Transcript Commas - Central Magnet School

Commas
Rule 1: Items in a series
 Add a comma when putting three or more
items in a series. (nouns, verbs, or adjectives)
 Example:
My favorite foods to eat are pizza, chicken, and
macaroni.
Rule #2: Word Groups in a
Series:
 Ex. At the beach, we swam, built sand castles,
and played volleyball. (predicates)
 Ex. I searched for the lost contact lens in the
sink, on the counter, and on the floor.
(prepositional phrases)
 Ex. Please punch the time card when you
arrive, when you take lunch, and when you
leave. (subordinate clauses)
Rule 3: 2 or more
Adjectives
 When there are 2 or
more adjectives
together, you have to
put a comma
between them.
 Example:
Most kids of today
do not have spotless,
clean rooms.
Rule #3: 2 Plus Adjectives
(cont.)
 Use commas to separate two or more adjectives
that come before a noun.
 Test to see whether a comma is needed between
two adjectives:
Test # 1: insert “and” between the adjectives. If it
sounds awkward there, do NOT use a comma.
Test #2: Switch the order of the adjectives. If the
sentence still makes sense when you switch them,
use a comma.
Rule #3: 2 Plus Adjectives:
Examples
 Ex. Pita is a round, flat bread of the Middle East.
 Ex. James Earl Jones certainly has a deep, strong,
commanding voice.
 Ex. Alexander and I found an old, rusty bicycle in
the vacant lot down the street.
Rule 4: Compound
Sentence
 Use a comma in a
compound sentence
to separate two
independent clauses.
 Example:
I love to swim and
play in water, but my
cat hates it.
Rule #4: Compound
Sentences
 Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when it
joins 2 independent clauses.
 Coordinating Conjunctions: FANBOYS
 Ex. Theo will bring the potato salad, and Sarah will bring the
apple juice.
 Ex. Congress passed the bill, but I believe the president
vetoed it.
 Ex. I went to bed early, for I had a big day ahead of me.
Compound Verbs:
 Warning: Make sure that you have a compound
sentence, not just a compound verbs.
 Do NOT get “comma happy” just because you see
a coordinating conjunction.
 Compound sentence: the 2nd independent clause
will NOT start with a verb after the comma and
coordinating conjunction.
 Simple Sentence: We ran relay races first and then
ate lunch. (compound verb)
 Compound Sentence: We ran relay races first, and
then we ate lunch. (compound sentence)
Rule 5: Introductory Subordinate
Clauses: (Complex Sentence)
 When you have an introductory
subordinate clause in a sentence,
you are going to need a comma to
separate it from the independent clause.
 Example:
If you thought that was fun, wait till you
try this.
Rule 6: APPOSITIVES
Unnecessary=ADD COMMAS
 Appositives=word or phrase that adds
information to the sentence to give more
details.
 If information is NOT necessary to the
meaning of the sentence=USE COMMAS to
separate in front of and after the appositive.
Examples:
1.This book is about geology, the science of
the earth and its rocks.
2. Two cold drinks, lemonade and punch, were
available to the guests at the party.
Rule # 6 Appositives:
Unnecessary=Use Commas
(cont).
 Use commas to set off appositives and
appositive phrases that are NOT NECESSARY
to the meaning of a sentence.
 Appositive=a noun or pronoun that identifies or
describes another noun or pronoun beside it.
 APPOSITIVES=NOT NECESSARY=COMMAS
 Ex. The gymnast, Mrs. Shaw, will coach us.
 Ex. This book is about geology, the science of
the earth and its rocks.
Rule #7 APPOSITIVES
NECESSARY: Don’t use
commas
 If the appositive information in NECESSARY,
you DO NOT NEED COMMAS.
 Examples:
 My cousin Robert lives in San Francisco,
California.
 The character Alice is based on Alice Liddell.
 My friend Beth Brandon lives in McMinnvile.
Cross-Curricular
Connections:
 Take a look in your science or social
books. Point out 3 appositives to a
partner.
Rule 8: # Interrupters:
 Use 2 commas to set off an expression that
interrupts a sentence-one at beginning and one
at the end.
1. My favorite band, BeBe and CeCe Winans,
was on TV last night.
2. Our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, greeted us
at the entrance.
3. Charlotte, my mom, was on her laptop and
watching the Biggest Loser.
Rule #9 : DIRECT
ADDRESS
 Use 2 commas to set off an expression that
directly addresses someone in the middle of a
sentence—one before and one after the
expression.
 Examples:
 As you leave, Jesse, please close the door
quietly.
 You’re right, Chad, to say he was a Mexican
general.
Rule # 9 (cont.) Direct
Address
Introductory or Ending
 Use one comma after an introductory direct
address or direct address at the end of a
sentence.
 How did you like karate class today, Kami?
 Ms. Jacobs, please explain the assignment.
 Do you know who Santa Anna was, Beth?
Historical Direct Address
 Think of a favorite historical figure. Write
3 sentences about this person’s life
addressed to this person. Think of
serious or humorous sentences.
 Ex. Abe Lincoln, I wish you hadn’t gone
to see that play.
“Real Literature: Chapter
Books”
 Think, Pair, Share: Go on a scavenger hunt in
your own chapter books that your are reading
to find one of each:
 necessary appositive (no commas), (1)
 unnecessary appositive (use commas), (1)
 direct address (1)
 Write down the chapter book title, the sentence
using this skill, and page number that you
found each sentence.
Rule 10: Mild Interjections:
use a comma
 Mild Interjections:
Yes, No, Well,
 Shows emotion and
interrupts a
sentence.
 Example:
Yes, I want to go
camping at Harrison
Bay State Park
during Spring Break.
Rule 11: Introductory
Prepositional Phrase
 If you have an introductory prepositional phrase
or phrases, you must put a comma after it.
 Example:
At midnight, the hungry coyotes searched for
food in garbage cans.
Rule #12 Introductory
Subordinate Clauses (Adverb
Clauses):
 Use a comma after an introductory adverb
clause.
 Ex. After the show is over, we will go out to eat.
 NOTE: An adverb clause at the end of the
sentence usually is NOT preceded by a
comma.
 Ex. We will go out to eat after the show is over.
Rule 13 : Greeting of a
friendly letter
 When beginning a
friendly letter, put
Dear ____, and after
their name put a
comma.
 Example:
Dear John,
Dear Mom,
Dear Donald,
Rule #13B: Greetings in a
Business Letter
 The greeting in a business letter uses a
COLON, NOT A COMMA, after the
salutation or greeting in a letter.
 Ex. Dear Mr. Hondorus:
 Ex. Dear Mr. President:
 Ex. Dear Sir:
Rule #14: Closing in a
Friendly Letter




Yours truly,
Sincerely,
Your Friend,
Love,
Rule 15: City, State
 When you have a city and a state
together in a sentence, you have to put a
comma between them.
 Example
I used to live in a place called
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Rule #15 City, Country
(cont.)
 Rome, Italy
 Athens, Greece
 NOTE: NO punctuation is used between
the state abbreviation and ZIP code.
 Cerritos, CA 90701
Rule # 15: Street Address
 Note: A comma does NOT separate a
house number from a street address.
 EX. My aunt lived at 41 Jefferson Street,
Northfield, Minnesota, since 2008.
 Ex. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937,
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rule 16: Dates
 NOTE: When you have a date in a
sentence, you put a comma between
the day of the week and the month,
AND day of the month and year.
 Ex. Did you know that I was born on
Saturday, June 5, 1998?
 Ex. He made his stage debut on
May 25, 1928, in London.
Rule #16: Dates:
 Note: A comma separates the last item in
a date or in an address from the words
that follow it.
 However, a comma does NOT separate a
month from a day.
 Ex. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937,
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Write a Friendly Letter:
 Write a friendly letter to Kevin Culp,
Officer Culp’s son, thanking him for his
service for our country. Kevin has just
returned home last week from serving in
another country.
 Be careful with your commas:
 Use 5 parts of a friendly letter:
5 Parts of a Friendly
Letter:
 Heading: street address :8426 Bird Road
city, state zip
Friday, March 6, 2013.
 Greeting: Dear Mr. Culp,
 Body (3 long paragraphs about yourself, what it
means to you to have your safety due to
military services, and thanking him for his
services and the sacrifices that he’s made.)
 Closing: Your friend,
 Signature: Your First Name Only
Friendly Letter Format:
701 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
March 6, 2013
Dear Mr. Kevin Culp,
3 paragraph body: (indent each new paragraph)
1st paragraph about yourself: school, activities, hobbies
2nd paragraph: what it means to you to have your safety
due to military service; why it is important
3rd paragraph: thanking him for his services and the
sacrifices that he’s made.
Your Friend,
First Name
7th grade
Central Magnet School
Rule 17: Quotations
 When writing some ones quotation, you have
to put a comma between the speaker and their
begging quotation mark.
 Example:
My little cousin jumped back and screamed, “I
hate spiders!”
Work Cited
 http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/com
mas.htm
 http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/interjection
s.htm
 http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.ht
m
 http://www.montanalife.com/writing/Comma_Rule
s.html
 http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/comma_rules.
htm