2.1.1 Commas

Commas should support the reader’s movement through a sentence. They should not be added merely because a pause feels possible, nor omitted where the structure of the sentence could cause a reader to misread it on the first pass. The aim is clarity, not clutter.

The guidance that follows addresses the comma uses most likely to create inconsistency or confusion in manuscripts. For a fuller treatment of comma usage, consult CMS17, §6.16–53.