Comma usage

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

I don’t understand what the rule is for commas in this case:

My daughter walks up to me with tears in her eyes, clutching her favorite stuffed bear in her arms.

i thought this was the case of an independent sentence and a dependent clause, I thought you didn’t need a comma after an independent clause followed by a dependent clause.

It trails from her bedroom door all the way up to my desk, where she stands sobbing with the injured bear in her arms.

Is there a rule!! I can’t seem to understand commas or find the rule for this case. I know there is a lot of writer leeway, but can someone help me with a rule when you have an independent clause followed by a dependent clause when it takes a comma and when it doesn’t have to.

Thanks Thazillions!
Belles

2

I would tend to use commas every time in examples like those with complex first clauses, because they help break up the long sentence and aid understanding.
By comparison if you were to leave the ‘… with tears in her eyes…’ our of the first clause, then I would not use a comma.

The entire purpose of punctuation is to make reading easier.