Do you put a comma before and after a name

Q: I notice that you put a comma between “Hi” and “Laura” in a personal reply to a grammar question from my wife. Is this a typo (in which case my apologies for pointing it out) or is this a correct usage (in which case I’m interested to learn why)?

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Are There Commas After Greetings?
The Takeaway
Do you put a comma before and after someone's name in a sentence?
Do you add a comma after someone's name?

A: I use commas before (or after or around) names used in direct address (that is, when you’re addressing somebody), as in “Hello, Laura,” or “Rodney, welcome,” or “Honey, I’m home!”

If the name is at the beginning of a sentence, you put a comma after it. If it’s at the end, you put the comma in front. And if the name is in the middle of a sentence, commas go in front and back.

This is a traditional rule of punctuation. Here are excerpts from a few style manuals:

Words Into Type (3d ed.): “Set off proper names and substantives used in direct address.” (P. 203)

The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.): “A comma follows names or words used in direct address and informal correspondence.” (P. 247)

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.): “[The comma] sets off words in direct address and mild interjections.” (P. 1605)

This is a longstanding convention, but many people don’t use a comma after “Hi,” probably because it’s so informal. I’m not bothered when people omit the comma, but I’ll continue to use it myself, because old style habits die hard.

If you’d like to read more, I wrote a blog entry two years ago about the use of commas in direct address.

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Tags English language, Etymology, Grammar, Linguistics, Usage

Let’s take a look at commas with names and salutations, as we’ve been receiving various questions on the topic from our readers:

Are There Commas After Greetings?

Question: Do I have to use a comma with a person’s name when I say “Hi” or “Hello”? For example:

Hi, Maria. Hello, Nigel, Good morning, Kendra.

Answer: Yes, you need to use a comma between the person’s name and the greeting. (But see exceptions below.) The reason is “direct address.” We use commas to show that we are talking to the reader, not about the reader.

Hello, Rene.
Danny, thank you for your thoughtful message.
Congratulations, Michael!
I hope you know, Donelle, that we appreciate your hard work.
I am writing to you, Kathryn, with some sad news.

Exceptions

Exception: Don’t use a comma with the greeting Dear, as in:

Dear Claudio: Dear Claudio,

If you are wondering why I have shown the Dear Claudio greeting (salutation) with both a colon and a comma, the colon (:) is used in business letters. The comma is used in personal ones (congratulations, condolences).

Exception:At times–for example, in email–you may choose to leave out the comma before the name when the greeting is “Hi”:

Hi Freddie, Hi Jess! Hi Gregg–

You can make that choice to have a breezier, less official sounding greeting. However, it still makes sense to use a comma with longer greetings:

Good morning, Ahmed. Hello, Treena,

A note on Microsoft Office: The spellcheck feature in Office will flag sentences with “thank you” and a person’s name, with the suggestion “Fragment (consider revising).” Example:

Dahlia, thank you for the concert tickets.

Sentences like the one above are perfect–ignore the suggestion.

If you have questions about commas, check our punctuation tips section, or pick up a good reference book. For business letters, we recommend The Gregg Reference Manual.

The Takeaway

You should use a comma between the person’s name and the greeting. The reason is “direct address.” The are two exceptions: 1. No comma is needed when using “dear.” 2. You may opt for a breezier greeting in an email by leaving out the comma, such as “Hi Jen.”

Bye for now, Reader.

Lynn

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Alternate search spellings: salmutation, saltuation, salutaion, greetng, greting, emial.

Do you put a comma before and after someone's name in a sentence?

If the name comes at the end of the sentence, the comma precedes the name: Stop jumping on the beds, boys. And if the name (or names) comes in the middle of the sentence, surround it with commas: What I said, Sean and Duncan, was to stop jumping on the beds!

Do you add a comma after someone's name?

The rule is – either have the commas both before and after a name, or don't add it at all. This is because the sentence is talking about a particular person John. The addition of commas gives extra emphasis to the name. My friend John, who is a better painter than me, can do the walls for your home.