| Uses of the Comma | Examples: |
| After a long introductory phrase. | For a brief period some years ago, New Westminster
was the capital of BC. |
| To prevent the misreading of a sentence. | They left at 5:00 p.m., for Calgary was still a long way off. |
| To mark off short interrupting phrases. | He was, in fact, born in Halifax. |
| Between long coordinate clauses, especially when they
are joined by "but", "and", or "or". | He thought they lived in Red Deer, but actually it was Edmonton. |
| In a series of adjectives after a linking verb,
use a comma after each term but the last. | The cowboy was tall, lean, and dark haired. |