Commas

1. Commas

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. 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.

11. Rule 6: APPOSITIVESUnnecessary=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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. Cross-Curricular Connections: • Take a look in your science or social books. Point out 3 appositives to a partner.

15. 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.

16. Rule #9 : DIRECT ADDRESS • Use 2 commas to set off an expression that directly addresses someone in the middle of a sentence—onebefore 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.

17. 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?

18. 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.

19. “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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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,

24. 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:

25. Rule #14: Closing in a Friendly Letter • Yours truly, • Sincerely, • Your Friend, • Love,

26. 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.

27. Rule #15 City, Country (cont.) • Rome, Italy • Athens, Greece • NOTE: NO punctuation is used between the state abbreviation and ZIP code. • Cerritos, CA 90701

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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:

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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!”

35. Work Cited http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/interjections.htm http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm http://www.montanalife.com/writing/Comma_Rules.html http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/comma_rules.htm