New York Central,
Pennsylvania and Chesapeake and Ohio. [The reader might surmise
that the words _Pennsylvania and Chesapeake and Ohio_ represent
a single line or even three different lines.]

Right: The railroads in question are the New York Central,
Pennsylvania, and Chesapeake and Ohio.

Confusing: For breakfast we had oatmeal, bacon, eggs and honey.
[Omission of the comma after _eggs_ suggests a mixture.]

Right: For breakfast we had oatmeal, bacon, eggs, and honey.

=h. A comma should follow an expression like _he said_ which introduces a
short quotation.= (For longer or more formal quotations use a colon.)

Right: He shouted, "Come on! I dare you!"

Right: Our captain replied, "We're ready."

But for indirect quotations, a caution is necessary. Do not place a
comma between a verb and a _that_ or _how_ clause which the verb
introduces.

Wrong: He explained, how the accident occurred.

Right: He explained how the accident occurred.

Wrong: The chauffeur told us, that the gasoline tank was empty.

Right: The chauffeur told us that the gasoline tank was empty.

=i. A comma is used to separate parts of a sentence which might
erroneously be read together.=

Confusing: Long before she had received a letter.

Better: Long before, she had received a letter.

Confusing: We turned the corner and the horse stopped throwing
us off.

Better: We turned the corner and the horse stopped, throwing us
off.

Confusing: Through the alumni gathered there went a thrill of
dismay.

Better: Through the alumni gathered there, went a thrill of
dismay.

Wrong: For a dime you can buy two pieces of pie or cake and ice
cream.

Right: For a dime you can buy two pieces of pie, or cake and
ice cream.

Right: The man whom everybody had for years regarded as a crank
and a weakling, is now praised for his sagacity and his
strength.

Right: In a situation so critical as to require the utmost
coolness of mind, he lost his wits completely. [Here the
confusion might not be serious if the comma were omitted, but
separation of the long introduction from the main clause is
desirable.]

=j. Do not use superfluous commas:=

=1.= To mark a trivial pause:

Needless use of comma: In the road, stood a wagon.

Needless use of commas: The taki