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Commas and Run-on Sentences

Commas and Run-on Sentences. January 2011. When to Use Commas. 1) Use commas to separate items in a series January, February, and March are all summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. There were fingerprints at the top, on the sides, and on the bottom .

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Commas and Run-on Sentences

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  1. Commas and Run-on Sentences January 2011

  2. When to Use Commas • 1) Use commas to separate items in a series • January, February, and March are all summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. • There were fingerprints at the top, on the sides, and on the bottom. • We sang, we danced, and we played trivia games.

  3. When to Use Commas • 2) Use a comma before and, but, for, nor, or, so, or yet when it joins independent clauses in a compound sentence. • Tamisha offered me a ticket, and I accepted. • I was tired, yet I stayed. • Usually we study in the morning, and we play basketball in the afternoon.

  4. When to Use Commas • Be Careful! With rule #2, make sure it contains two independent clauses. • Usually we study in the morning and play basketball in the afternoon. (play basketball in the afternoon is not independent). • Usually we study in the morning, and we play basketball in the afternoon.

  5. When to Use Commas • 3) Use commas to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence. • Ann Myers, our neighbor, is a fine golfer. • Naturally, we expect to win. • My answer is correct, I think. • (Notice that the expression can come anywhere in the sentence. If it comes in the middle, two commas are needed.)

  6. When to Use Commas • 4) Use commas to set off nonessential phrases or clauses. • My sister, listening to her radio, did not hear me. • The Wizard of Oz, which I saw again last week, is my favorite movie. • I reported on Secret of the Andes, which was written by Ann Nolan Clark.

  7. When to Use Commas • 5) Use commas in certain conventional situations: • Use commas to separate items in dates and addresses. • A letter dated November 26, 1888, was found in the old house at 980 West Street,Davenport,Iowa, yesterday. • Use a comma after the salutation or closing of a letter. • Dear Dad, Yours truly,

  8. Correcting a Run-on Sentence • Do NOT use commas to fix run-on sentences. You can fix these sentences in one of three ways: • 1) Use a period and a capital letter between two independent clauses. • WRONG: The bell rings at noon the students fill the cafeteria. • RIGHT: The bell rings at noon. The students fill the cafeteria.

  9. Correcting a Run-on Sentences • 2) Use a comma and a conjunction. • WRONG: I start to smell cafeteria food my stomach begins to growl. • RIGHT: I start to smell cafeteria food, and my stomach begins to growl. • 3) Use a semicolon. (;) • We have only twenty minutes for lunch I eat very quickly. • We have only twenty minutes for lunch; I eat very quickly.

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