Unnecessary commas — Digital SAT Reading & Writing practice
Commas that break required connections.
Key ideas to know
Subject and Verb Connection
Choose the correct version: A) The manager who reviewed every single application yesterday approved the candidate. B) The manager who reviewed every single application yesterday, approved the candidate.
Remove the comma after yesterday. Never place a comma between a subject and its verb, even when the subject phrase is long.
Watch out: Long subjects naturally invite a pause, but punctuation must follow grammar rules, not speaking rhythm.
Verb and object
Identify the error: “The committee appointed, Sarah as the new director.”
Remove the comma after appointed. Never put a comma between a verb and its object: The committee appointed Sarah as the new director.
Watch out: Pausing after a verb when reading aloud and writing a comma where the sentence has no break.
Compound Elements Without Commas
Choose the correct version: A) The team analyzed the data, and presented the results. B) The team analyzed the data and presented the results. C) The team, analyzed the data and presented the results.
Choose B. Never add a comma between items in a compound predicate or two nouns joined by and. Keep the connection tight.
Watch out: Students often treat and like a period, adding a comma before it even when joining verbs or nouns in the same clause.
Spot the extra comma
Which sentence has an unnecessary comma? A) Because it rained, the game was canceled. B) The students, who studied hard, passed. C) The tall, thin, man waved. D) She laughed, and he smiled.
C. A comma should not come between the last adjective and the noun it describes: The tall, thin man waved. The other commas are correct.
Watch out: Adding a comma wherever you pause. Commas follow grammar, not breathing.
False Pauses in Syntax
What is wrong with this sentence? The engineer who designed the bridge, successfully completed the project ahead of schedule.
Remove the comma after bridge. If a comma replaces a pause that breaks a grammatical connection, delete it. The correct version is: The engineer who designed the bridge successfully completed the project ahead of schedule.
Watch out: Writers insert commas to mimic speech pauses, but punctuation must follow syntactic bonds, not breathing rhythm.