Punctuation: The Comma

1. Punctuation:The Comma Section 42.8

2. The Comma • Is extremely important! • It can save lives! • No really, look: • Let’s eat Grampa! • Let’s eat, Grampa! • In the first one you ate Grampa for dinner • In the second one you ate dinner with Grampa • Told you commas saved lives

3. The Comma • Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses • You already know this, but repetition is the mother of all teaching • Example • Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. • See, it helps understanding

4. The Comma • Use a single comma to indicate that a word or words have been omitted, or to avoid a possible misreading • Use single commas to separate three or more items in a series • Like so, • Fruit, nut, and vegetables are just a few of the crops grown in Florida. (words in series) • At the reunion people were sitting in the yard, on the porch, and in the house. (phrases in a series) • He sang, he preached, and he showed his slides. (very short clauses in a series)

5. The Comma • Use single commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives preceding a noun • Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that are in the same category • The categories are: • Number • General discription • Age • Color • Material • Origin

6. The comma • For example, • Laura seems to be a kind, considerate person. • Kind and considerate are coordinating adjectives because they are both general descriptors, so a comma is needed because the adjectives aren’t joined byand • The crane moved the heavy steel girders into place. • Heavy and steel aren’t coordinate adjectives, so no comma is necessary

7. The Comma • Use a single comma any time to avoid misreading • Like some of the examples at the beginning • Before eating my grandfather would always drink a large glass of water. • Where does the comma go? • Before eating, my grandfather would always drink a large glass of water. • Yes, good job!

8. The Comma • Use a pair of commas to indicate a nonessential element in a sentence • Here’s the requisite example • Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate Army, was a great general. • The clause isn’t necessary to identify the word it modifies, so you put a pair of commas around it • The man who commanded the Confederate Army was a great general. • This clause is necessary to identify the word it modifies, so no commas are necessary

9. The Comma • Use commas to set off nonessential appositives • Mississippi, the Magnolia State, has a wide variety of plant life. • Use commas to set off nonessential participial phrases, nonessential adjective clauses, and nonessential adverb clauses • Jacob, grinning mischievously, poked his head in to the room. • Mrs. Butler, who is an interior designer, likes bold colors. • They always attend church, even if they are on vacation.

10. The Comma • Sometimes an element may be interpreted as essential or as nonessential • The writer must punctuate the sentence so it conveys the intended meaning • Example: • Direct any questions about writing style to our secretary who is an expert in such matters. • What does this mean? • Direct any questions about writing style to our secretary, who is an expert in such matters. • What does this mean?

11. The Comma • Use commas to set off words used in direct address • Use commas to set off well, yes, no and other interjections at the beginning of a sentence • Use commas to set off parenthetical expressions: in fact, for example, of course, indeed, however, etc. • Use commas to set off introductory modifying phrases or clauses • In Nazareth, Christ faced scorn and ridicule. • When the day begins with prayer, it is bound to end well.

12. The Comma • Use commas to separate the parts of dates and addresses within sentences. Use a comma after the last part if it does not end the sentence. • DO NOT use a comma between the month and the day or between the state and the ZIP code • Use a comma after the salutation of a friendly letter. Use a comma after the closing of all letters