Commas in English. When to put commas before conjunctions in English. Exclamation Mark - exclamation mark
Today, almost everyone learns English in one way or another - but far from everyone, even after graduating, can competently write a letter or essay in it. Most likely, the fact is that neither at school nor at the university they often explain the most important things to us: how to put commas or quotes, how a phrase works, how to use specific grammatical phrases. Based on the course of Mt. San Jacinto College (California, USA) "Theory and Practice" has collected nine tips for Russian-speaking authors who want to learn how to write in English.
Unbreakable Order: How to Use Inversion in English
Fiction translators say that the English syntax almost always needs to be restructured: divided into parts, translated and built again without losing the meaning - already in Russian. This is because the English sentence has a strict structure - direct word order: subject, predicate, object. You can say: “I really think you’re right” (“I really think that you are right”), but you cannot put the predicate before the subject, as in Russian.
Nevertheless, inversion in English can still be found:
1) in the case of the turns “there is” and “there are”: “There is a frog in your bed” (“There is a frog in your bed”);
2) after a direct speech: "Punk is musical freedom", said Kurt Cobain ("Punk is freedom in music," said Kurt Cobain ");
3) in sentences that begin with "here": "Here is your tea, Hatter" ("Here is your tea, Hatter");
4) in conditional sentences with the verbs "was", "were", "had", "could", "should": "Had I thought better, I wouldn't marry her" ("If I thought better, I would did not marry her");
5) in complex sentences that begin with the words “hardly”, “scarcely”, “no sooner”, “never”, “nothing”, “not only”: “Never had I seen such a terrible sofa” (“I am in I have never seen such a terrible sofa in my life”);
7) emphatic inversion is also used as part of the turnover “It is / was ... that / who / whom”: “It was me who found her lover in a wardrobe”: “It was I who found her lover in the closet”).
Restrictive clause: how to put a comma before "which" and "that"
Among the types of subordinate clauses in English there are so-called adjective subordinate clauses, which define the characteristics of a noun and begin with recognizable relative pronouns “who”, “whom”, “that”, “which”, “whose”, “when ' and 'where'. The attributive clause can be restrictive or non-restrictive. The first reduces all possible characteristics of a noun to one, the most important, and the second simply marks one of the many properties of an object or subject. To understand how such clauses work, you can compare two phrases:
1) “Mary Jane fell in love with a guy who was wearing a strange red and blue costume. It was Spider-Man ”(” Mary Jane fell in love with a guy dressed in a strange red and blue suit. It was Spider-Man ”). This is a restrictive clause, since it is the strange costume in this case that distinguishes the above guy from all the other guys in the city.
2) “Mary Jane fell in love with a guy who was wearing a strange red and blue costume, which was wet. It was Spider-Man ”(” Mary Jane fell in love with a guy dressed in a strange red and blue suit, which was all wet. It was Spider-Man ”). This is a non-restrictive clause, since the author only adds an additional characteristic to the description of the costume.
Why do you need to know all this? The fact is that a non-restrictive clause requires a comma, but a restrictive one does not. Most often, the word "which" indicates the presence of a non-restrictive clause, and the word "that" indicates the presence of a restrictive one. That is, before "which" a comma is most often needed, and before "that" - most often not.
Reverse clause: why a comma is not needed before “because”, and after it is necessary
Another type of subordinate clauses in English is called Adverb Subordinate Clauses. They define the characteristics of the verb and describe how, when, why, where, and under what conditions something happens or someone does something.
The adverbial adverbial clause can be recognized by subordinating conjunctions
as, because, since, though, although, even, even if, if, unless, when, whenever, while, rather than, in order that, so that, before, once, after, until.
Adverbial clauses require a comma only if they precede the main clause. Compare:
1) “Because he was a freak, I broke up with him” (“Because he was a freak, I broke up with him”). Here you need to put a comma.
2) “I broke up with him because he was a freak” (“I broke up with him because he was a freak”). There is no need to put a comma here.
Authors often move the adverbial clause to the beginning of a sentence to emphasize or clarify their position. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to this punctuation rule: if the subordinate clause is located after the main clause, but at the same time contrasts with it or contradicts it, a comma must still be put:
Thor saved the planet again, whereas his brother Loki tried to master it and destroyed New York.
Think Like a Foreigner: How to Use Absolute Turnover
One of the mistakes that can be made in the process of learning English is to try to understand its grammar at the expense of knowledge of Russian grammar. When learning a new language, you should not often compare it with your native language, even if they belong to the same language group (which cannot be said about Russian and English: the first is part of the East Slavic subgroup, and the second is in West German), squeezing foreign grammar into the usual scheme or translating phrases by words, without changing the construction of the phrase.
To sound more authentic, you need to get used to using English grammatical forms right away. Suitable, for example, absolute turnover - Absolute Phrase. By the way, a phrase in English is a construction in which there is no subject and predicate; subordinate clause (clause) - a subordinate clause subordinate to the main one, and a sentence (sentence) - an independent simple or complex sentence.
Absolute turnover cannot be translated into Russian literally. "His feet rooted to the spot, Lestrade waited for Holmes to give him a sign": "Lestrade stood rooted to the spot and waited for Holmes to give him a sign." Nevertheless, in speech and writing, it is convenient to use this technique. An absolute phrase must contain at least a noun and a participle. It can be built on the basis of one of two forms of the participle: -ing (Present Participle - present participle) or -ed (Past Participle - past participle). An absolute turnover is especially useful when the author is describing an object or situation that is observed up close.
Do it: verb as subject
The verb in English, as well as in Russian, can act as a subject, and not only in the form of a gerund (“running”), but also in the form of an infinitive (“to run”). Contrary to school instincts, which may tell us to always use the gerund, it is worth remembering that English grammar allows for the second option:
"To run a marathon has always been his dream, although he has been born in a tiny mountain village where there are no level roads."
Delimiter: how to use a semicolon
In Russian, commas often perform the function of a grammatical or even intonational separator. But in English this is a mistake. In the sentence "I saw a sad man sitting next to the window, it was Jim Carrey" ("I saw a sad man sitting next to the window, it was Jim Carrey"), the punctuation mark is incorrect. Here you need to put not a comma, but a semicolon: “I saw a sad man sitting next to the window; it was Jim Carrey.
The semicolon plays a big role in the English punctuation system - it is no coincidence that this sign is placed on one of the easily accessible keys of the Latin computer keyboard, while on the Cyrillic keyboard it is moved to the top, numeric line. A semicolon separates simple sentences in complex ones, unless they are separated by a conjunction; nevertheless, in the case of the presence of a union, this sign can be put. To understand whether a semicolon can be used, it is often enough to ask yourself if you can use a full stop instead, dividing the sentence into two separate fragments: “I saw a sad man sitting next to the window. It was Jim Carrey" ("I saw a sad man sitting by the window. It was Jim Carrey").
Crooked speech: how not to make a mistake with quotes
The design of direct speech in English differs from the Russian version. Here, the final punctuation mark in the replica - exclamation mark, question mark or period - is placed inside, not outside, quotes. "It was a real shame." ("It was really embarrassing").
In addition, in English there is no need to put a colon or dash before or after direct speech: here you can do with a comma: "It was a real shame," said Hulk would look something like this: Hulk said, "It was a real shame." (The Hulk said, "It was really embarrassing").
Oxford comma: serial comma
Oxford comma (Oxford comma), or Harvard comma (Harvard comma), is a comma that is placed before the union in enumerations. It can be used if there are three or more elements in the list of objects, before the conjunctions and, or or nor. Jason wanted to hit his boss on the head, kick the bejesus out of him, and hang them on a chandelier, but decided to say nothing. but he decided not to say anything).
Despite its name, the serial comma is more common in American than in British English. Some authors from the UK advise putting it only to avoid ambiguity, while American teachers sometimes insist on the mandatory setting of such commas.
An interesting suggestion: how to build a replica with different types of communication
In English, a sentence can be of four different types:
Simple (simple sentence): subject and predicate;
Compound sentence: two independent simple sentences connected by a union;
Complex sentence: main and subordinate clause connected by a union;
Compound-complex sentence: two independent simple sentences connected by a union, one of which is joined by a subordinate clause:
"You could fly to Madrid, or you could go to London by rail since the tickets are so cheap."
Such a scheme is not entirely consistent with the structure of grammar familiar to a Russian-speaking person, but this is rather a plus: such facts, as a rule, help to switch to a foreign language system and start thinking within its framework. Complex sentences with different types of connection are especially important to use in writing because they allow you to work out the setting of commas. Indeed, in an English compound, a comma is needed, but in a complex one (if the subordinate clause is located after the main one) - no.
How to distinguish a complex sentence from a complex one? There is one trick. In American universities, it is called the "FANBOYS list". Unions that indicate the equality of simple sentences within a complex one are easy to recognize:
If one of the FANBOYS representatives is present in your sentence, it is compound, and then a comma must be placed before the union: “I saw a goose on the riverside, and it was very angry” (“I saw a goose on the riverside, and he was very angry ").
A complex sentence, when the subordinate clause follows the main one, will not require a comma: “I went away because the goose seemed to be dangerous” (“I left because this goose seemed dangerous”). However, it is worth remembering that if the subordinate clause comes first, then the punctuation mark will need to be put: “Because the goose seemed to be angry, I went away” (“This goose seemed dangerous, and I left”).
Icons: 1), 3), 5), 7), 9) athanagore x, 2), 6) Marek Polakovic, 4) James Fenton, 8) Christian Wad, - from the Noun Project.
Conjunctions refer to the service parts of speech, which determine the grammatical connection between the individual elements of the sentence.
2
Coordinating conjunctions and/but/or are used to combine homogeneous members or parts of a compound sentence.
I asked Jack to help me and he agreed. I asked Jack to help me and he agreed.
We waited for Carrie but she didn't come. We were waiting for Carrie, but she didn't come.
Can I ask you a question or are you busy? May I ask you a question, or are you busy?
3
Subordinating conjunctions so and because serve to form a complex sentence. The first reflects in it an investigative relationship, the second - a causal one. Compare:
It was nice weather, so I went out. The weather was fine, so I went outside.
I went out because it was nice weather. I went outside because the weather was fine.
adnexal part with because can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence.
Because it was dark, he turned on the flashlight. Since it was dark, he turned on the flashlight.
4
In English, simple sentences are usually not separated by a comma before the conjunction. But it is placed with a more complex structure.
We tried to solve the problem but failed. We tried to solve the problem, but we couldn't.
We tried to solve the problem, but failed because it was too difficult. We tried to solve the problem, but we couldn't because it was too difficult.
In a compound sentence with and/or a comma separates all homogeneous terms, except for the last one.
Paul entered, sat down in a chair and lit a cigarette. Paul came in, sat down in a chair and lit a cigarette.
In a complex sentence, a comma is also placed when the subordinate part is before the main one (unions although/after/as/because/before/if/while/when).
When I looked at her, she smiled. When I looked at her, she smiled.
The following will list the main cases in which commas should be used, i.e. those cases when a comma is required in English:
1. A comma must be placed if 2 independent subordinate clauses are connected using one of the following linking words: and, not, for, but, yet, or, so. Each independent subordinate clause can be a separate clause. When at least 2 such sentences are combined into one sentence using any of the above words, then a comma is used to separate them. But, in the event that these sentences are rather short, then the comma may not be put, as for example - I was swimming and caught a cold (I swam and caught a cold).
Paul wanted to say something, but he was interrupted. Paul wanted to say something, but he was interrupted.
2. A comma in English is placed in the case of listing 3 or more items.
I brought skates, skis, ski poles. He brought skates, skis, ski poles.
3. When there are 2 or more adjectives that describe an object or person.
Example: My mother is a beautiful, kind woman. “My mother is a beautiful, kind woman.
4. If we put the dependent clause before the main clause.
A dependent clause is one that cannot be used separately from the main clause.
For example:
Unless you are rested, we are not going anywhere. Until you rest, we will not go anywhere.
Because it was cold, we didn't go out of town. - Since it was cold, we did not go out of town
5. A comma is placed when submitting additional information about any object or person (subjective adjective "adjective clause")
For example: Jorge, who is a clever man, answered this question. - Jshrdzh, a smart man, answered this question.
6. With a direct question or quote.
For example: Helen said, “I want some juce.” Helen said I want juice.
7. If you want to draw the attention of another person to something.
For example:
Golf, Jorge, is a very interesting game - Golf, George, this is a very interesting game
You, sir, are not very smart. You, sir, are not very smart.
8. When using linking words such as: therefore(hence therefore) consequently(as a result, as a result), etc.
For example:
Mary didn't go to geography lessons. Therefore, she didn't say where the northern part of the country is. Mary didn’t go to geography lessons, so she didn’t say where the northern part of the country is.
9. When highlighting the appeal, just as we do it in Russian:
John, where's your bookbag? — John, where is your briefcase?
10. A comma is also placed before the signature in a letter after the last phrase, such as Sincerely yours (Sincerely yours); Yours faithfully - devoted to you, etc.:
For example:
Sincerely yours, - Sincerely yours,
George. George.
11. Sometimes a comma is put in the writing of multi-digit numbers or dates:
11.1. to indicate cardinal numbers using numbers, every 3 digits (from right to left) must be separated with a comma: 4.564; 3,873,000. Although in mathematics, according to the SI system, spaces are placed after every three digits instead of a comma: 4 625; 5,531,000;
11.2. When writing dates, you can use a comma to separate the number from the year. For example:
11.3. A comma is not used in writing dates if there is already another comma next to it. Example:
We´ll go to New York on Tuesday, - We will go to New York on Tuesday,
12. You should never put a punctuation mark in indirect speech after the following verbs: to say (to say), to tell (to speak), etc.:
My mother said that I could not go to this lesson. My mother said that I could not go to this lesson.
Our teacher told that the lesson was over - Our teacher said that the lesson was over.
13. A comma in English is placed before direct speech immediately after the introductory words, while in Russian in this case it would be necessary to put a colon:
My brother said, ‘I’ll be at home at 6’. — My brother said: “I will come home at six”.
A comma is placed when listing homogeneous objects, predicates, etc. Before and a comma may or may not be included.
Three well-known Russian poets are Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, and Vladimir Mayakovsky.
NOTE: The comma is not needed if the listed items are combined and or or.
Meat and vegetables and nut are the staples in Ronald's diet.
Listing adjectives
A comma is placed when listing equivalent adjectives that define the same noun.
Useful, imaginative, attractive advertising should be more widespread.
NOTE: A comma is not put if non-equivalent adjectives are listed.
His life was dedicated to achieving a special personal goal. The exhibition of modern Greek art will be opened next week.
Commas before conjunctions
A comma is placed before the union connecting the two parts of the compound sentence, - but, and, or, nor, yet, so, for.
Ballerinas begin their careers out of a love for dancing, and a few keep that passion.
The house was full of junk, for the owner could not throw the old goodies away.
To check if a comma is needed or not, put a period instead. If the sentences sound normal, then a comma is needed.
Introductory phrases
A comma is used to separate the introductory phrase and the subordinate clause from the main body of the sentence.
opening phrase
By the beginning of the next year, life in this neighborhood will change.
On the south shore of Australia, two sharks attacked swimmers.
Opening verbal phrase
To cross the Pacific Ocean, you must have courage.
Tired and beaten up, the gang returned home. Diving into the waves, the pelican pursued its prey.
Introductory part of the proposal
Whenever heavy rains hit Vietnam, there is danger of flood.
NOTE: It is important to distinguish between a verbal definition and a verbal noun. Only verbal definitions are separated by commas.
An example of a verbal definition:
Diving from a boat, Sam realized the joy of underwater hunting.
An example of a verbal noun:
Underwater hunting is Sam's favorite pastime.
NOTE: You can omit the comma if the introductory part is very short and if everything is clear in meaning.
UNCLEAR:
On each weekday morning exercise class begins at four.
On each weekday, morning exercise class begins at four. CLEAR: In business we need to know when to persevere and when to quit.
Usually a comma is not needed if the clause is placed at the end of the sentence.
His news conference offered more lies than true facts because correspondents did not dare to ask the right questions.
Explanations
A comma is used to highlight an optional explanation, without which the meaning of the sentence does not change.
Explanation optional:
Ty Williams, who studies eight hours every day, will graduate in three years.
Without explanation, it is not clear why girls should go to dance classes:
Girls who are interested in ballet should take dancing classes.
NOTE: The part of a sentence that begins with that is almost always a mandatory explanation and does not need commas.
The belief that capitalists are driven only by greed is common among communists.
NOTE: Sometimes, dashes or parentheses can be used to highlight an optional explanation.
Mikhail Lermontov-the 19th century's Russian poet-lived to be twenty six.
Lermontov's Hero of Our Time (equaled in drama by Pushkin's prose) suffers from poor quality of translation.
Digressions and introductory words
A comma is used to mark digressions and introductory words.
Commas mark indentations that interrupt the flow of the sentence.
Romance writers, some critics maintain, try to invent a new reality for their readers.
Introductory words are separated by commas:
- example
- on the other hand
- in fact
And adverbs:
- accordingly
- besides
- consequently
- furthermore
- hence
- however
- indeed
- instead
- likewise
- meanwhile
- more over
- still
- otherwise
- therefore
- thus
Driving on freeways, for example, is more dangerous than flying.
Two boys who witnessed the accident identified the driver; nevertheless, he was released from custody because of a technicality.
NOTE: Word however always separated by commas if it is a connecting adverb. But commas are not put if the word means no matter how.
Four experts gave similar testimony; however, the committee was swayed by the general manager's dissenting view.
However the PTO votes will have no effect on the results.
A comma is placed to highlight exclamations, appeals, as well as words yes and no.
Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!
Stop watching TV, Ben. No, I cannot be there early.
A comma is placed to separate a separate phrase
The tiger leaped at Ben's back, teeth snapping, eyes flashing anger.
Their hands aching from the hard work, the sailors climbed into their hummocks.
A comma is placed to highlight interrogative and contrasting elements.
You'll come back, right?
Peace, not war, is what we are looking for.
A comma is placed to separate words from direct speech or quotation she said, he wrote etc.
He says, “Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.”
“I want freedom,” wrote Anna Gush. “The only person she cares,” says James Jones, “is her precious self.”
A comma is placed for the convenience of reading numbers, addresses, geographical names and dates
5,000,000
600, Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA The reception will be held at the Ritz Carlton on September 20, 2012, in the Ball Room.
A comma is placed at the address and at the conclusion of the letter
Dear Uncle Bob,
A comma is placed to avoid confusion
UNCLEAR:
On Monday morning schedules will be revised.
On Monday, morning schedules will be revised. CLEAR: On Monday morning, schedules will be revised.
A comma is used when a missing word needs to be specified.
The Americans like ball game; the Canadians, hockey.
comma before too
If a too means "also" and is preceded by the word it modifies, a comma is needed.
I've been to Paris, too.
I mean, “I was not only in Paris, but also in other cities.
She was happy too.
The comma is not needed because the word is being modified she, but not happy.
Comma in sentences with if
As a rule, a comma is placed if the sentence begins with if, and is not set if if comes after the main part of the sentence.
If you perform well, you will be paid.
You will be paid if you perform well.
Comma before participial phrase
A comma is not put before the participial turnover if it is preceded by a word that is supplemented by a participle. If there are other words before the sacrament, then a comma is needed.
His wife, Nina Kupina, was nodding her head in a little astrakhan hat, confirming what he said.
If there were no comma, then it would turn out that the cap confirmed the words, and not Nina.
A rectangle of sky overhead was cross-stitched with endless washing lines and, as everywhere, pants, pants and more pants flapping in the wind.
A comma is not needed before flapping, because this word refers to pants and comes directly behind them.
where and when to put
Literate writing in any language consists not only of spelling words without errors and the ability to correctly use grammatical constructions, but also of punctuation. Perhaps, most often in English, it is the comma that causes difficulties. We offer to figure out where to put a comma in English.
For enumerations: Oxford comma
As in Russian, in English a comma is placed in enumerations. However, in English it is often possible to meet even with a single "and" in the enumeration:
— He bought ice-cream, tea(,) and sugar. He bought ice cream, tea and sugar.
This sentence will be correct, both with and without a comma before "and". Modern linguists argue about whether it is really needed there. Many authors prefer not to put it in order not to overload the sentence with an extra punctuation mark. However, it is constantly present in Oxford editions, for this reason such a comma is often called Oxford.
It is worth noting that if the last paragraph with “and” is longer than the previous ones, then in most cases a comma is placed:
— I spent yesterday evening with my friend. We were watching a movie, drinking tea, and talking about life. — I spent the evening with a friend. We watched a movie, drank tea and talked about life.
In homogeneous subordinate clauses
Unlike Russian, in English, a comma is not put in compound sentences if they are short:
— I'm watching TV and he's drawing. I watch TV and he draws.
Just like in Russian, in English they are separated by commas introductory words and phrases:
— In addition, I'm bored of all these stupid rules. “Besides, I’m tired of all these stupid rules. — Thus, we were waiting for her half an hour.
So we waited for her for half an hour. - Frankly speaking, I don't want to listen to you. "Frankly, I don't want to hear from you.
Separate clauses with commas
While in Russian the attributive clauses (what, when, where) are always separated by commas, in English everything depends on the context.
Let's look at two sentences: one with a comma before the subordinate clause, the second without
Mary sees the children who live near her house, near her garden every morning.
2) - People who work in The Times are very busy.
The people who work for The Times are very busy.
In the first sentence, we separated the clause with commas, in the second - no. To understand why, you just need to try to remove the clause itself from the sentence. What happens? In the first sentence, the main meaning of what was said will not change: the main idea that we wanted to express is that Mary sees children every morning near her garden. If we remove the subordinate clause in the second case, we get - "people are busy." That is, the whole meaning of the sentence will be lost.
Thus, we separate the clause with commas only when we can remove it from the sentence, while retaining the main meaning. And if it is necessary for understanding what was said, it is not separated by commas.
A comma in English is placed after introductory clauses and phrases at the beginning of a sentence
If there is an introduction before the main part of the sentence, then it is separated by a comma:
- In ancient Greece, people voted by using beans.
2) When we were children, we would play in the garden after dinner. — When we were children, we used to play in the garden after dinner. (here the adverb indicates time). - Having had dinner with Lucy, I can say she's pretty smart.
- Having had dinner with Lucy, I can say that she is quite smart. (here, as it were, a scene is set, that is, the first part is essentially a participial turnover).
It is important to note here that if the introductory clause is short "when", "here", "now", "by evening", "yesterday morning" - the comma is usually omitted.
So if we didn't specify the exact number when the band would play, the sentence might look like this:
— On Wednesday the band will be playing songs in a park for 4 hours.
The absence of a comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence:
1) Until the summer lists of candidates won't be published.
- Until the summer list of candidates is published.
2) Until the summer, lists of candidates won't be published.
As in Russian, in English, applications with explanatory words that come after the noun being defined are separated by commas:
— Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish author, was a really eccentric person.
Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish writer, was a very eccentric person.
Commas are placed to highlight the appeal
— Tom, may I borrow your pen, please? Tom, can you lend me a pen, please?
But in America, in business letters, as a rule, a colon is put after the treatment, not a comma, while the word after the treatment is capitalized:
Dear madam: We are glad to inform you…
In dates, the year is separated by a comma
But:
If the number comes before the month, then the year is not separated by a comma:
Also, the comma is not needed if the number is missing:
— In September 1987 my friend was born.
A comma in English is placed if the subordinate clause comes first
- If you are tired, you can go to bed. - If you're tired, you can go to bed.
But, if the subordinate clause comes second, then a comma is not needed
- You can go to bed if you are tired.
comma before because
Unlike the Russian language, in English in most cases before " because" (because) comma is not included
A comma is not needed if the subordinate clause contains essential information that serves as an explanation of the main part of the sentence:
— He didn't go out with his friends because the weather was rainy.
He didn't go with his friends because the weather was rainy.
But if the subordinate clause came before the main clause, then a comma would be needed after it:
Because the weather was rainy, he didn't go out with his friends.
Because the weather was rainy, he didn't go out with his friends.
A comma can only be placed before the word "because" if it does not explain the exact cause of the events in the body of the sentence.
— He didn't go out with his friends, because the weather was rainy.
In English, a comma separates large numbers
If the number consists of more than five digits, then a comma is required. If there are fewer digits in the number, it can be missed:
— 5,450 or 5,450
— 54, 500
— 6, 000, 000
At the same time, a comma is not put in the street number, postal code and telephone number.
Comma in English before direct speech
If in Russian we put a colon before direct speech, then in English a comma is put in its place:
- She said, "I won't go to the cinema"
A comma is also placed after direct speech (instead of a dash in Russian), before the words of the author
- "I won't go to the cinema", she said.
Despite the fact that the rules for using a comma in English in some cases differ from the rules in Russian, they are still easy to remember. When writing essays or messages, check with the rules periodically, and they will quickly settle in your memory.