phoenixcollege<learningcenter<owl<punctuation;commas<rule18
phoenixcollege<learningcenter<owl<punctuation;commas<rule18
 COMMAS |
| Rule #18 Commas and Absolute Phrases |
Rule:Use a comma to separate absolute phrases from the rest of the sentence.
An absolute phrase is a noun followed by a participial phrase.
Example: Her eyes glaring at her boyfriend, the woman walked into the room.
Eyes is a noun. Glaring is a participle. Glaring with at her boyfriend makes it a participial phrase.
You can place an absolute phrase in different positions in the sentence.
Examples:
She sat at her desk, her mind thinking about her vacation.
She sat, her mind thinking about her vacation, at her desk.
Her mind thinking about her vacation, she sat at her desk.
Writing Tip: Don't put a comma between the noun and the participle.
Example of wrong use: Friday, being a holiday, the banks were closed.
Correct: Friday being a holiday, the banks were closed.
Don't put a comma between sentences. Be sure you have an absolute phrase.
Example of wrong use: She sat at her desk, her mind was thinking about her vacation.
Correct: She sat at her desk, her mind thinking about her vacation.
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