Commas, Commas, Commas
Become a Comma Superhero!
When Are Commas Used?
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Introductory Phrases
FANBOYS
Comma Splice
AAAWWUBBIS
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FANBOY Fakers
X, Y, and Z
Describers
Interrupters
Commas: Why use them?
• Commas help readers figure out which
words go together in a sentence.
• Commas also tell a reader which parts of
your sentences are most important.
What Happens if Commas Are Used
Incorrectly
• It may confuse a reader.
• It may signal ignorance of
writing rules.
• It may also indicate carelessness.
Comma Myths
• A really long sentence
may be perfect
without commas. The
length of a sentence
does not determine
whether or not you
need a comma.
• Where you pause or
breathe in a sentence
does not reliably
indicate where a
comma belongs.
Different readers
pause or breathe in
different places.
Introductory Phrases
• Setting off introductory phrases with a
comma lets the reader know that the main
subject and main verb of a sentence come
later.
• There are small ones, medium ones, and
large ones.
Introductory Phrases
Small Phrases
Medium Phrases
Large Phrases
Just one word
2-3 words,
prepositional
phrases
More than 3 words
Usually key words
or groups of words
Example:
Generally,
extraterrestrials are
friendly and
helpful.
Example:
In fact, Godzilla is
just a
misunderstood
teen lizard of giant
proportions.
Example:
As far as I am
concerned, it is the
best dish for
dispatching
unwanted guests.
You Try It!!!
1) Just in case it might rain you should bring
your umbrella.
2) During my party my mom served the
cake.
3) Generally you should come in and be
prepared to learn.
4) Well if I must choose I say let’s go to
Hawaii.
FANBOYS
For
Josh went to play football, for I told him to get out of
the house.
And
The cat wanted to eat, and she wanted to be lazy.
Nor
Leanne did not want to go to the party, nor did I.
But
My dad wanted to buy me a car, but I told him not to.
Or
You can go to the library, or you can stay in class
and take a test.
Yet
I told Rylee not to eat the cookie, yet she ate it
anyway.
It was really too cold to go outside, so we stayed
inside all day.
So
When Do Use a Comma with
FANBOYS?
• You add a comma BEFORE the FANBOY
if there are two complete thoughts in the
sentence.
• The little girl dressed in her mother’s shoes
and she wore her dad’s hat.
• The little girl dressed in her mother’s
shoes, and she wore her dad’s hat.
What About Now?
• DO NOT use a comma if the sentence
contains only one complete thought.
• The little girl dressed in her mother’s shoes
and wore her dad’s hat.
• The little girl dressed in her mother’s shoes
and wore her dad’s hat.
You Try It!!!
1) It is their parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary
and the children want it to be special.
2) Mr. And Mrs. Slaughter are friendly and
involved in the community.
3) I really want some spaghetti but I do not feel
like cooking it.
4) You can do your work and pass or you can sit
in here doing nothing and fail.
The Dreaded Comma Splice!
• If you do not see a FANBOY between two
complete thoughts, putting a comma there
causes a “comma splice” (or a run-on
sentence).
BAD Comma Splice!
• My hamster loved to play, I gave him a
hula-hoop.
• You wore a lovely hat, it was your only
defense.
How Do You Fix
the Comma Splice?
• You can do one of these three things:
1) Change the comma to a semicolon
 You wore a lovely hat; it was your
only defense.
2) Add FANBOYS
 You wore a lovely hat, for it was
your only defense.
2) Make each clause a separate sentence
 You wore a lovely hat. It was your
only defense.
You Try It!!!
1) Joey went to the grocery store, he needed
to buy eggs for supper.
2) Sara wanted to buy a new car, she didn’t
have the money to do so.
3) Americans speak to rapidly this is a
common complaint by foreign visitors.
4) It was snowing, the roads were getting
slick.
FANBOY Wannabe’s!
• However, therefore, moreover, and other
words like them are NOT FANBOYS.
• They are like small introductory phrases
that begin the second complete thought of
a sentence.
FANBOYS Wannabe’s!
• Like the FANBOYS, you need to make
sure that there are TWO COMPLETE
THOUGHTS on both sides of it.
• If you do find two complete thoughts on
each side, you use a semicolon (;) after the
first complete thought and a comma (,)
after the small introductory phrase in the
second complete thought.
FANBOYS Wannabe’s!
• Examples:
The Good: Football is my favorite sport;
however, baseball is more interesting to
me.
The Bad: Football is my favorite sport,
however baseball is more interesting to
me.
The Ugly: Football is my favorite sport,
however, baseball is more interesting to
me.
FANBOYS Wannabe’s!
• You can also make two complete sentences out of
them.
The Good: Laboratory mice are
cunning. Therefore, I can’t take my eyes
off of them.
The Bad: Laboratory mice are cunning,
therefore I can’t take my eyes off of
them.
You Try It!!!
1) Dieting is very popular in America however it
can be dangerous.
2) San Francisco is my favorite city in fact I plan
to spend two weeks there this summer.
3) The hikers couldn’t make it to the top of the
mountain and back before dark therefore they
made camp for the night.
4) We planned to go fishing at Lake Conroe this
weekend instead we went salt water fishing in
the gulf.
X, Y, and Z
• Put commas between
items in a list.
• The final comma goes
right before the
conjunction.
• Examples:
– You can buy life,
liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness in Los
Angeles.
– A good student listens
to his teachers without
yawning, reads once
in a while, and writes
papers before the are
due.
You Try It!!!
1) Russ went shopping for a stereo a new
television and some speakers for his new house.
2) Paula invited Sam Jenny Nancy and Shane to
her party.
3) Don’t forget to capitalize punctuate and
complete your sentences.
4) Why do I have to take out the trash wash the
dishes fold the clothes and clean my room?
Describers
• If you have two or more adjectives (words
that describe) that are not joined by a
conjunction and both/all of the adjectives
describe the same word, put a comma
between them.
• Examples:
He was a bashful, dopey, sleepy dwarf.
The frothy, radiant princess kissed the
putrid, vile frog.
You Try It!!!
1) I really would enjoy a bright sunny day.
2) My father is a dedicated hard-working
man.
3) Willy had a long bushy red beard.
4) Why must we learn the boring confusing
information on commas?
Interrupters
• Two commas can be used to set off
additional information that appears within
the sentence but is separate from the
primary subject and verb of the sentence.
• This lets the reader know that the
words/phrase between the commas are not
necessary to understand the rest of the
sentence.
Interrupters
• Examples:
Bob Mills, a sophomore from Raleigh,
was the only North Carolina native at
the Japanese food festival in Cary.
Aaron thought he could see the future,
not the past, in the wrinkles of his skin.
You Try It!!!
1) Ryan the boy down the street came over
to play football last night.
2) I saw a pelican the Louisiana state bird at
the Houston Zoo.
3) Jim sheriff of the county arrested the
trespasser.
4) The game as you remember was a tie.
AAAWWUBBIS
• These are your
sentence starters.
• The commas goes
after the phrase the
AAAWWUBBIS
begins.
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Although
As
After
While
When
Until
Before
Because
If
Since
You Try It!!!
1) After dinner we went to a movie.
2) Before you decide to take a vacation you
should make sure you have the money to
go.
3) If you would like some help with your
work you should not be afraid to ask.
4) Until I get all of your make-up work I
cannot help you with your grades.