February 19th, 2010
The iPad: When You Need Two Commas
After months of speculation, Apple launched its tablet, the iPad on Wednesday. The lightweight device (1.5 pounds) features a luminous touchscreen and a user interface similar to the iPhone. The iPad, which can cost $500 to $830 depending on the model, runs an expanded version of the operating system used in the iPhone.
— Priya Ganapati, “Apple iPad’s Display Is More Like a TV Than a Laptop,”
Wired magazine, January 28, 2010
This quote’s first and last sentences are good illustrations of when you need two commas — not just one — to surround information inside your sentence.
The last sentence would still be true if you left out the prices inside the orange commas, so those two commas are correct. That’s also why the single comma in the first sentence is incorrect.
The sentence would mean the same thing without the product name (as “Apple launched its tablet on Wednesday”). So the product name needs to be set off with commas: “Apple launched its tablet, the iPad, on Wednesday.”
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For more guidelines on how to use commas correctly and confidently, see our updated book Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide, which will ship on March 5th!
Tags: Apple, commas, iPad, laptop, model, nonessential clauses, price, punctuation, tablet, TV