Why, Commas Really DO Matter!

Why, Commas Really DO Matter! Comma Rule #1: Use Commas To Separate Items in A Series

A Little Comma Humor for You… • COMMAS SAVE LIVES! • A panda, carrying a bow and arrow, walks into the Trinity Middle School library… He eats a sandwich, then draws his bow and shoots two arrows. “Why did you do that?” Ms. Sanker nervously asks as the panda walks toward the Red/Green Pod exit. The panda tosses Ms. Sanker a badly punctuated book. “I’m a panda,” he says, “That’s what it says we do.” The panda leaves and Ms. Sanker, puzzled, opens to the first page of the book. It reads… “PANDA: Large black-and-white mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.

Just Ask Your Grandma… • Let’s eat grandma! • Whoa! What does this sentence say??? • What does it mean to say? • See? Commas really DO save lives!

Comma Rule #1 • Use Commas to Separate Items in a Series • A series is a group of three or more items in a row. Types of items in a series include… • Words in a Series • Phrases in a Series • Clauses in a Series

Words in a Series • Example • Ms. Wherry,Ms. Birch, and Ms. Beck are seventh-grade English teachers at Trinity Middle School. • Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives! Example • The cold,crisp air made the night perfect for trick-or-treating.

Phrases in a Series • Example • To go skydiving,to visit Ireland, and to meet someone famous are all things on Ms. Wherry’s bucket list.

Clauses in a Series • Example • Pay attention,study hard, and complete your homework so that you can ace your comma usage test!

A General Rule of Thumb… • (The number of items you have in your series)-1= The number of commas that should appear in your sentence! • HOWEVER… • If you only have two items in your series, you do not need a comma! • Example: You will need a pencil and plenty of paper. • OR… • If all of the words in your series are joined by and or or, you do not need commas to separate them. • Example: Ms. Wherry likes apples and bananas and strawberries but does not like oranges.

A Word About Semi-Colons • Commas separate clauses in a series. • BUT… • If you have a series of long, independent clauses, separate these clauses using a semi-colon • Example: Yawning, my dog Zoey laid down on the couch; I, who had just finished reading a book, turned on the television; and my younger brother, Paul, worked diligently on his homework.

Let’s Practice! • Exercise 3, pg. 337 • Cleveland Cincinnati Toledo and Dayton are four large cities in Ohio.

Let’s Practice! • Exercise 3, pg. 337 • The captain entered the cockpit checked the instruments and prepared for takeoff.

Let’s Practice! • Exercise 3, pg. 337 • The speaker took a deep breath and read the report.

Let’s Practice! • Exercise 3, pg. 337 • The neighbors searched behind the garages in the bushes and along the highway.

Let’s Practice! • Exercise 3, pg. 337 • Rover can roll over walk on his hind feet and catch a tennis ball.

Let’s Practice! Ghosts goblins witches and zombies will be roaming the streets tonight, frightening Ms. Wherry.

Let’s Practice! Rattling chains and misty fog and eerie lighting are just a few classic ways to make a house look spooky for Halloween.

Let’s Practice! The big scary monster stalked the smallest slowest child as he trick-or-treated in his neighborhood.

Let’s Practice! Halloween pencils and skull rings are Ms. Wherry’s boo-tiful gift to you!

Commas Between Two or More Adjectives are Important…

…Or You Would be Talking About This…

So, Commas Separate Items in a Series Just like this…

But When You Change the Punctuation… The meaning of the sentence changes!

Why, Commas Really DO Matter!