1. Learning Literacy: Punctuation – Commas and semicolons in complex sentences

2. Commas , 7 Uses of the Comma
Commas are an important writing tool as they separate words and ideas to help sentences make sense.
7 Uses of the Comma
Commas are used to separate three or more words in a series. For example:
- Hayley, Hunter, and Hannah played video games.
- The children ate chicken, french fries, and fruit.
- My red, green, and yellow bow is missing.
Commas are used to separate three or more phrases in a series. For example:
- Hayley read her book, did her homework, and cleaned her room.
- At Christmas my children bake cookies, make ornaments, and

3. Commas are used to separate street, town, state, and country names
Commas are used to separate street, town, state, and country names. For example:
- Houston Lake Road, Warner Robins, Georgia, U.S.A.
Commas are used to separate a day of the month from a year. For example:
- Hunter was born on April 12, 1995.
Commas are used with quotation marks to show the beginning or end of someone's dialogue. For example:
- Hannah exclaimed, "Look!“
- "I'm home," called Mom. (Hint: Only one period per sentence)

4. - Hayley studied, and Hannah played on the Wii.
Commas are used with conjunctions to join two simple sentences. For example:
- Hayley studied, and Hannah played on the Wii.
- Hannah scored 100 points on her game, but Hunter scored even more.
Commas are used in a letter after the greeting and after the closing. For example:
Dear Santa,
Please bring me lots of presents.
Sincerely,
Hannah

5. Semicolons ; What’s the point of a semicolon?
The most common way to use a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses. Remember, an independent clause is an idea that makes sense in its own right.
For example: The ice cream truck man drove by my house today. He had big, hairy knuckles.
If read allowed, the two sentences would sound like this: The ice cream truck man drove by my house today. (pause for breath) He had big, hairy knuckles.

6. With a semicolon, however, the sentence would sound like this: The ice cream truck man drove by my house today; he had big, hairy knuckles.
Basically, what we did was eliminate the pause between the two statements without using words such as and, but, nor, or yet.

8. When to use a Semicolon
Use a semicolon when you want to form a bond between two statements
Typically, the two statements will be related to or contrast with one another.

9. Activity
Complete the comma and semicolon activity in Moodle.