Commas Rule!
1. Grammar A punctuation mark ( , ) used to
indicate a separation of ideas or of elements
within the structure of a sentence.
2. A pause or separation; a caesura.
1. Use commas to separate
independent clauses when they are
joined by: AND, BUT, FOR, OR, NOR.
The game was over, but the crowd
refused to leave.
2. Use commas to separate words,
phrases, and clauses written in a
series of THREE or more coordinate
elements.
A trio of Marie, Ellen, and Frances sang
at the entertainment. Jack walked into
my office, took off his hat, and sat
down.
3. Use commas to separate two or
more coordinate adjectives that
describe or modify the same noun.
(Coordinate adjectives can be
interchanged.)
The noisy, enthusiastic group applauded the speech. (the group is noisy and
enthusiastic or enthusiastic and noisy.) BUT: The new tennis court will soon be
open. (The court is not new and tennis.)
. Use commas in the BEGINNING of
the sentence after an introductory
clause or phrase which has a verb or
verb form.
Hearing his owner call him, the dog ran forward. While I was
reading, the cat scratched at the door. If you want a seat, you
ought to arrive by 7:30 p.m. My schedule having been arranged,
I went home for the week-end.
5. Use commas at the BEGINNING of
the sentence to set off exclamations
or comments such as "yes," "no,"
"well," "oh," etc.
Yes, I'll think about it.
6. Use commas in the MIDDLE of the sentence to set
off phrases and clauses which are not essential to the
meaning of the sentence. Use these commas in pairs,
one before the phrase or clause to indicate the
beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate
the end of the pause.
Sara Clark, who lives in my dorm, is in my chemistry class. (comma #1 at the
beginning) (comma #2 at the end) BUT, commas are NOT used in this "who" clause
because it is a necessary part of the sentence. The girl who is sitting at the table next
to you is in my chemistry class. Use a pair of commas in a similar manner: -To set off
nonessential appositives (phrases which identify a noun). Tom, the captain of the
team, was injured in the game. The person injured in the game was Tom, the captain
of the team. -To set off words or names used in direct address. It is up to you, Jane, to
finish the assignment. -To set off nonessential comments which interrupt the
sentence. I was, however, too tired to make the trip.
7. Use commas near the END of the
sentence to separate sharply
contrasted coordinate elements in the
sentence.
He was merely ignorant, not stupid.
8. Use commas to set off all
geographical names, items in dates
(except the month and day),
addresses (except the street name
and number), and titles in names.
Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham,
England. July 22, 1967, was a momentous day in his
life. Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, D.C.? Donald B. Lake, M.D., will be the
principal speaker.
9. Use commas after "he said," etc. to
set off direct quotations.
John said, "I'll see you tomorrow." "I
was able," she answered, "to complete
the assignment this morning."
10. Use commas to prevent possible
confusion or misreading.
To John, Harrison had been a sort of
idol. Above, the mountains rose like
purple shadows.
Comma vs. Semicolon
• THE COMMA VS. THE SEMICOLON IN THE
COMPOUND SENTENCE
• A group of words containing a subject and a verb and
expressing a complete thought is called a sentence or
an independent clause. Sometimes, an independent
clause stands alone as a sentence, and sometimes
two independent clauses are linked together into one
sentence which is called a compound sentence. There
are two different marks of punctuation which can be
used between these independent clauses: the comma
and the semicolon. The choice is yours.
THE COMMA
Use a comma after the first
independent clause when you choose
to link the two independent clauses
with any one of these words:
AND BUT FOR OR NOR (and sometimes SO and YET) I
am going home, and I intend to stay there. It rained
heavily during the afternoon, but we managed to have
our picnic anyway.
THE SEMICOLON
Use the semicolon when you choose
to join two independent clauses
together with NO connecting words.
I am going home; I intend to stay there. It rained
heavily during the afternoon; we managed to
have our picnic anyway.
THE SEMICOLON
Use the semicolon when you join two independent
clauses together with one of those long connecting
words such as: HOWEVER, MOREOVER, THEREFORE,
CONSEQUENTLY, OTHERWISE, NEVERTHELESS, THUS,
etc.
I am going home; moreover, I intend to stay there. It
rained heavily during the afternoon; however, we
managed to have our picnic anyway. Put this in your
notebook, and use it! Put this in your notebook; use it!
THE APOSTROPHE
POSSESSIVE NOUNS ALWAYS TAKE APOSTROPHES.
Apostrophe Use
1) singular = 's:
2) plurals which use an "s" = ':
3) plurals which don't need an
"s" = 's:
Mary's hat, boy's book,
secretary's typewriter,
Charles's aunt
boys' games, Smiths' house,
secretaries' typewriters
men's meeting, mice's tails,
children's story
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS (such as MY,
YOUR, THEIR, HER, ITS, YOURS,
THEIRS, OURS, HERS, HIS, etc.) NEVER
take apostrophes.
His car is outside. That dog is theirs. The cat hurt its
paw.
CONTRACTIONS ALWAYS TAKE APOSTROPHES.
(Contractions combine two words into one. The
apostrophe shows that a letter has been left
out.)
1) it is = it's
2) he does not = he doesn't
3) she is going = she's going
4) 1963 = '63
For clarity, plurals of letters of the alphabet,
abbreviations, and numbers also take
apostrophes
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete
thought. An independent clause is a sentence.
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his
chemistry quiz.
Dependent Clause
• A dependent clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and verb but does not
express a complete thought. A dependent
clause cannot be a sentence. Often a
dependent clause is marked by a dependent
marker word.
• When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his
chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he
studied? The thought is incomplete.)
Dependent Marker Word
• A dependent marker word is a word added to
the beginning of an independent clause that
makes it into a dependent clause.
When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his
chemistry quiz, it was very noisy.
Connecting dependent and
independent clauses
Coordinating Conjunction: FANBOYS!
The seven coordinating conjunctions used as
connecting words at the beginning of an
independent clause are and, but, for, or, nor, so,
and yet. When the second independent clause in a
sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction, a
comma is needed before the coordinating
conjunction:
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry
quiz, but it was hard to concentrate because of the
noise.
Independent Marker Word
•
An independent marker word is a connecting word used at the
beginning of an independent clause. These words can always begin
a sentence that can stand alone. When the second independent
clause in a sentence has an independent marker word, a semicolon
is needed before the independent marker word.
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz; however, it was
hard to concentrate because of the noise.
• Some common independent markers
are: also, consequently, furthermore, however,moreover, neverth
eless, and therefore.
Fused Sentence
A sentence in which two or more
independent clauses are not properly
joined by a semicolon or conjunction.
Also called run-on sentence.
Examples
• Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I've learned a lot
from her.
• Correct: My professor is intelligent. I've learned a lot
from her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent; I've learned a lot from
her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent, and I've learned a lot
from her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent; moreover, I've learned
a lot from her.
Comma Splices
• A comma splice is the use of a comma
between two independent clauses. You can
usually fix the error by changing the comma to
a period and therefore making the two clauses
into two separate sentences, by changing the
comma to a semicolon, or by making one
clause dependent by inserting a dependent
marker word in front of it.
Examples
• I like this class, it is very interesting. (Wrong!)
•
•
•
•
•
Correct: I like this class. It is very interesting.
(or) I like this class; it is very interesting.
(or) I like this class, and it is very interesting.
(or) I like this class because it is very interesting.
(or) Because it is very interesting, I like this class.
Sentence Fragments
• Sentence fragments happen by treating a
dependent clause or other incomplete
thought as a complete sentence. You can
usually fix this error by combining it with
another sentence to make a complete thought
or by removing the dependent marker.
Examples
• Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was
today.
• Correct: Because I forgot the exam was today,
I didn't study.
• (or) I forgot the exam was today.