“ “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.”

““It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.” Coordinate Adjectives

CCGPS Standard • ELACC7L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. • a. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).

Let’s start with a look at vocabulary. Where have you seen the word coordinate used? How have you used it? Have you used it in another content class in school?

“It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.” • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Look at the first part of the sentence, “It was a dark and stormy night…” • Take out the word and. • Now, write the sentence. • Exchange sentences with the person next to you. • What does the sentence look like now?

Now try reversing the adjectives. • It was a stormy, dark night. • Does the sentence still make sense?

Here is what our new sentences should look like: • It was a dark, stormy night. • It was a stormy, dark night.

We revised the sentence two ways. It made sense both times. • We call the adjectives darkand stormycoordinate adjectives. • Coordinate adjectives can have the word and between them and still make sense. • Also, coordinate adjectives work if their order in the sentence is reversed.

Why did the new sentence need a comma? • The adjectives preceding night are called coordinate adjectives. Commas are placed between coordinate adjectives.

So, what are coordinate adjectives? • Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives preceding a noun that modify the noun in the same way. They need a comma placed between them.

We can test for coordinate adjectives in two ways. • If I use and between the adjectives does it sound correct? Answer yes? Coordinate adjectives. • I ran across the bumpy, winding path. • I ran across the bumpy and winding path. • If I reverse the order of the adjectives, does it make sense? Answer yes? Coordinate adjectives. • The confident, poised speaker enthralled the crowd. • The poised, confident speaker enthralled the crowd.

Try these sentences. Do they include coordinate adjectives or not? Write yes or no in your notes. • It was a cold September night. • I ate a beautiful delicious apple. • I read an exciting descriptive novel last week. • The witch brewed a deadly poisonous concoction.

Did you get these answers? • No • Yes • Yes • Yes

Great! Now explain each one in your notes. • It sounds weird to put and between cold and September. Actually, cold modifies September and night! Go figure. • The word and needs to be between beautiful and delicious. Both modify apple. • The word and needs to be between exciting and descriptive. Both modify novel. • DITTO!!

Here’s your practice. Copy each sentence and insert commas where they are needed. • The book I just started includes vicious horrible zombies. • The football game is going to be played on a cold September night. • Please help me dye the red Easter eggs. • I love to plant beautiful luscious red flowers in my garden. • This great informative sentence may not need a comma but you can’t be sure!

Answer Slide • The book I just started includes vicious, horrible zombies. • The football game is going to be played on a cold September night. • Please help me dye the red Easter eggs. • I love to plant beautiful, luscious red flowers in my garden. • This great informative sentence may not need a comma,but you can’t be sure!

The End Help think of a more creative way to end this presentation. “The End” is number one on the list of “Top Ten HORRIBLE Conclusions!”

“ “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.”