Comma before 'is' and 'was'

[Michelle Menezes]

I've come across a few instances where people have added a comma before 'is' or 'was' but I wonder if it's correct. In some cases, I think they did it to indicate a pause for emphasis, but it seemed awkward in other cases.
Here are 2 examples:

1. The thing that I liked most about the book, was the fight sequences.

2. One thing I have difficulty adapting to in English, is the pronunciation.

Are these correct?

[MsH2k]

Hi.

In a word, no, they are not correct. The comma should not separate a subject and a verb. Sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation when the subject is a long noun phrase, but it is still an error. Here are a couple of sources that reinforce this.

(#12 in this link) https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ ... ommas.html
https://style.mla.org/comma-separates-subject-and-verb/

[Robert Obikanyi]

Neither are of the words following the comma are independent clauses so are incorrect. Please consult a post by Scott on this top.

[Michelle Menezes]

Hi.

In a word, no, they are not correct. The comma should not separate a subject and a verb. Sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation when the subject is a long noun phrase, but it is still an error. Here are a couple of sources that reinforce this.

(#12 in this link) https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writ ... ommas.html
https://style.mla.org/comma-separates-subject-and-verb/

Thank you for the explanation and the links.

[Michelle Menezes]

Neither are of the words following the comma are independent clauses so are incorrect. Please consult a post by Scott on this top.

Thank you.

[Ace John]

The commas seem off to me, but I'm not sure. However, the comma would be mandatory after "is" and "was" if it introduces a quoted material depending on the context. For example:

What Tom said was, "I am tired."
My favorite line in the book is, "God is able."

I am not sure about the above either, but somehow, it doesn't make sense in the sentences you gave.