Commas

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Commas
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Rule 1 Items in a series

• Add a comma when putting three or more items in a
  series. (nouns, verbs, or adjectives)
• Example
• My favorite foods to eat are pizza, chicken,
  and macaroni.

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Rule 2 Word Groups in a Series

• Ex. At the beach, we swam, built sand castles,
  and played volleyball. (predicates)
• Ex. I searched for the lost contact lens in the
  sink, on the counter, and on the floor.
  (prepositional phrases)
• Ex. Please punch the time card when you arrive,
  when you take lunch, and when you leave.
  (subordinate clauses)

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Rule 3 2 or more Adjectives

• When there are 2 or more adjectives together, you
  have to put a comma between them.
• Example
• Most kids of today do not have spotless,
  clean rooms.

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Rule 3 2 Plus Adjectives (cont.)

• Use commas to separate two or more adjectives
  that come before a noun.
• Test to see whether a comma is needed between two
  adjectives
• Test 1 insert and between the adjectives. If
  it sounds awkward there, do NOT use a comma.
• Test 2 Switch the order of the adjectives. If
  the sentence still makes sense when you switch
  them, use a comma.

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Rule 3 2 Plus Adjectives Examples

• Ex. Pita is a round, flat bread of the Middle
  East.
• Ex. James Earl Jones certainly has a deep,
  strong, commanding voice.
• Ex. Alexander and I found an old, rusty bicycle
  in the vacant lot down the street.

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Rule 4 Compound Sentence

• Use a comma in a compound sentence to separate
  two independent clauses.
• Example
• I love to swim and play in water, but my cat
  hates it.

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Rule 4 Compound Sentences

• Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction
  when it joins 2 independent clauses.
• Coordinating Conjunctions FANBOYS
• Ex. Theo will bring the potato salad, and Sarah
  will bring the apple juice.
• Ex. Congress passed the bill, but I believe the
  president vetoed it.
• Ex. I went to bed early, for I had a big day
  ahead of me.

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Compound Verbs

• Warning Make sure that you have a compound
  sentence, not just a compound verbs.
• Do NOT get comma happy just because you see a
  coordinating conjunction.
• Compound sentence the 2nd independent clause
  will NOT start with a verb after the comma and
  coordinating conjunction.
• Simple Sentence We ran relay races first and
  then ate lunch. (compound verb)
• Compound Sentence We ran relay races first, and
  then we ate lunch. (compound sentence)

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Rule 5 Introductory Subordinate Clauses
(Complex Sentence)

• When you have an introductory subordinate clause
  in a sentence, you are going to need a comma to
  separate it from the independent clause.
• Example
• If you thought that was fun, wait till you
  try this.

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Rule 6 APPOSITIVESUnnecessaryADD COMMAS

• Appositivesword or phrase that adds information
  to the sentence to give more details.
• If information is NOT necessary to the meaning of
  the sentenceUSE COMMAS to separate in front of
  and after the appositive.
• Examples
• 1.This book is about geology, the science of the
  earth and its rocks.
• 2. Two cold drinks, lemonade and punch, were
  available to the guests at the party.

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Rule 6 AppositivesUnnecessaryUse Commas
(cont).

• Use commas to set off appositives and appositive
  phrases that are NOT NECESSARY to the meaning of
  a sentence.
• Appositivea noun or pronoun that identifies or
  describes another noun or pronoun beside it.
• APPOSITIVESNOT NECESSARYCOMMAS
• Ex. The gymnast, Mrs. Shaw, will coach us.
• Ex. This book is about geology, the science of
  the earth and its rocks.

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Rule 7 APPOSITIVES NECESSARY Dont use commas

• If the appositive information in NECESSARY, you
  DO NOT NEED COMMAS.
• Examples
• My cousin Robert lives in San Francisco,
  California.
• The character Alice is based on Alice Liddell.
• My friend Beth Brandon lives in McMinnvile.

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Cross-Curricular Connections

• Take a look in your science or social books.
  Point out 3 appositives to a partner.

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Rule 8 Interrupters

• Use 2 commas to set off an expression that
  interrupts a sentence-one at beginning and one at
  the end.
• 1. My favorite band, BeBe and CeCe Winans, was on
  TV last night.
• 2. Our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, greeted us
  at the entrance.
• 3. Charlotte, my mom, was on her laptop and
  watching the Biggest Loser.

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Rule 9 DIRECT ADDRESS

• Use 2 commas to set off an expression that
  directly addresses someone in the middle of a
  sentenceone before and one after the expression.
• Examples
• As you leave, Jesse, please close the door
  quietly.
• Youre right, Chad, to say he was a Mexican
  general.

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Rule 9 (cont.) Direct Address Introductory or
Ending

• Use one comma after an introductory direct
  address or direct address at the end of a
  sentence.
• How did you like karate class today, Kami?
• Ms. Jacobs, please explain the assignment.
• Do you know who Santa Anna was, Beth?

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Historical Direct Address

• Think of a favorite historical figure. Write 3
  sentences about this persons life addressed to
  this person. Think of serious or humorous
  sentences.
• Ex. Abe Lincoln, I wish you hadnt gone to see
  that play.

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Real Literature Chapter Books

• Think, Pair, Share Go on a scavenger hunt in
  your own chapter books that your are reading to
  find one of each
• necessary appositive (no commas), (1)
• unnecessary appositive (use commas), (1)
• direct address (1)
• Write down the chapter book title, the sentence
  using this skill, and page number that you found
  each sentence.

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Rule 10 Mild Interjections use a comma

• Mild Interjections Yes, No, Well,
• Shows emotion and interrupts a sentence.
• Example
• Yes, I want to go camping at Harrison Bay
  State Park during Spring Break.

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Rule 11 Introductory Prepositional Phrase

• If you have an introductory prepositional phrase
  or phrases, you must put a comma after it.
• Example
• At midnight, the hungry coyotes searched for
  food in garbage cans.

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Rule 12 Introductory Subordinate Clauses (Adverb
Clauses)

• Use a comma after an introductory adverb clause.
• Ex. After the show is over, we will go out to
  eat.
• NOTE An adverb clause at the end of the sentence
  usually is NOT preceded by a comma.
• Ex. We will go out to eat after the show is over.

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Rule 13 Greeting of a friendly letter

• When beginning a friendly letter, put Dear ____,
  and after their name put a comma.
• Example
• Dear John,
• Dear Mom,
• Dear Donald,

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Rule 13B Greetings in a Business Letter

• The greeting in a business letter uses a COLON,
  NOT A COMMA, after the salutation or greeting in
  a letter.
• Ex. Dear Mr. Hondorus
• Ex. Dear Mr. President
• Ex. Dear Sir

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Rule 14 Closing in a Friendly Letter

• Yours truly,
• Sincerely,
• Your Friend,
• Love,

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Rule 15 City, State

• When you have a city and a state together in a
  sentence, you have to put a comma between them.
• Example
• I used to live in a place called Oklahoma
  City, Oklahoma.

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Rule 15 City, Country (cont.)

• Rome, Italy
• Athens, Greece
• NOTE NO punctuation is used between the state
  abbreviation and ZIP code.
• Cerritos, CA 90701

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Rule 15 Street Address

• Note A comma does NOT separate a house number
  from a street address.
• EX. My aunt lived at 41 Jefferson Street,
  Northfield, Minnesota, since 2008.
• Ex. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, in
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Rule 16 Dates

• NOTE When you have a date in a sentence, you put
  a comma between the day of the week and the
  month, AND day of the month and year.
• Ex. Did you know that I was born on Saturday,
  June 5, 1998?
• Ex. He made his stage debut on May 25, 1928, in
  London.

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Rule 16 Dates

• Note A comma separates the last item in a date
  or in an address from the words that follow it.
• However, a comma does NOT separate a month from a
  day.
• Ex. Bill Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, in
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Write a Friendly Letter

• Write a friendly letter to Kevin Culp, Officer
  Culps son, thanking him for his service for our
  country. Kevin has just returned home last week
  from serving in another country.
• Be careful with your commas
• Use 5 parts of a friendly letter

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5 Parts of a Friendly Letter

• Heading street address 8426 Bird Road
• city, state zip
• Friday, March 6, 2013.
• Greeting Dear Mr. Culp,
• Body (3 long paragraphs about yourself, what it
  means to you to have your safety due to military
  services, and thanking him for his services and
  the sacrifices that hes made.)
• Closing Your friend,
• Signature Your First Name Only

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Friendly Letter Format

• 701 East Main Street
• Murfreesboro, TN 37130
• March 6, 2013
• Dear Mr. Kevin Culp,
• 3 paragraph body (indent each new paragraph)
• 1st paragraph about yourself school, activities,
  hobbies
• 2nd paragraph what it means to you to have your
  safety due to military service why it is
  important
• 3rd paragraph thanking him for his services and
  the sacrifices that hes made.
• Your Friend,
• First Name
• 7th grade
• Central Magnet School

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Rule 17 Quotations

• When writing some ones quotation, you have to put
  a comma between the speaker and their begging
  quotation mark.
• Example
• My little cousin jumped back and screamed,
  I hate spiders!

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Work Cited

• http//grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
• http//www.englishclub.com/grammar/interjections.h
  tm
• http//www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm
• http//www.montanalife.com/writing/Comma_Rules.htm
  l
• http//www.northland.cc.mn.us/owl/comma_rules.htm