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Writing Tip 92: Commas around colors (or “Grammar in Technicolor”)

Cat shocked by colors
The whole point of having commas between adjectives is to make sure meaning is clear, but colors don’t tend to confuse people. Unless you’re this cat. Colors blow him away.

When you have multiple adjectives in front of a noun, you separate them by commas, right? Usually. There are a couple exceptions, and colors are one of them. Do you remember this exception to the rule when you write?

For example:

The adorable white cat is in shock.

His shiny pink pool toy boggles his little kitty mind.

It’s so hard to keep his paws on the hard, wooden floor, when his simple, grammar-loving worldview has just shifted.

Did you catch all of the different uses of commas with adjectives ahead of a noun? For those paying attention, you might have caught that the other exception to the comma rule is size (as in “little kitty mind”).

Commas are captivating, aren’t they? (Oh, there I go making you shake your head again.)

Happy writing, everyone!