“
“It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.”
Coordinate Adjectives
CCGPS Standard
O ELACC7L2: Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
O a. Use a comma to separate coordinate
adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating,
enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,]
green shirt).
Let’s start with a look at vocabulary.
Where have you seen the word coordinate used?
How have you used it?
Have you used it in another content class in school?
“It was a dark and stormy night; Meg
Murry, her small brother Charles
Wallace, and her mother had come
down to the kitchen for a midnight
snack when they were upset by the
arrival of a most disturbing stranger.”
O A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Look at the first part of the sentence, “It was a dark and
stormy night…”
O Take out the word and.
O Now, write the sentence.
O Exchange sentences with the person next to you.
O What does the sentence look like now?
Now try reversing the adjectives.
O It was a stormy, dark
night.
O Does the sentence still make sense?
Here is what our new sentences should look like:
OIt was a dark, stormy
night.
OIt was a stormy, dark
night.
We revised the sentence two ways. It made sense
both times.
O We call the adjectives dark and stormy
coordinate adjectives.
O Coordinate adjectives can have the word and
between them and still make sense.
O Also, coordinate adjectives work if their order
in the sentence is reversed.
Why did the new sentence need a comma?
O The adjectives preceding night are called coordinate
adjectives. Commas are placed between coordinate
adjectives.
So, what are coordinate
adjectives?
O Coordinate adjectives are two or more
adjectives preceding a noun that modify the
noun in the same way. They need a comma
placed between them.
We can test for coordinate adjectives in two ways.
O If I use and between the adjectives does it sound
correct? Answer yes? Coordinate adjectives.
O I ran across the bumpy, winding path.
O I ran across the bumpy and winding path.
O If I reverse the order of the adjectives, does it make
sense? Answer yes? Coordinate adjectives.
O The confident, poised speaker enthralled the
crowd.
O The poised, confident speaker enthralled the
crowd.
Try these sentences. Do they include coordinate
adjectives or not? Write yes or no in your notes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
It was a cold September night.
I ate a beautiful delicious apple.
I read an exciting descriptive novel last week.
The witch brewed a deadly poisonous concoction.
Did you get these answers?
1.
2.
3.
4.
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Great! Now explain each one in your notes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
It sounds weird to put and between cold
and September. Actually, cold modifies
September and night! Go figure.
The word and needs to be between
beautiful and delicious. Both modify
apple.
The word and needs to be between
exciting and descriptive. Both modify
novel.
DITTO!!
Here’s your practice. Copy each sentence and insert
commas where they are needed.
1. The book I just started includes vicious horrible
2.
3.
4.
5.
zombies.
The football game is going to be played on a cold
September night.
Please help me dye the red Easter eggs.
I love to plant beautiful luscious red flowers in my
garden.
This great informative sentence may not need a
comma but you can’t be sure!
Answer Slide
1. The book I just started includes vicious,
2.
3.
4.
5.
horrible zombies.
The football game is going to be played on
a cold September night.
Please help me dye the red Easter eggs.
I love to plant beautiful, luscious red
flowers in my garden.
This great informative sentence may not
need a comma, but you can’t be sure!
The End
Help think of a more creative way to end this
presentation. “The End” is number one on the list
of “Top Ten HORRIBLE Conclusions!”