Commas and Run-on Sentences

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Commas and Run-on Sentences
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Items in a series

• 1) Use commas to separate items in a series
• January, February, and March are all summer
  months in the Southern Hemisphere.
• There were fingerprints at the top, on the sides,
  and on the bottom.
• We sang, we danced, and we played trivia games.

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Compound Sentences with Conjunctions

• 2) Use a comma before and, but, for, nor, or,
  so, or yet when it joins independent clauses in a
  compound sentence.
• Tamisha offered me a ticket, and I accepted.
• I was tired, yet I stayed.
• Usually we study in the morning, and we play
  basketball in the afternoon.

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When to Use Commas

• Be Careful! With rule 2, make sure it contains
  two independent clauses.
• Usually we study in the morning and play
  basketball in the afternoon. (play basketball in
  the afternoon is not independent).
• Usually we study in the morning, and we play
  basketball in the afternoon.

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Interrupters

• 3) Use commas to set off an expression that
  interrupts a sentence.
• Yes, I will answer the phone.
• Naturally, we expect to win.
• My answer is correct, I think.
• (Notice that the expression can come anywhere in
  the sentence. If it comes in the middle, two
  commas are needed.)

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Appositives

• 4) Use commas to set off nonessential words,
  phrases, or clauses.
• My sister, Alicia, did not hear me.
• They will feed Molly, our cat.
• I reported on Secret of the Andes, which was
  written by Ann Nolan Clark.

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Dates/Addresses

• 5) Use commas in certain conventional
  situations
• Use commas to separate items in dates, opening
  and closing of letter, and addresses.
• A letter dated November 26, 1888, was found in
  the old house at 980 West Street, Davenport,
  Iowa, yesterday.
• Use a comma after the salutation or closing of a
  letter.
• Dear Dad, Yours truly,

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Quotation Marks

• 6) Use commas to separate the speaker from what
  is said.
• Jane said, Come in and sit down.
• Come this way, said Jane, and sit near the
  door.
• Put those boxes over there, she said.

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Correcting a Run-on Sentence

• Do NOT use commas to fix run-on sentences. You
  can fix these sentences in one of three ways
• 1) Use a period and a capital letter between two
  independent clauses.
• WRONG The bell rings at noon the students fill
  the cafeteria.
• RIGHT The bell rings at noon. The students fill
  the cafeteria.

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Correcting a Run-on Sentences

• 2) Use a comma and a conjunction.
• WRONG I start to smell cafeteria food my stomach
  begins to growl.
• RIGHT I start to smell cafeteria food, and my
  stomach begins to growl.
• 3) Use a semicolon. ()
• We have only twenty minutes for lunch I eat very
  quickly.
• We have only twenty minutes for lunch I eat very
  quickly.