ENG II B: COMMAS EXERCISE LEARNING TARGET 4 FORMATIVE 4 EXERCISE 2 and 3
KEY
LEARNING TARGET 4: Use commas to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential phrases. A nonessential
clause or participial phrase adds information that is not necessary to the main idea in the sentence.
Exercise 2 Correcting Sentences with Nonessential Clauses by Adding Commas
DIRECTIONS
Determine whether each of the following sentences contain nonessential clauses. On the line
provided, write C if the punctuation is correct. If a sentence is punctuated incorrectly, correct it by writing the
word preceding the comma and the comma.
EXAMPLES
1. That boy who just ran by is my teammate.
boy, by,_____________________________________________________________________
2. The ring, which belonged to my grandmother, is very precious to me.
C______________________________________________________________________________
1.
Doonesbury which is my favorite comic strip makes me think as well as laugh.
Doonesbury, strip, _____________________________________________________
2.
Our math teacher who also teaches gym will leave at the end of the year.
Teacher, gym, ________________________________________________________
3.
The amusement rides that are most exciting may be the most dangerous.
C ___________________________________________________________________
4.
My grandfather who like to work on old cars just bought a 1960 convertible.
Grandfather, cars, _____________________________________________________
5.
People who carry credit cards should keep a record of their account numbers at
home. C ___________________________________________________________
6.
Sally Yamoto who is class president plans to go to Yale. Yamoto, president, ___
7.
A town like Cottonwood which has a population of five thousand seems ideal to
me. Cottonwood, thousand, ____________________________________________
8.
All dogs that pass this obedience test will get a reward. C ___________________
BE SURE TO TURN YOUR PAPER OVER
KMH
taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar Third Course(Green)
page 607-608, Exercises 5 and 6
rev.04/14
9.
Creosote which is made from coal tar is one of the chemicals that may cause
cancer. Creosote, tar, _________________________________________________
10.
In “The Gift of the Magi” which is a very beautiful short story, the two main
characters who are deeply in love make sacrifices in order to buy gifts for each other.
Magi, characters, love, ______________________________________________
Exercise 3 Correcting Sentences with Participial Phrases by Adding OR Removing Commas
DIRECTIONS
Determine whether each of the following sentences is correctly punctuated. On the line
provided, write C if the punctuation is correct. If a sentence is punctuated incorrectly, correct it by
writing the word preceding the comma and the comma OR by writing the word preceding the comma
and the comma followed by the word DELETE.
EXAMPLES
1. A novelist, whose latest book is a best seller, gave a talk at our school.
Novelist, DELETE - seller,DELETE______________________________________________________
2. The ring, which belonged to my grandmother, is very precious to me.
C_________________________________________________________________________________
3. The velocity of a tornado which is the fastest wind on earth may reach 700 miles an
hour.
Tornado, earth, _____________________________________________________________________
11. People, visiting the reservation, will be barred from the burial. People, DELETE reservation, DELETE _________________________________________________
12.
Players breaking training will be dismissed from the team.
C ___________________________________________________________________
13.
Students, planning to go on the field trip, should bring their lunches.
Students, DELETE - trip, DELETE ______________________________________
14. The ants swarming onto the tablecloth made straight for the picnic basket.
Ants, tablecloth, _____________________________________________________
15.
An owl hooting in the distance sounded as lonely as I felt. Owl, distance,
_____________________________________________________________________
16. Elizabeth Blackwell completing her medical studies in 1849 became the first female
doctor in the United States.
Blackwell, 1849, ____________________________________________________
KMH
taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar Third Course(Green)
page 607-608, Exercises 5 and 6
rev.04/14
17. Pressure and heat acting on the remains of plants and animals turn them into gas or oil
or coal.
C __________________________________________________________________
18. Every child, registering for school for the first time, must present evidence of certain
vaccinations.
Child, DELETE - time, DELETE_________________________________________
19. The astronauts living in space for several days studied the effects of weightlessness.
Astronauts, days, ____________________________________________________
20. The castle built as a fortress in the sixteenth century is now famous as a tourist
attraction.
Castle, century, _______________________________________________________
KMH
taken from Warriner’s English Composition and Grammar Third Course(Green)
page 607-608, Exercises 5 and 6
rev.04/14