Credentials

---

04/23/01: Commas between Coordinate Adjectives

Which sentences use commas appropriately between adjectives?

1. We were prepared for a long, tedious, planning session.

2. Allen owns several blue, wool sweaters.

3. In order to get home, we must travel over several narrow, winding, treacherous roads.

Only the last sentence is punctuated correctly.

The rulebooks tell us to put commas between coordinate adjectives, but because it is not always easy to tell when adjectives are coordinate, we apply two simple tests to be sure:

First, we try placing the word and between the two adjectives. Second, we reverse them. If, in both instances, the resulting phrase still sounds appropriate, we are most likely dealing with coordinate adjectives and should use a comma between them.

Let's try those two tests on sentence 1: We could say "a long and tedious planning session" or "a tedious, long planning session." Thus, we need the comma between the words long and tedious. However, we could not say "a tedious and planning session," nor could we say "a planning, tedious session." Thus, we should not use a comma between the words tedious and planning.

In sentence 2, we do not need a comma between the words blue and wool because the two adjectives are not coordinate. It would sound illogical to say "blue and wool sweaters" or "wool blue sweaters."

The adjectives in sentence three--narrow, winding, and treacherous--are coordinate with one another, so the commas are appropriate. The word and would sound fine between those words ("the narrow and winding roads" or "the winding and treacherous roads"), and I could easily rearrange the three modifiers in any order.

Remember, of course, that we never use a comma in front of the noun or pronoun being modified or between adverbs and the adjectives they modify.

TEST YOURSELF: Which sentences need commas between coordinate adjectives?

1. In the attic we found old thin paper cutouts we used to play with when we were children.

2. The poster depicted a brown-haired blue-eyed child wearing a red denim shirt.

3. For breakfast we ate two oversized blueberry muffins.

4. We bought two dozen boxes of mouth-watering peanut butter Girl Scout cookies.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S TEST ON USING THE POSSESSIVE CASE WITH JOINT OR SEPARATE OWNERSHIP

The test sentences:

1. We complained to the housekeeping service when the trash receptacles in Hal and Barb's offices had not been emptied for three days. [They work in separate offices.]

2. Smallville and Eden's population increases in the last decade have been staggering, despite economic hardships endured by both counties.

3. After the ceremony, everyone who attended Nancy's and Tom's wedding walked across the street to the reception.

4. Susan and Richard's proposals were outstanding, so the company has funded both of the projects for the next fiscal year.

5. The seamstress had to alter both Emily and Julie's dress before the party.

The answers:

1. Hal's and Barb's offices

2. Smallville's and Eden's population increases

3. Nancy and Tom's wedding

4. Susan's and Richard's proposals [if each person wrote a separate proposal] Susan and Richard's proposals [if they jointly wrote both proposals]

5. Emily's and Julie's dresses [Note the change from dress to dresses.]

Copyright 2001 Get It Write Back to Tip List

Back to Tip List

---

GIW Home | Resources | Services | Credentials | Tip of the Week | Subscribe | Books | Contact

---