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comma that sets off

The comma (or comma pair) marking the boundary of something nonessential to the sentence's core meaning.

A comma that sets off marks the boundary of material that is not essential to a sentence's core meaning — an introductory element, a nonessential description in the middle of a sentence, or an appositive — using one comma if the material comes at the start or end and a pair if it interrupts the middle.

Examples

  • After the meeting, we grabbed lunch.

  • My brother, who lives in Denver, is visiting.

See also

appositive nonrestrictive (nonessential) clause
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