Coordinating Conjunctions
Rule 32a
Find The Error
 It was raining outside so I decided to grab my umbrella.
 I wanted to eat the pizza but I couldn’t because of my tooth
ache.
 I tried to study for my test but there was too much noise.
Rule
 “When a coordinating conjunction connects two or more independent
clauses- word groups that might have been punctuated as separate
sentences-a comma must be used. There are seven coordinating
conjunctions in English: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.”
 Examples:
“Nearly everyone has heard of love at first sight, but I fell in love at first
dance.”
“Along the walls were glass cubicles, and partitions ran down the middle of
the room.
Corrections from “Find the Error”
 It was raining outside, so I decided to grab my umbrella.
^
 I wanted to eat the pizza, but I couldn’t because of my tooth
ache.
^
 I tried to study for my test, but there was too much noise.
^
Additional Practice
 I went to the grocery store but forgot to grab a loaf of bread.
 I went to hunting to catch a deer but came home with a
pheasant instead.
 The temperature in the hotel was 76 degrees yet everyone in
the room was still cold.
Corrections for Additional Practice
 I went to the grocery store but forgot to grab a loaf of bread.
(correct)
 I went hunting to catch a deer but came home with a pheasant
instead.
(correct)
 The temperature in the hotel was 76 degrees, yet everyone in
the room was still cold.
^
Final Side Note
 Be careful that a comma isn’t put in a sentence to separate
coordinate word groups that aren’t independent clauses.
• Example:
,
“A good money manager controls expenses and invests surplus dollars to
meet future needs.”
The red comma is incorrectly used. Can you explain why?
Comma Rules 32-b
Find the Error



Knowing that Kevin had basketball practice
he brought his tennis shoes to school.
If they want to win athletes must exercise
every day.
Because he kept barking we threw the ball
for Patches.
Rule


Use a comma after an introductory clause or
phrase.
CLUE: Introductory clauses usually start with
adverbs (which in this usage in a dependent
clause makes them subordinating
conjunctions) like after, although, as,
because, before, if, since, though, until,
when, etc.
Corrections for “Find the Error”



Knowing that Kevin had basketball practice,
he brought his tennis shoes to school.
If they want to win, athletes must exercise
every day.
Because he kept barking, we threw the ball
for Patches.
Additional Practice



As the boat turned about a dozen dolphins
began to follow it.
When he was in high school he was known
only as an athlete.
Making up his mind quickly Jared ordered
lasagna while we were still reading the
menu.
Corrections for “Additional Practice”



As the boat turned, about a dozen dolphins
began to follow it.
When he was in high school, he was known
only as an athlete.
Making up his mind quickly, Jared ordered
lasagna while we were still reading the
menu.
Comma Rule 32-C
Find The Error
•My uncle willed me all of his property,
houses and warehouses.
•The activities include a search for lost
treasure, dubious financial dealings,
and much discussion of ancient
heresies.
Rule:
Use a comma between all
items in a series.
Corrections
• My uncle willed me all of his property, houses
,
warehouses
• The activities include a search for lost
treasure, dubious financial dealings, and
much discussion of ancient heresies.
and
Additional
insight
• When three or more items are presented in a
series, those items should be separated from
one another with commas. Items in a series may
be single words, phrases, or clauses.
• Although some writers view the comma between
the last two items as optional, most agree that it
is better to put it in because its omission can
result in ambiguity or misreading.
More Practice
• I couldn’t believe how much the restaurant charged us
for a coke, garlic bread and spaghetti and meatballs.
• Her favorite meals were pizza lasagna and chicken and
dumplings.
32-D
• Coordinate and Cumulative Adjectives
Spot the Error
1.
2.
3.
We were prepared for a long, tedious,
planning session.
Allen owns several blue, wool
sweaters.
Brooke read three, small, books last
week.
Rule-Use a comma between coordinate adjectives not
joined by and. Do not use a comma between cumulative
adjectives.
*Adjectives are coordinate if they can be
joined with and or if they can be scrambled.
Therefore, you need commas to separate
them when they appear in succession.
Example:
Mother has become a strong, confident,
independent woman.
(strong and confident and independent)
32-D Cont’d
*Adjectives that do not modify the noun
separately are cumulative. (no comma)
Example:
Three large gray shapes moved slowly
toward us.
(Gray modifies shapes, large modifies
gray shapes, and three modifies large
gray shapes.)
Rule Cont’d
The word and cannot be inserted between
cumulative adjectives.
(three and large and gray shapes)
Nor can they be scrambled
(gray three large shapes)
Spot the Error Corrections
We were prepared for a long, tedious
planning session.
-There should not be a comma between tedious
and planning because we cannot say
“planning, tedious session” or “a tedious
and planning session.
1.
Corrections Cont.
2. Allen owns several blue wool sweaters.
–There should not need to be a comma between blue and
wool because it would not be right to say “wool blue
sweaters” or “blue and wool sweaters.
3. Brooke read three, small, books last week.
--There should not be any commas in this sentence because it
would be incorrect to say “three and small and books” or
“books, small, three”.
Additional Practice
1.
2.
3.
They lived in a white, frame house.
The relentless, powerful, sun beat down on
them.
The strong graceful train drove by my
house.
Corrections
1.
2.
3.
They lived in a white frame house.
The relentless, powerful sun beat down on
them.
The strong, graceful train drove by my
house.
32 E
Essential/Non-Essential Elements
Find the Error

The store honored the complaints, that were
less than 60 days old.

The boat sailed on October 25th which is the
day we referred to in the contract.

Use commas to set off non-essential
elements.

Do not use commas to set off essential
elements
Essential elements cannot be removed
without drastically changing the main idea
of the sentence.
E.g. - The people who are most important to
me will always be people I find time to
help. (essential)
Sandra and Kelly, who were walking by the
park, saw a giant train. (non-essential)

Practice

The credit card is in my wallet which you
can find in the kitchen drawer

The 1964 Ford Mustang which propelled
Lee Iacocca to the top of the automobile
industry is now considered a classic
More Practice

Norman Mailer’s first novel The Naked and
the Dead was a best-seller.
Correct

The store honored the complaints that were
less than 60 days old.

The boat that sailed on October 25 is the
one to which we referred in the contract.
Correct

The credit card is in my wallet, which you
can find in the kitchen drawer.

The 1964 Ford Mustang, which propelled
Lee Iacocca to the top of the automobile
industry, is now considered a classic.
Correct

Norman mailer’s first novel, The Naked and
The Dead, was a best-seller.

The song “ Fire It Up” was blasted out of
amplifier ten feet tall.
Additional Practice
My father told the woman, who called
yesterday, that I was not home.
 Dick Prosser the protagonist of Wolfe’s
“Child By Tiger” suffers a mental
breakdown at the end.
 The song, “Fire It Up,” was blasted out of
the amplifiers ten feet tall.

Correct
My father told the woman who called
yesterday that I was not home
 Dick Prosser, the protagonist of Wolfe’s
“Child By Tiger,” suffers a mental
breakdown at the end.
 The Song “Fire It Up” was blasted out of
the Amplifiers ten feet tall.

32-F
Spot The Error
1.
Driving on major highways for example is four times
more dangerous than flying.
2.
Ann headed this way, however, she did not see me.
3.
The rules of basketball as far as we know do not allow
that kind of contact.
Rule: Use commas to set off transitions, conjunctive
adverbs, and parenthetical expressions.
• Transitions are bridges between sentences
or parts of sentences. For example, in other
words, in fact, in the first place, and as a
matter of fact are common examples.
– As a matter of fact, American football
was established by fans who wanted to
play a more organized game of rugby.
– Celery, for example, contains more
sodium than most people would imagine.
• Conjunctive adverbs include however, therefore,
furthermore, moreover, nevertheless, thus, and
consequently.
• When such words are used between independent clauses,
they are preceded by a semicolon and are usually followed
by a comma. Otherwise they are usually separated from
the rest of the sentence with commas.
– The prospective babysitter was very kind; however, she
was busy every Saturday for a month.
– The major benefit of flex-time to working parents,
however, is the opportunity to spend more time with
their children.
• EXCEPTION: If a transition or conjunctive
adverb blends smoothly with the rest of the
sentence, calling for little or no pause in
reading, it does not need to be set off with a
comma. Expressions such as also, at least,
certainly, consequently, indeed, of course,
moreover, no doubt, perhaps, then, and
therefore do not necessarily call for a pause.
– Bill’s typewriter is broken; you will
therefore need to borrow Sue’s.
• Expressions that are distinctly parenthetical
should be set off with commas. Providing
supplemental comments or information,
they interrupt the flow of a sentence or
appear as afterthoughts.
– Evolution, so far as we know, doesn’t
work this way.
“Spot The Error” Corrections
1.
Driving on major highways, for example, is four times
more dangerous than flying.
2.
Ann headed this way; however, she did not see me.
3.
The rules of basketball, as far as we know, do not allow
that kind of contact.
Additional Practice
• No one I believe should ever be homeless in this
country.
• One toothpaste according to experts is generally the
same as another.
• Unlike other years, we will have an early spring I
expect this year.
Additional Practice Corrections
• No one, I believe, should ever be homeless in this
country.
• One toothpaste, according to experts, is generally the
same as another.
• Unlike other years, we will have an early spring, I
expect, this year.
32g- Commas to set off absolute
phrases.
Find the error
 Maggie left the game early her stomach nauseated to the
point of sickness.
 His family exhausted from the public scrutiny Richard will
not seek a second term this year.
 Kellie is applying to veterinary school her love for animals
being her inspiration.
RULE: Use a comma to set off absolute
phrases.
 Absolute phrases are phrases that modify the entire main
clause.
E.g.
Abraham Lincoln opted to take action against the south, the
Union badly fractured over disagreements.
Find The Error
• He was merely ignorant not stupid.
• The chimpanzee seemed reflective almost
•
human.
You're one of the senator's close friends
aren't you?
Rule
• Use commas to set off contrasted
elements.
• Jane talks to me as an adult and friend,
not as her little sister.
• Celia, unlike Robert, has no loathing
for dance contests.
• Some say the world will end in ice, not
fire.
Corrections
• He was merely ignorant , not stupid.
• The chimpanzee seemed reflective, almost
human.
• You're one of the senator's close friends,
aren’t you?
Enrichment
• The speaker seemed innocent even
gullible.
• It was her money not her charm or
personality that first attracted him.
• The puppies were cute but very messy.
Corrections
• The speaker seemed innocent , even
gullible.
• It was her money, not her charm or
personality, that first attracted him.
• The puppies were cute , but very messy.
Rule 32i
Find the Error
 Forgive
us Dr. Spock for spanking
Brian.
 Yes the loan will probably be
approved.
Rule
 Use
Commas to set off nouns of
direct address, the words yes and
no, interrogative tags, and mild
interjections.
Corrections
 Forgive
us, Dr. Spock, for kicking
Brian.
 Yes, the loan will probably be
approved.
Additional Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
No you can't go to the movies.
Ouch I really hurt my foot!
You like asparagus don't you?
Kelly you should not forget your
shoes.
Corrections
1.
2.
3.
No, you can't go to the movies.
Ouch, I really hurt my foot!
You like asparagus, don't you?
32k Commas with Dates,
Addresses, and Titles
Find The Error
• January 30 1991 was a great day.
• Alyssa Johnson M.D. was my doctor.
• She was born in Liverpool England in
1974.
The Rule: Use Commas with Dates,
Addresses, and Titles.
• In dates, the year is set off from the rest of the
sentence with a pair of commas.
– Exception: If the date is inverted, commas are
not needed.
• The elements of an address or place name are
followed by commas. A zip code, however, is not
preceded by a comma.
• If a title follows a name, separate it from the
rest of the sentence with a pair of commas.
Found the Error!
• January 30, 1991, was a great day.
• Alyssa Johnson, M.D., was my doctor.
• She was born in Liverpool, England,
in 1974.
Additional Practice
• My favorite movies come out on
video on February 29th 2008 and
March 3rd 2008.
• Could you deliver the flowers to
4176 83rd Street Chicago Illinois
60290?
Corrections
• My favorite movies come out on
video on February 29th, 2008, and
March 3rd, 2008.
• Could you deliver the flowers to
4176 83rd Street, Chicago, Illinois
60290?
THE SEMI-COLON
SPOT THE ERROR
 Although
gaining and maintaining a
high level of physical fitness takes a
good deal of time; the effort pays off
in the long run.

A semi-colon is used to show more of
a pause than a comma, but still less
than a period.
SEMI-COLON; SEMI-COL
For use of a semi-colon, there must
be an independent clause (a
complete sentence) on each side of
the semi-colon.
SEMI-COLON; SEMI-COLON;

THE
RULE
;



Example: The morning of the
funeral I went up to New York to
see Meyer Wolfsheim; I couldn’t
seem to reach him any other way.
You could use a period in the
sentence above, but it would create
short and choppy sentences.
A comma wouldn’t work in the
sentence above because the ideas
are too different to group into one
sentence AND with separating
independent clauses with just a
comma and no conjunction is
incorrect.
SPOT THE ERROR CORRECTIONS
The error is in the semi-colon, because it links a
dependant clause to an independent clause.
 Although gaining and maintaining a high level of
physical fitness takes a good deal of time
(independent); the effort pays off in the long run
(dependent).
 To fix this error you could:

Use a comma instead of the semi-colon.
 Change both clauses into independent clauses.


Although gaining and maintaining a high level of physical
fitness takes a good deal of time; physical fitness will pay
off in the long run.
ADDITIONAL PRACTICE
Find The Error


Jill ate bleached
English walnuts;
Mary didn’t.
Erika has the book I
need, she forgot to
bring it back again
today.
Semi-Colon or comma?



The sun was really
bright ( ) it was a perfect
day for swimming.
The thesaurus gives
synonyms ( ) but it does
not give definitions.
My friend spends extra
time watching talk
shows ( ) in contrast, my
sister spends extra time
working out.
CORRECTIONS FROM ADDITIONAL
PRACTICE
Spot the Error

The sentence does not
contain two independent
clauses.
Jill ate bleached English
walnuts; Mary didn’t eat
anything.
 Jill ate bleached English
walnuts, but Mary didn’t.
Semi-Colon?



The sentence cannot be
grouped with a comma,
because it contains two
independent clauses.

Erika has the book I need;
she forgot to bring it back
again today.


The sun was really
bright (;) it was a perfect
day for swimming.
The thesaurus gives
synonyms (,) but it does
not give definitions.
My friend spends extra
time watching talk
shows (;) in contrast, my
sister spends extra time
working out.
Semi-Colon Rule #2
 Use
a semi-colon to separate items in a
list when items contain commas in them.
Example:
Taylor visited Montgomery, Alabama; Chicago,
Illinois; and Boston, Massachussettes.
Alan will be joined by Maria, his sister; John, his
cousin; and Alexa, his wife.
Parentheses
1. The men in question Harold Keene, Jim
Peterson, and Gerald Greene deserve
awards.
2. Darwin's On the Origin of Species
1859 caused a great controversy
when it appeared.
3. 3. The receptionist position requires a
person who 1 treats customers
respectfully, 2 computer friendly, and
3 well organized.
Parentheses should be used for extra information
that is not relevant to the main idea of the
sentence.
Examples:
1. He finally answered (after taking five minutes to
think) that he did not understand the question.
2. I expect five hundred dollars ($500).
Use full parentheses to enclose numbers or letters
used for listed items.
Example:
1. We need an emergency room physician who
can (1) think quickly, (2) treat patients
respectfully, and (3) handle complaints from the
public.
Periods go inside parentheses only if an entire
sentence is inside the parentheses.
Examples:
Please read the analysis (I enclosed it as
Attachment A.).
OR
Please read the analysis. (I enclosed it as
Attachment A.)
OR
Please read the analysis (Attachment A).
1. The men in question (Harold Keene, Jim
Peterson, and Gerald Greene) deserve awards.
The parenthesis should be set around the listed
names. Although they give extra information, they
are not needed for the sentence to make sense.
2. Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859)
caused a great controversy when it
appeared.
Parenthesis should be set around the date
because it is extra information about the
book, but does not need to be included in
the sentence.
3. The receptionist position requires a person
who is (1) treats customers respectfully,
(2) computer friendly, and (3) well
organized.
Parenthesis should be set around the numbers
because they are creating a list and should
not be apart of the sentence.
1. During final exams week although everyone
hopes it will not happen, all of us argue more
because of the pressure we feel.
2. The only one of my roommates who doesn't seem
to get stressed out is Tanya an avid practitioner of
yoga.
1. During final exams week (although everyone hopes it
will not happen), all of us argue more because of the
pressure we feel.
Step 1. The material in parentheses is not a sentence.
Step 2. The material in parentheses does not require a
period.
Step 3. The material in parentheses is part of a longer
sentence. Therefore, the comma needs to come after
the last parenthesis.
2. The only one of my roommates who doesn't seem
to get stressed out is Tanya (an avid practitioner of
yoga).
Step 1. The material in parentheses is not a sentence.
Step 2. Since the parenthetical material is part of a
larger sentence, the period ending that larger
sentence should come after the last parenthesis.
The Dash
Find the Error
 Adam can you help me with, oh,
nevermind.
 Her lifespan was 1963,1989.
 Bob is at a high school college
conference.
Dashes
 Dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and
parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption,
or an abrupt change of thought.
 Examples:
*It was unthinkable that Stargirl could survive—at least survive
unchanged—among us.
-used instead of a comma here to add emphasis to
normally be an interrupter.
what would
*The bike—my bike—whizzed past us as I helplessly
looked on.
Not to be mistake for a hyphen!
 Hyphens combine words (not to be mistaken for
compound words).
 We are open-minded people.
OR the combine prefixes and root words together when
two vowels put together would cause confusion.
*We will re-organize after the meeting
Hyphens (one “dash” on the keyboard)
Dashes (2 dashed together on the keyboard)
Corrections to Find the Error
Corrections are made in red
 Adam can you help me with—oh never
mind.
 Her lifespan was 1963-1989.
 Bob is at a high school—college
conference.
Round 2
 You are the friend and the only friend who
offered to help me.
 It is really near the North Carolina Virginia
border.
 I can’t believe that she would, can you
grab that, Joe, do something like that!
Corrections to Round 2
Corrections are made in red
 You are the friend—the only friend who
offered to help me.
 It is really near the North Carolina—
Virginia border.
 I can’t believe that she would—can you
grab that, Joe—do something like that!
Find the Error
Place a dash in the appropriate spot of the sentence.
Some sentences may have more than one.



I have opinions of my own strong opinions
but I don't always agree with them.
I wish that I could but I can’t so I won’t at
least not today.
Birds of prey owls, hawks, eagles are
protected by federal law.
Rule


Dashes are used to emphasize, or
draw attention to, information that
comes after them.
Dashes can also be used to indicate an
abrupt break in thought.
Corrected Sentences



I have opinions of my own—strong
opinions—but I don't always agree with
them.
I wish that I could—but I can’t—so I won’t—
at least not today.
Birds of prey—owls, hawks, eagles—are
protected by federal law.
Additional Practice



Of the three entrees salmon, spinach
lasagna or meatloaf the last option was
definitely the least appealing.
The mantelpiece was lined with
photographs of people she loved her
mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt
If I knew where to go which I don't then we
wouldn't be lost.
Corrections



Of the three entrees—salmon, spinach
lasagna or meatloaf—the last option was
definitely the least appealing.
The mantelpiece was lined with
photographs of people she loved—her
mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt.
If I knew where to go—which I don't—then
we wouldn't be lost.
Apostrophes
Apostrophe Rules
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use apostrophes in the following situations:
1. Showing omitted letters in contractions (can't, won't)
2. Showing ownership
-Singular = 's
example- Mr. Williamson's car
-Plural = s'
example- The Williamsons' car
NOTE: For words ending in -s:
Add an 's when the syllable is pronounced (Ron Jones's car)
Add just an apostrophe when the syllable is not pronounced
(Mr. Bridges' son)
Add just an apostrophe for plural possessives. (The Jones' car)
3. Pluralizing numbers, letters, and symbols
-Mind your p's and q's buddy!
-Be aware that your 1's look like l's (L's).