E.Q. How Do I Successfully Use A Comma?

SERIES RULE However many items there are in a series, there will be one less comma. Ex: I ate toast, cereal, and oatmeal for breakfast. Ex:I had to make steak, fries, macaroni and cheese, and soup for dinner. 2

Do NOT Use a comma if the items in a series are joined by “and” or “or”. Ex:I had to clean the kitchen and the living room and the bathroom. Ex:We were given the choice to run or hop or skip to the game. 3

Adjective Rule Place a comma after two or more adjectives that come before a noun, except for the last adjective. last adjective Ex:I looked at his dirty, stinking, old socks. 4

Adjective Rule last adjective Ex:I had a long, hectic, tiring day last adjective Ex:For lunch, we had a smooth, creamy, broccoli soup. 5

Turn to Exercise 3 – Page 702 WE DO1,5,6,10 For #9, where do the commas go? YOU DO1, 4, 7, 9 Directions: If the sentence does not need a comma, write “correct”. Write only the word or words that come before the comma. 6

Compound Sentence Rule Use a comma before for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so when the conjunction joins two independent clauses. Remember “FAN BOYS!” 7

Compound Sentence Rule Ex: Patrick brought the sandwiches, and Cindy brought the potato salad. Ex: Amelia studied for her test, yet she still made a poor grade. What is another word for “yet” in the sentence above? The cost of living is rising, for consumers pay higher prices than they did last year. What is a word that could replace “for”? 8

Hans brought charcoal and lighter fluid but forgot the matches. No comma needed – Why? 9

Terence went to the store because he had to purchase items for his lunch. (“Because” is not a coordinate conjunction) Because he had to purchase items for his lunch, Terrence went to the store. 10

Turn to Exercise 4 – Page 703 WE DO:1 – 5 YOU DO:

Sentence or Fragment? Subordinate conjunction Sentence or Fragment? Although disposable plates are convenient. Subordinate conjunction DC or SC Sentence or Fragment? Since I made an “A” on my comma test. See page 499, tan box, for subordinate conjunction list 12

Subordinate Conjunctions Begin Subordinate Clauses Examples:Since, such, because, while, which, if, although, who, etc. Subordinate conjunction & non essential Amelia Cortez, who lives across the street from me, won a scholarship. Subordinate conjunction & non essential The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is sometimes called the Athens of America. The islands are able to support animal and plant life, while most others are deserts. Subordinate conjunction & non essential 13

Turn each of the two fragments into a complex sentence by adding an independent clause. Although disposable plates are convenient. Since I made an “A” on my comma test. Write three of your own sentences, beginning with although, since, and because. 14

Write a sentence with this pattern: IC Comma DC comma IC Example: ICDC The Scarlet Ibis, which is the national bird of Trinidad, begins its flight at sunset. IC Now write your own sentence using this pattern. 15

EXAMPLE An example of IC no comma DC no comma IC IC DC but essential The sophomores who were on the honor roll were listed in the newspaper. 16

Example of IC COMMA DC IC One conductor on the underground railroad was Harriet Tubman, who was born a slave in ( a non- essential clause also called a subordinate or dependent clause) 17

PARTNERS Write a sentence for each of the following sentence patterns: 1.IC DC 2.IC, DC 3. DC, IC 4. IC, DC, IC 5. IC DC IC I know what you are thinking. Don’t be nervous. We will come back to this page. 18

Participal & Participal Phrase Define participal/participal phrase Ex: Shivering, the couple hurried into the movie theatre. Ex: Kelly, waiting outside the stage door, got the band leaders together. Ex: Calling for a time out, the referee blew his whistle and signaled. Ex: Developed in London, the bridge grew quite a crowd. 19

Parenthetical Expressions Ex:Sure, I know what is going on. Yes, he is my friend. EXCEPTION: Strong exclamations Wow! What an idiot! 20

PHRASE vs CLAUSE? What is the difference between a phrase and a clause? Use a comma to set off an introductory prepositional phrase or if two or more prepositional phrases in a row come at the beginning of a sentence. 21

Prepositional Phrase Examples One prepositional phrase: On the long bus ride home, we sang songs. Three prepositional phrases in a row: By the light₁ of the harvest moon₂ in September₃, we went on an old fashion hayride. What is the difference between the first and second example? 22

See page 709 Exercise 6 WE DO1 – 5 YOU DO

Appositive A descriptive word or word phrase that describes a noun or pronoun that comes somewhere before it. 24

Appositive 25

Which sentence contains an appositive? The children, aged two to six, made sandcastles. The children, that were aged two to six, made sand castles. 26

Write your own appositive example Ex: Michael Jordan, Number 23, is a Hall of Famer

Dates and Addresses “Rule of Thumb”: There should be a comma for each date and address there is in a row – even for the last one, unless it ends the sentence. Ex:On Saturday, June 21, 1999, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with my wife and children. Ex:His new address is 814 Mission Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. 28

EXCEPTIONS Miami, Florida My sister’s birthday is March 1. The Bowens moved to 419 Cedar Road in Chicago on September 10 of

Salutation & Closing of a Letter Salutation: Dear Mary, Dear Senator Jones: Closing: Sincerely yours, Your friend, 30

Abbreviations Ex:Jr.Sr.M.D. Ex:John Jones, Sr., has been named mayor Ex:Ellen Hamilton, M.D., is my doctor. Ex:He went to see James Bowen, Sr. (one period) 31

Clause Fragment Subordinate or dependent clause (Sometimes called a non-essential clause.) What does non-essential mean? Example: Because Fred was a conformist. 32

Complete Review B Page 710 QUIZ 33

Run-On Sentence Example: A foot was the length of a foot, a yard was the distance from a person’s nose to the end of his thumb when his arm was stretched out. (comma splice) Write a run-on sentence. Now have the person who sits behind you correct it. 34

Phrase Fragment Example: On the north side of town. 35

Let’s Practice! We will now go back to the various sentence patterns and practice. You and your partner will soon write your own sentence for each pattern on the page. Be ready for a COMMA TEST tomorrow! 36