P2-c Omit any commas that unnecessarily separate a subject and verb or a verb and its object.

Printed Page H-55

subject The part of a clause that identifies who or what is being discussed.

verb A word or phrase that expresses action or being and, along with a subject, is a basic component of a sentence.

object The part of a clause that receives the action of the verb, or the part of a phrase that follows a preposition: At the checkpoint, we unloaded the canoes.

A comma that separates two of a sentence’s core elements—subject, verb, and object—confuses matters by suggesting that some other material has been added.

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