Comma with Non-Essential Elements at the End of a Sentence
Jared Aragona
Comma with non-essential elements at the end of a sentence: Use a comma at the end of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentences, including words of direct address.
Non-essential relative clause at the end:
Jenny finally learned how to dissect sharks, which was something she always dreamed she would do.
Non-essential relative clause at the end:
The festival this year was organized by Esmerelda, whom most local professionals admire.
Non-essential phrase at the end:
Seventeen of the animals escaped from their enclosures, including two giraffes.
Non-essential phrase at the end:
Many people who grow up in rural areas enjoy open spaces, such as this cow pasture.
Phrase of contrast at the end (grammatically non-essential):
The men thought they were going to a burger joint, not a salad bar.
Non-essential word at the end:
There are some situations that annoy her, nevertheless.
Word of direct address at the end:
A more conscientious person would have polished the lens before handing it over, Tom.
Be aware of when the meaning changes when depending on whether you intend to express essential [H9] or non-essential clauses [H5], phrases, and words. For example:
Non-essential: My eyeballs sometimes turn a shade of bright red, which some people find very strange.
(What follows the comma is extra information, suggesting people find the whole phenomenon of eye color change to be strange. Removing it would not change that meaning.)
Essential: My eyeballs sometimes turn a shade of bright red which some people find very strange.
(As an essential element, the clause modifies “red,” so now people find the particular shade of red strange, not the whole situation strange. For essential elements, the conjunction “that” is more commonly used, though “which” may also be used.)
The MLCKRB (Master List Code Key and Rule Book): An English Grammar & Style Handbook by Jared Aragona, CC BY 4.0