{"id":5390,"date":"2017-03-18T23:01:45","date_gmt":"2017-03-19T03:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/characterinkblog.com\/?p=5390"},"modified":"2017-03-18T23:01:45","modified_gmt":"2017-03-19T03:01:45","slug":"comma-clues-2-comma-double-describers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/characterinkblog.com\/comma-clues-2-comma-double-describers\/","title":{"rendered":"Comma Clues #2: Comma Between Double Describers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n I recently had the misfortune of seeing a sign outside a chicken franchise that read hot, juicy, chicken. You can imagine my outrage!!!<\/p>\n It, of course, took us here at Language Lady to Comma Clues #2: Use Commas to Separate Two or More Describers (But Not Between the Describer and the Word Being Described!).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two benchmarks that I teach for inserting commas between describers:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n a. She had on that bright, beautiful dress. (She had on that beautiful, bright dress\u2014YES\u2026comma is needed.)<\/p>\n b. She had on that, bright dress. (She had on bright that dress\u2013NO\u2026comma is not needed.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n a. She had on that bright, beautiful dress. (She had on that bright and beautiful dress\u2014YES\u2026comma is needed.)<\/p>\n b. She on that, bright dress. (She had on that and bright dress\u2014NO\u2026comma is not needed.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For those who like technical explanations, we teach that commas go between DESCRIPTIVE adjectives (bright, beautiful) but not between CLARIFYING adjectives (that, five, this\u2013which are usually called something else anyway, like pronouns, etc.).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Watch me teach adjectives in my previous post!<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n1. If you can reverse the order of the words that you are placing a comma between, and the phrase still makes sense, use a comma:<\/h3>\n
2. If you can put an AND in between the two words you are placing a comma between, and the phrase still makes sense, use a comma:<\/h3>\n