Hello SErs! It’s Harmony again with part 2 on Commas and how to use them. If you missed Part 1, you can find it HERE. Last time, we looked at Listing (Standard or Oxford), Introductory, and Joining commas. Today, we cover the Gapping, Bracketing, and other comma uses.

The Gapping Comma

We use a gapping comma to show that we have left out one or more words when the missing words would simply repeat the words used earlier in the same sentence. See the following:

Some Norwegians wanted to base their national language on the speech of the capital city; others, on the speech of the rural countryside.

The gapping comma here shows that the words ‘wanted to base their national language’, which you might have repeated, have instead been omitted.

The following example contains both listing and gapping commas:

Italy is famous for her composers and musicians…