
maybe;
as if;
in addition;
to top it off;
I suppose;
by the proposal;
by order;
by decision;
like;
traditionally;
supposedly.

No comma at the beginning of a sentence

"Before... I found myself..."
"Since…".
"Before as…".
"Although…".
"As…".
"In order to…".
"Instead of…".
“Actually…”
"While…".
“Especially since…”.
"Nevertheless…".
“Despite the fact that ...” (at the same time - separately); DO NOT put a comma before "what".
"If…".
"After…".
"And…".

The comma is placed depending on the position of the words(s) in the text

« Finally" in the meaning of "finally" - does not stand out with commas.

« And this despite the fact that... "- a comma is placed in the middle of the sentence!

« Based on this, ... "- a comma is placed at the beginning of the sentence. BUT: “He did so on the basis of ...” - the comma is not put.

« After all, if...then..."- a comma before "if" is not put, since the second part of the double union - "then" goes on. If there is no "then", then a comma is placed before the "if".

« Less than two years... ”- a comma before“ what ”is not put, because this is not a comparison.

comma before " How» is put only in case of comparison. For example: "Politicians such as Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov ..." - a comma is placed, because. is the noun "politics". BUT: "... politicians such as Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov ..." - there is no comma before "how".

« God forbid», « God forbid», « for God's sake» - not separated by commas.

BUT: commas are placed on both sides:

"Thank God" - in the middle of a sentence is highlighted with commas on both sides. If at the beginning of a sentence, a comma is highlighted (on the right side).
"Honest to God" - in these cases, commas are placed on both sides.
"My God" - is separated by commas on both sides.

Something about introductory words

If the introductory word can be omitted or rearranged to another place in the sentence without violating its structure (usually this happens with the unions “and” and “but”), then the union is not included in the introductory construction - a comma is needed. For example: "Firstly, it became dark, and, secondly, everyone was tired."

If the introductory word cannot be removed or rearranged, then the comma after the union (usually with the union “a”) is not put. For example: “She just forgot about this fact, or maybe she never remembered it”, “..., and therefore ...”, “..., and maybe ...”, “..., which means ...”.

If the introductory word can be removed or rearranged, then a comma is needed after the union “a”, since it is not associated with the introductory word, that is, soldered combinations such as “so”, “and by the way”, “and therefore”, “are not formed. maybe,” etc. For example: “She not only didn’t love him, but maybe even despised him.”

If at the beginning of the sentence there is a coordinating union (in the connecting meaning) “and”, “yes” in the meaning of “and”, “too”, “also”, “and then”, “otherwise”, “yes and”, “and also ”etc, and then an introductory word, then a comma before it is not needed. For example: “And really, you shouldn’t have done this”; “And perhaps it was necessary to do something differently”; “Finally, the action of the play is ordered and divided into acts”; “Besides, other circumstances came to light”; “But of course, everything ended well.”

It rarely happens: if at the beginning of a sentence there is an adjunctive union, and the introductory construction stands out intonationally, then commas are needed. For example: "But, to my great annoyance, Shvabrin decisively announced ..."; "And, as usual, they remembered only one good thing."

The main groups of introductory words and phrases

(separated by commas + on both sides if in the middle of a sentence)

1. Expressing the speaker's feelings (joy, regret, surprise, etc.) in connection with the message:

to annoyance;
to amazement;
Unfortunately;
to chagrin;
unfortunately;
to joy;
Unfortunately;
to shame;
fortunately;
to the surprise;
to horror;
bad luck;
for joy;
for luck;
the hour is not even;
there is nothing to conceal;
by misfortune;
fortunately;
strange affair;
amazing thing;
what good, etc.

2. Expressing the speaker's assessment of the degree of reality of what is being reported (confidence, uncertainty, assumption, possibility, etc.):

without any doubts;
undoubtedly;
indisputably;
may be;
right;
probably;
apparently;
Maybe;
Indeed;
in fact;
should be;
Think;
Seems;
it would seem that;
Certainly;
Maybe;
May be;
Maybe;
Hope;
presumably;
is not it;
undoubtedly;
obviously;
apparently;
in all probability;
authentic;
perhaps;
I suppose;
in fact;
on the merits;
Truth;
right;
of course;
goes without saying;
tea, etc.

3. Pointing to the source of the reported:

They say;
say;
transmit;
In your;
according to...;
remember;
In my opinion;
in our way;
according to legend;
according to…;
according to…;
according to rumors;
according to the message ...;
according to you;
heard;
report, etc.

4. Pointing to the connection of thoughts, the sequence of presentation:

All in all;
Firstly;
second, etc.;
however;
Means;
in particular;
The main thing;
Further;
Means;
So;
For example;
Besides;
by the way;
By the way;
by the way;
by the way;
finally;
vice versa;
For example;
against;
I repeat;
I emphasize;
more than that;
on the other side;
On the one side;
that is;
thus, etc.;
as it were;
whatever it was.

5. Pointing to the techniques and ways of formalizing the expressed thoughts:

rather;
generally speaking;
in other words;
if I may say so;
if I may say so;
in other words;
in other words;
in short;
better to say;
to put it mildly;
in a word;
to put it simply;
word;
as a matter of fact;
let me tell you;
so to speak;
to be precise;
what is called etc.

6. Representing calls to the interlocutor (reader) in order to draw his attention to what is being reported, to inspire a certain attitude to the facts presented:

believe (whether);
do you believe (do);
see (whether);
you see);
imagine(those);
allow;
do you know);
Do you know);
Sorry);
believe (those);
Please;
understand (those);
understand (whether);
understand (whether);
listen (those);
suppose;
Imagine;
Sorry);
say;
agree;
agree etc.

7. Indicating an assessment of the measure of what is being said:

at least, at least - stand apart only when inverted: "This issue was discussed twice, at least";
the biggest;
the least.

8. Showing the degree of commonness of the reported:

It happens;
used to;
as usual;
by custom;
happens.

9. Expressive statements:

jokes aside;
between us will be said;
speaking between us;
need to say;
it will not be said in reproach;
frankly;
conscience;
in fairness;
confess to say;
say honestly;
funny to say;
Honestly.

Stable comparison expressions are written without commas

poor as a church mouse;
white as a harrier;
white as a sheet;
white as snow;
beat like a fish on ice;
pale as death;
shines like a mirror;
the disease vanished as if by hand;
be afraid like fire;
wanders like a restless;
rushed like crazy;
mumbling like a sexton;
ran in like crazy;
lucky, as a drowned man;
spinning like a squirrel in a wheel;
visible as in the daytime;
squeals like a pig;
lies like a gray gelding;
everything goes like clockwork;
everything is like a selection;
jumped up as if scalded;
jumped up as if stung;
stupid as a cork;
looked like a wolf;
goal like a falcon;
hungry as wolf;
as far as heaven from earth;
trembled as if in a fever;
trembled like an aspen leaf;
everything is like water off a duck's back;
wait like manna from heaven;
wait like a holiday;
lead a cat and dog life;
live like a bird of the sky;
fell asleep as if dead;
frozen like a statue;
lost like a needle in a haystack;
sounds like music
healthy as an ox;
know how flaky;
have at one's fingertips;
walks like a saddle for a cow;
walks side by side like a sewn;
how he sank into the water;
ride like cheese in butter;
sways like a drunk;
swayed (swayed) like a jelly;
handsome as a god;
red like a tomato;
red as a lobster;
strong (strong) like oak;
screams like a catechumen;
light as a feather;
flies like an arrow;
bald as a knee;
it's raining cats and dogs;
waves his arms like a windmill;
rushing about like mad;
wet as a mouse;
gloomy as a cloud;
are dying like flies;
hope like a stone wall;
people like herring in a barrel;
dress up like a doll;
not see how their ears;
dumb as a grave;
dumb like a fish;
rush (rush) like mad;
rush (rush) like crazy;
worn like a fool with a written sack;
worn like a chicken and an egg;
needed like air;
needed like last year's snow;
needed as the fifth spoke in a chariot;
you need a fifth leg like a dog;
peel like sticky;
one as a finger;
remained as a cancer on the rocks;
stopped dead in his tracks;
razor sharp;
as different as day from night;
as different as heaven from earth;
bake like pancakes;
turned pale as a sheet;
turned pale as death;
repeated as if in delirium;
you will go like a little one;
remember your name;
remember as in a dream;
get like chickens in cabbage soup;
hit like a butt on the head;
sprinkle like from a cornucopia;
similar as two drops of water;
went to the bottom like a stone;
appear as if by pike;
devoted like a dog;
stuck like a bath leaf;
to fall like through the ground;
use (use) as from a goat's milk;
disappeared as if he had sunk into the water;
just like a knife to the heart;
blazed like fire;
works like an ox;
understands like a pig in oranges;
vanished like smoke;
play like clockwork;
grow like mushrooms after rain;
grow by leaps and bounds;
drop from the clouds;
fresh as blood with milk;
fresh as a cucumber;
sat as chained;
sit on pins and needles;
sit as if on coals;
listened as spellbound;
looked spellbound;
slept like the dead;
rush like a fire;
stands like an idol;
slender as a Lebanese cedar;
melts like a candle;
hard as a stone;
dark as night;
accurate as a clock;
skinny as a skeleton;
cowardly as a hare;
died like a hero;
fell as if knocked down;
rested like a ram;
stuck like a bull;
mulish;
tired like a dog;
cunning as a fox;
cunning as a fox;
gushing like a bucket;
walked as if plunged into water;
walked like a birthday boy;
walk like a thread;
cold as ice;
thin as a chip;
black as coal;
black as hell;
feel at home;
feel like behind a stone wall;
feel like a fish in water;
staggered like a drunk;
she's like an execution;
clear as twice two is four;
clear as day, etc.

A few words about the homogeneous members of the sentence

The following stable expressions are not homogeneous and therefore are not separated by a comma:

neither this nor that;
neither fish nor fowl;
neither stand nor sit down;
no end no edge;
neither light nor dawn;
neither hearing nor spirit;
neither to himself nor to people;
neither sleep nor spirit;
neither here nor there;
for nothing;
neither give nor take;
no answer, no greeting;
neither yours nor ours;
neither subtract nor add;
and so and so;
and day and night;
and laughter and grief;
and cold and hunger;
both old and young;
about this and that;
both;
in both.

General rule: a comma is not placed inside integral expressions of a phraseological nature, formed by two words with the opposite meaning, connected by a repeating union “and” or “neither”.

Never separated by a comma

1. Verbs in the same form, indicating the movement and its purpose.

I'll go for a walk.
Sit down and rest.
Go take a look.

2. Forming semantic unity.

Can't wait.
Let's sit and talk.

3. Pair combinations of a synonymous, antonymous or associative character.

Search for truth-truth.
There is no end.
Honor to all.
Let's go.
Everything is covered.
It's expensive to see.
Purchase and sale questions.
Meet with bread and salt.
Tie hand and foot.

4. Compound words (interrogative-relative pronouns, adverbs, which are opposed to something).

Someone else, but you can't.
Already somewhere, where, and everything is there.

The comma is the simplest and most prosaic, but at the same time the most insidious sign. Its formulation implies an understanding of how speech is built and structured, what meanings appear and disappear if a comma is incorrectly placed. Of course, in a small article it is impossible to describe in which cases a comma is placed and list absolutely everything, we will focus only on the most common and simple ones.

Enumeration and homogeneous members

The correct setting of commas in a simple sentence begins with knowing the rule that homogeneous members of a sentence must be separated by a comma:

I love, adore, idolize cats.

I love cats, dogs, horses.

Difficulties arise if there is a union "and" between homogeneous members of the sentence. The rule here is simple: if the union is single, the comma is not needed:

I love dogs, cats and horses.

If there are more than one union, then a comma is placed before the second union and further:

I love dogs, cats and horses.

Otherwise, a comma is placed before the union "a". The rule dictates the placement of the sign in any case and also applies to the union “but” and the union “yes” in the meaning of “but”:

My neighbor does not like dogs, but cats.

Cats love cautious people, but shun noisy and angry people.

Definition with a personal pronoun

Difficulties with where a comma is needed also arise when it comes to a definition. However, here everything is simple.

If a single definition refers to a personal pronoun, it is separated by a comma:

Satisfied, she entered the room and showed her purchase.

I saw this dog then. She, joyful, wagged her tail, trembled and jumped all the time at the owner.

Separate definition

If you are memorizing the rules for when a comma is used, then the third paragraph should be a separate definition.

By a separate definition is meant first of all It is separated by commas in the case when it follows the word to which it refers:

A boy who has read books about travel will never pass indifferently past a travel agency or past a shop with tents and flashlights.

The cat, barely waiting for a treat, now purred and looked affectionately at the owner.

A boy who has read books about travel will never pass indifferently past a travel agency or past a store with tents and flashlights.

The cat, which had barely waited for the treat, was now purring and looking affectionately at the owner.

Separate circumstances

Commas in both simple and complex sentences separate the single gerund and participle turnover:

Purring, the cat lay down on my lap.

The dog, growling, still calmed down and let us talk.

Having made a number of remarks about the new project, the boss left.

Introductory words

Introductory words are words that show the reliability of information, its source or the speaker's attitude to this information.

These are words that can potentially be expanded into a sentence:

This artist, of course, won the hearts of all his contemporaries.

Natasha doesn't seem to be going to take care of her father.

Leonid, apparently, does not suspect why so many people have appeared near him lately.

Appeals

If there is an appeal in the sentence, and this is not a pronoun, then it must be separated by commas on both sides.

Hello dear Leo!

Goodbye, Lydia Borisovna.

Do you know, Masha, what I want to tell you?

Linda, come to me!

Unfortunately, ignorance of the cases in which a comma is used when addressing often leads to illiterate formatting of business letters. Among these errors are the omission of a comma when addressing, and the setting of an extra comma in a pronoun:

Good afternoon Pavel Evgenievich!(Need to: Good afternoon, Pavel Evgenievich!)

Svetlana Borisovna, we have also prepared our new designs for you. ( Need to : Svetlana Borisovna, we have also prepared our new samples for you.)

How do you think this agreement should be concluded? ( Need to : Do you think it is expedient to conclude this agreement?)

Comma in a compound sentence

In general, all the rules regarding when a comma is placed in a complex sentence essentially boil down to one thing: all parts of any complex sentence must be separated from each other by a punctuation mark.

Spring came, the sun shone, sparrows began to fuss, children ran triumphantly.

They bought him a new computer, since the old one could no longer work due to the small amount of memory and incompatibility with new programs.

And what else to do if not to have fun, when there is nothing else left to do?

At the head of the procession was some red-haired boy, he was probably the most important.

A comma in a complex sentence is placed in all cases, except for the unifying word, and if another sign is not needed at the junction of parts of the sentence, first of all, a colon.

Exception: unifying word

If parts of a compound sentence are combined by a single word (for example, then a comma is not placed between these parts of the sentence:

and the birds flew in, our company somehow revived.

Wed: Spring came, the birds flew in, and our company somehow revived.

This word can be not only at the very beginning of the sentence:

We will go to this meeting only as a last resort, only if all the conditions are agreed and the text of the agreement is agreed upon.

Comma or colon?

Instead of a comma, there should be a colon if the meaning of the first part is revealed in the second:

It was a wonderful time: we drew what we wanted.

Now he proceeded to the most important thing: he was making a gift for his mother.

The dog no longer wanted to walk: the owners intimidated her by training so much that it was easier to sit under the table.

Sentences with "how"

Many errors regarding when a comma is used arise from a misunderstanding of the difference between the two meanings of the word "as".

The first meaning of this word is comparative. In this case, the sentence is separated by commas:

Aspen leaf, like a butterfly, rose higher and higher.

The second meaning is an indication of identity. In such cases, the turnover with "as" is not separated by commas:

A butterfly as an insect is of little interest to people who are accustomed to seeing animals as a source of warmth and communication.

So the suggestion is: I, like your mother, will not let you ruin your life.» can be punctuated in two ways. If the speaker is really the listener's mother, then the word "how" is used as a word indicating identity ("I" and "mother" are the same), so commas are not needed.

If the speaker compares himself with the mother of the listener (“I” and “mother” are not the same thing, “I” is compared with “mother”), then commas are needed:

I, like your mother, will not let you ruin your life..

In the event that “how” is part of the predicate, the comma is also not put:

The lake is like a mirror. ( Wed .: The lake, like a mirror, sparkled and reflected the clouds).

Music is like life. (Music, like life, does not last forever.)

Formal signs of the need for a comma: to trust or not?

To pay attention to the cases in which a comma is placed, special signs of sentences will help. However, don't trust them too much.

So, for example, it primarily concerns whether a comma is placed before "to". The rule, it would seem, is unambiguous: “A comma is always placed before “to””. However, any rule should not be taken too literally. For example, a sentence with "to" might be:

He wanted to talk to her to find out the truth and to tell her about how he lived his life.

As you can see, the rule works here, but the second "to" does not imply a comma. this error is quite common:

We went to the store just to look at the prices and to see what you can generally buy for dinner in this city.

Right : We went to the store just to look at the prices and to see what you can generally buy for dinner in this city.

The same goes for the word "how". It has already been said above that, firstly, the word has two meanings, and secondly, it can be part of different members of the sentence, so you should not trust the common wording “There is always a comma before “how”.

The third common case of a formal sign of the need for a comma is the word "yes". However, it should also be treated with great caution. The word "yes" has several meanings, including - "and":

He took the brushes and went to paint.

Jackdaws and crows flocked, but there were no titmouses, and no.

Such formal signs should rather be treated as potentially "dangerous" places. Words like “to”, “what”, “how”, “yes” can signal that there may be a comma in this sentence. These “signals” will help you not to miss commas in sentences, but the rule regarding these signs themselves should never be overlooked.

At the same time, when arranging commas, it is necessary, rather, to focus not on the “rules”, but on the meaning of setting the sign. The comma, in general, is intended to separate homogeneous members of a sentence, parts of a complex sentence, as well as fragments that do not fit into the structure of the sentence, which are alien to it (addresses, introductory words, etc.). Rules only specify each case. This even applies to the formula “need a comma before “to””. This rule actually specifies the general principle of punctuation. In general, of course, when writing, you need to think!

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We all remember well from school that in a sentence before unions A And But a comma is always put, and it doesn’t matter if this sentence is complex or simple with homogeneous members. with union And everything is much more complicated. Let's try to figure it out.

In its most general form, the rule looks like this: simple sentence with homogeneous members comma before And not put if this union single: I remember the cottage And swing… If union and repeats, comma put between homogeneous members before the union: I remember the cottage And swing, And bonfire over the river... In difficult(compound) sentence comma before conjunction And, usually, put: I remember the cottage And I still remember my childhood swing ...

So let's summarize: in a complex sentence between its parts before the union And a comma is put, in a sentence with homogeneous members it is put if the union And repeats. To avoid mistakes, it is enough to correctly determine which sentence we have in front of us - simple with homogeneous members or complex, compound. To do this, you need to look at how many grammatical foundations are in the sentence (the grammatical foundation is the subject and the predicate). If one - the sentence is simple, two or more - complex. In our examples in the sentence I remember the cottage and the swing... one subject - I, and one predicate - remember, that is, one grammatical basis, which means that the sentence is simple ( dacha And swing- homogeneous additions). In a sentence I remember the dacha, and my children's swing still remains in my memory ... two grammatical bases ( I remember; the swing is remembered), so the sentence is complex.

Back to compound offer. When is a comma before And in him not put? There are several such cases, namely:

1) If parts of a compound sentence are combined by some general element: a common minor member, a common introductory word, a phrase, a sentence, or a common subordinate clause:

The wind died down this morning And . (Complex sentence, This morning- a common minor term for both parts; comma before And not set.)

When it dawned, the wind died down And long-awaited silence. (Sentence with different types of connection; for parts 2 and 3, which are connected by a coordinative connection, a subordinate clause When it dawned is common, so the comma before And not set.)

2) If each part of a compound sentence is an interrogative, motivating or exclamatory sentence:

What is this show talking about? And who is it for?(Parts are interrogative sentences. Compare: What is this program about? Who is it intended for?)

How beautiful is this picture And what memories it brings back!(Parts are declarative exclamatory sentences.)

Violinist, play And rejoice people!(Parts are motivating exclamatory sentences.)

3) If parts of a compound sentence are nominative or impersonal sentences:

Summer evening And light chill.(Parts are nominal sentences.)

The house is heated And the veranda is warm.(Parts are impersonal sentences.)

One of the most common punctuation mistakes of schoolchildren and adults is the incorrect punctuation before the word "or". Two erroneous strategies can usually be observed: the absence of a comma in all cases, or the presence of a sign in front of this word, regardless of its position. Is there always a comma before "or"? This article is devoted to the rules for setting a comma before this word.

"Either" and "or"

Oddly enough, many are confused in the word "either" by its "bookishness". This union does differ from “or” in stylistic terms and in some nuances of usage (for example, “either” is not used in the meaning of the “equal sign” in headings, in contrast to “or”: “My summer, or What happened to me in Turkey” ), but this does not affect punctuation in any way. A comma before "or" is placed in the same cases when it is placed before the word "or".

No comma for single use

The simplest case of the absence of a comma before “either” (and “or”) is the single use of this union with homogeneous members in a simple or complex sentence:

We will go to the veterinary clinic this Saturday or Friday.
Write a review for this book or ask someone to do it.
Please pack it in a box or wrap it well with bubble wrap.
Today I want to read something to my daughter or play a game with her in which she wishes.

These are the simplest examples of the use of the union "or", similar to the examples with "or". In cases where the word “or” is used once between homogeneous members of a sentence to indicate an alternative (choice), a comma before it is definitely not needed, as well as before the conjunction “and” (cf .: Come on, I’ll buy you a chocolate bar and a cake, whatever you want).

Absence of a comma for pairs of homogeneous members

If homogeneous members of a sentence are framed as pairs connected by a union, a comma before “or” is also not needed, punctuation marks are placed only between pairs.

The owner of the dog always has to choose what is more important: long walks with a pet or household chores, vacation outside the city with a dog or trips abroad, comfort from an animal in the house or crystal cleanliness.
When ordering pizza, indicate your preferences and choose spicy or unleavened sauce, sausage or pieces of meat, fresh or pickled cucumbers, the presence or absence of additional spices.

The rule here is also universal for connecting unions (cf.: "At the City Day, everyone met and greeted, sang and danced, exchanged phone numbers and wrote down each other's email addresses, met new people and talked with old friends").

Comma with repeated use

A comma before “or”, used with homogeneous members of the sentence, is needed if the alternative, the choice is not limited to two options:

I want to do rhythmic gymnastics, or ballroom dancing, or figure skating.
We will go to St. Petersburg in March, or in June, or before the New Year.
Illustrations must be drawn on paper: in pencil, ink, or charcoal.

She always receives letters in English from a colleague in England, or from America, or from Australia, or from somewhere else.

In these cases, a comma is required before all conjunctions, as is the case with the conjunction "and" ("I always know what hurts you, and your mother, and your sister, and your brother").

Comma with repeated use, starting with "or"

In many cases, such series of homogeneous members begin with a union:

Buy, please, either cookies, or marshmallows, or marmalade, or marshmallows for tea, but don’t buy crackers with bagels.
Either Olga Aleksandrovna, or Galina Eduardovna, or Tatyana Alekseevna, or Natalya Vladimirovna will deal with you.
We agreed that we would get some small dog: either a miniature pinscher, or a spitz, or a Pekingese, or a York terrier, or a lapdog.

In such constructions, a comma is placed before “or” between the first and second homogeneous member. The rule for memorization covering this and the previous described case is simple: the sign is needed before the second "either" ("or").

Punctuation mark before "either", independent of "either"

Often, many people wonder why there is a comma before “or”, although it seems that the rules do not provide for it. In these cases, it is worth considering whether there are other reasons for setting this sign:

Let's pack everything in the bag we took to the lake, or in our big backpack.

In this case, the comma before "or" stands for reasons beyond the control of this union: it is needed to separate the boundaries of the subordinate clause "with which we went to the lake."

I will go by train going through Kazan, or by bus going to Kazan.

Here the participle turnover “going through Kazan” is isolated.

Thus, two questions always need to be addressed:

Whether or not a comma is placed before "or".
Is a comma needed after the word that precedes the union.

Comma in compound sentence

Like other unions, "or" can connect not only homogeneous members, but also parts of a complex sentence. When is a comma placed before "or"? This rule is common to all connecting unions. If parts of a complex sentence are not united by a generalizing word, a comma before "or" is required before each of them. Examples:

It is necessary to decide on some urgent measures, or all this can end very badly.
Now the neighbors will come and they will swear very much because of the noise, or the police will immediately arrive.

Often sentences begin with a union. These cases, of course, also require a comma before "or":

Either you immediately agree to come to visit me, or I will be very sad for the rest of my life.
Either this girl has a very strict mother who takes care of her a lot, or this girl is by nature very strong-willed and purposeful.
Either we will perform at this holiday with all our numbers, or we will never be invited again.
Either he has already left work, or he is very busy and does not answer calls, or he has moved to work in another office.

The absence of a comma in a compound sentence

Whether a comma is placed before “either” or not also depends on the presence of a generalizing word. This rule is universal for all connecting unions. If two parts of a compound sentence are combined with a generalizing word, a comma before a single-used "or" is not needed:

You don't like her illustrations because you associate them with Moscow, or you're just tired of work.

However, there can be more than two parts of a complex sentence, and they can be combined in pairs. In addition, before the first of them, "or" can be used. The rules here are simple, and they completely repeat the signing algorithm with homogeneous members of the sentence:

Today, either you will come to me, or I will come to you.

Difficulties may arise in determining the presence of a generalizing word. Not always the circumstance placed at the beginning of a sentence is common to its parts. For example, in the sentence “This spring, the starlings arrived very late, or I was very tired and did not notice anything around at all,” the circumstance “this spring” cannot be considered as a generalizing word, so a comma must be placed before the union.

Thus, the cases of using the union “or” can be divided into two groups: in simple sentences and in compound sentences. Both those and others can assume both the presence and absence of a comma.

To put or not to put a comma before the union how? Seems like an easy question. Since school days, we have learned that a comma is placed if this union is part of a comparative turnover. Is this statement really true? Or does this rule have exceptions? If they are, what are they? In order not to get into an awkward situation due to commas, let's figure out when they really need to be put before this union, and at what moments this is not necessary at all.

In contact with

In what situations is a comma used?

At first let's look at simpler examples when you need to put a punctuation mark before the union. It is not difficult to remember them, they are quite simple, and there are few such cases.

If the union connects together separate fragments of a complex sentence, then a comma is used. It is easy to learn and remember this, because in such cases it is simply impossible to do without a punctuation mark. For example: We recalled with pleasure how a few years ago our class visited the zoo.
If the union is an integral part of the introductory words in the sentence, then we must also put a comma. There are few such phrases in Russian, but they are often used in colloquial speech. For example: I was late for school today, as always.
If the union is used in comparative circulation, then it is distinguished by a comma on both sides. It is not difficult to recognize such phrases. They have the meaning "like" and it is impossible to pick up any other meanings so as not to change the meaning of the sentence. For example: His eyes are as blue as the sky on a clear day.

There is one more interesting point to be noted here. turnover is in the middle of a sentence, then it should not be separated by commas. In this sentence, the entire construction that fits the meaning is isolated. For example: In the room, Vadim, angry as hell, paced the room. In this case, the definition of evil is added to the comparative turnover.

This emphasis is made because this part of the sentence has indivisible semantic connection. If we do not put the punctuation mark in this way, then we will understand this part of the text in a different way. The presence of the word and in this situation does not change this rule. This part of the sentence remains as before a comparative turnover and acts as a circumstance. Therefore, such a part, together with the word, is highlighted by a punctuation mark.

For example: At school, like all children, they treat me well.

4. If the above comparative phrase is in the middle of the sentence, then it is separated by commas on both sides: at the beginning and at the end of this construction. For example: At the same time bIt was hot as an oven that day.

Is a comma needed?

Now let's look at situations where a punctuation mark is not required. With them often there is confusion, although there is nothing complicated here. If you understand these points, you will not have any special difficulties. By the way, such cases when a comma is not needed are also few in Russian, so you do not need to memorize a large amount of information.

If the union is between the subject and the predicate, and instead of it you can put a dash, then a comma is not needed here. The meaning of the phrase should not change. For example: He is like a hawk.
If this union is part of a phraseological unit. Recall that this concept in the Russian language includes indivisible language set phrases. For example: The brothers were as different as heaven and earth.
If the union in the continuation denotes the circumstance of the course of action, then a comma is not placed in front of it. For example: The flag fluttered like a bird. In these situations, the phrase with the union can be replaced by an adverb ( bird-like) or use a noun in the instrumental case ( bird). This is often the point that people have the most doubts about. Sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish a comparison from a circumstance of a course of action.
When a phrase with a union is an indivisible part of the predicate. Here, the sentence without it would not make the right sense. In such cases, do not put a comma. For example: The girl blushed like a tomato.
If the union is preceded by the words: completely, completely, almost, exactly the same, like, simply, exactly, and also the particle is not, then they do not put a comma in front of it. This is a simple rule, but it is often forgotten. For example: They looked at each other not as friends.

Compound conjunctions and the word like

Sometimes the word like is part of a compound union or turnover eg: as and so on. Of course, at the same time, a comma is not put here, because in such cases this word is not a union. For example: Since he appeared, the silence has disappeared. The above rules and examples for them, when a comma is put or not put in sentences, will help you not to make mistakes when writing texts. The literacy of a person is always in his own hands, so much depends on attentiveness and knowledge.