human
I'm a little confused about how to use a comma. Do you have any tips?
assistant
Yes, I do!  Commas are used in many different ways, depending on the context and grammar rules of your language or writing style. Here are some general guidelines for using commas: 
1. Use commas to separate items in lists or series. For example: "The dog, cat, and bird were all sleeping."
2. Use commas to set off parenthetical statements. For example: "The cat (which was black) ran away from home."
3. Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence. For example: "The dog barked, the cat meowed, and the bird sang."
4. Use commas to separate nonessential words from the rest of the sentence. For example: "He ate his dinner, which consisted of steak and potatoes."
5. Use commas to separate numbers from the rest of the sentence. For example: "The restaurant served 1,000 customers that day."