Commas with contrasted elements

Sharp contrasts beginning with words such as not, never, and unlike are set off with commas.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: The Epicurean philosophers sought mental not bodily pleasures. Revised sentence: The Epicurean philosophers sought mental, not bodily, pleasures.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: The costumes were finely tailored but not extravagantly so and the stage set was bathed in a subtle golden glow. Revised sentence: The costumes were finely tailored, but not extravagantly so, and the stage set was bathed in a subtle golden glow.

Exercises:

Major uses of the comma 1

Major uses of the comma 2

All uses of the comma