CommasCommas How to use them

Commas -, A comma is a punctuation mark It tells us to take a brief pause when we are reading – not as long as a full stop. It is the most common punctuation mark but has to be used carefully.

Different Uses - 1 When there is a list of words in a sentence –We will need hammers, nails and a saw. –She stopped, stared and ran. –Mr Cherry was a warm, hospitable man. –Sam frightened the cat, teased the dog and annoyed the neighbours.

Different Uses -2 Commas are used to separate any extra information that is added. (The words enclosed by the commas could be left out without changing the general meaning of the sentence.) The man, who was wearing a blue hat, slid silently into the room. Paul Mann, our star player, broke his leg in the match on Saturday.

Practice, the plumber,, Jennifer,, the typist,, my hairdresser,, our teacher, is good at looking after children. blow dries my hair every week. has a son called Sam. fixed a leak in our pipes last week. works in a large office. Miss Jones Peter Mrs White Our nanny Mr Smith

Different Uses -3 Commas are used to separate introductory phrases from the main idea of the sentence When David got home, he ate his lunch and did his homework. Yesterday, I bought a brand new car!

Practice When he reached the car park David looked for the best parking spot. Although he was very tired John decided to study for his exam.

Different Uses -4 Commas are used to introduce a dialogue/quote My mom always told me, Never look a camel in its eye. My mom always told me, Never look a camel in its eye," but I did it at least once.

Other Uses To break up groups of numbers into thousands. –1,999,999 When writing a date. –February 14 th, 1990 Inside speech marks. –We are leaving tomorrow, said Fred.

Summary - Commas Show a brief pause within a sentence Separate items in a list Separate additional information Break up longer sentences into smaller parts Break up numbers into thousands Inside speech marks.