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I have two questions regarding comma use and would appreciate your input as to why the comma's are not needed in these two incidences.

First sentence: ...came out of her mind, and is her "dream quest," .... (I was told the comma after mind and quest is unnecessary, can you tell me why this is. I was given a better way to write by deleting the (and is) just using a dash before dream and after quest. That sounds right to me i just don't know the rule.

Second sentence: .....from place to place, and time to time, is ...
Why are comma's not needed here?

Thanks for your help.

For the first one, I would need a bit more context from the rest of the sentence. As it is, the comma before "and" is unnecessary because the clause that follows is not independent. If you had put "it is her dream quest" or placed another subject in front of is, it would be necessary.

For the second situation, the commas are more of a stylistic choice than right or wrong. If you are aiming for a more conversational tone of work, commas definitely fit. If you are trying to write with a formal tone, I would leave them off since they are not strictly necessary. Like the first situation, I would like to see the full sentence this snippet belongs to.

marydaurio wrote: ↑13 Feb 2019, 10:17 I have two questions regarding comma use and would appreciate your input as to why the commas are not needed in these two incidences.

First sentence: ... came out of her mind, and is her "dream quest," .... (I was told the comma after mind and quest is unnecessary, can you tell me why this is. I was given a better way to write by deleting the (and is) just using a dash before dream and after quest. That sounds right to me I just don't know the rule.

Second sentence: .....from place to place, and time to time, is ...
Why are comma's not needed here?

Thanks for your help.

It would be helpful to see the entire sentences.

Nonetheless, I think a comma is normally fine before the coordinating conjunction "and" when in between two independent clauses. You've only got phrases and not independent clauses in your samples.
(Reference: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/coordina ... junctions/)

If you've got at least three parallel elements in the sentence, then an Oxford comma is at times acceptable.
(Reference: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/oxford-comma-debate/)

Oh my, I too am suffering from comma usage, over usage and not enough usage. When I believe it should be inserted, it turns out I should not have. I sometimes feel that using commas just like the explanation mark may be a personal choice I really do not know. Does anyone know of a dedicated website or book that pertains to using commas effectively? Oh wait, I see a few links above.

Thanks, and yes the links help too.

Very helpful conversation you've got going on here. I have the same issue as I have been either told I added to many commas or ommited commas. Thanks for the links, I'd definitely check them out.

I really like this part of the forum. Strangely, it was not visible until now. I just noticed it! Thanks to OBC!

I've also just found this and am reading with interest. It seems many of us here have a problem with commas - either too many or too few! I see the links given are Grammarly links, which leads me to yet another problem. I am often "informed" by Grammarly that I should insert a comma, which I do. I then get my editorial scorecard back, and I'm told I should not have used the comma. I then lose 10 points just for one comma!

maritzaalston wrote: ↑14 Feb 2019, 10:35 Oh my, I too am suffering from comma usage, over usage and not enough usage. When I believe it should be inserted, it turns out I should not have. I sometimes feel that using commas just like the explanation mark may be a personal choice I really do not know. Does anyone know of a dedicated website or book that pertains to using commas effectively? Oh wait, I see a few links above.

I feel the same way too