Comma Between Coordinate (Equal-Rank) Adjectives
The Comma
Rulebase Summary
Use a comma to separate adjectives of equal rank that precede the noun they describe. Two tests determine if adjectives are coordinate: (1) Can you insert 'and' between them without changing the meaning? (2) Can you reverse their order naturally? If both tests pass, use a comma. If not, the adjectives are not coordinate and no comma is needed.
Examples
A. He was a tall intimidating man.
A. He was a tall, intimidating man.
Coordinate adjectives — you could say 'tall and intimidating.'
A. It was a cold rainy evening.
A. It was a cold, rainy evening.
Reversible and joinable with 'and' — comma needed.
Transcript Notes
Two tests confirm whether adjectives are coordinate: (1) reverse their order — if the meaning stays the same, they are coordinate; (2) insert 'and' between them — if it reads naturally, use a comma. If the order is not arbitrary and 'and' does not fit naturally, the adjectives are not coordinate and do not take a comma.
When two or more words form a unit in front of a noun, they are hyphenated rather than comma-separated. A possessive modifier ending in 's' that represents an amount, distance, time, or value may take an apostrophe.
Style Guide References (3)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP