No Comma After a One-Word Command When It Flows into the Sentence
The Comma
Rulebase Summary
If a complete sentence follows a one-word command but there is no natural pause or separation between them, do not use a comma. The command word flows directly into the rest of the sentence as part of its grammatical structure.
Morson's Rule 83 · p.49
Examples
✗
Q. Tell, me what happened next.
✓
Q. Tell me what happened next.
Command flows into the sentence — no comma after 'Tell.'
✗
Q. Describe, the vehicle you saw leaving the scene.
✓
Q. Describe the vehicle you saw leaving the scene.
No pause between command and its object — no comma.
Style Guide References (1)
Morson's
Rule 83
Page 49