Lists: A list, or series, needs three or more items before a comma is necessary

Transcription

1 General Rule about Commas: Lists: A list, or series, needs three or more items before a comma is necessary The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker are best friends. My favorite sports are football, Hockey, and Basketball. Sherri s essay educated, challenged, and entertained me. The butcher and the baker decided to kick the candlestick maker out of their group. I watch Basketball and Hockey religiously. I graded and returned the essay to its author. To check if a list needs any commas, underline each item in a list or series and then see if they add up to three or more. Add Commas between each item if necessary. Hugo ate ribs and greens for his birthday dinner. Police officers fire fighters and paramedics filled the hallway. The old barn was covered in rust and moss. Babies cry poop and sleep all day long.

2 Compound sentences, complex sentences, and transitions: Each of these may need a comma, but it can sometimes be hard to tell when and where you put one. You can test any of these situations by finding the beginning of the second idea in a sentence and imagining that the first part was erased or crossed out. I liked the movie, but it was too long. How many ideas? 2 Cross out the first idea, and we what s left. I liked the movie, but it was too long. Is the second half complete by itself? Yes. Then we need a comma between the two ideas. Let s try this with other examples The evening was spoiled because it started to rain. The evening was spoiled because it started to rain. Is the second half complete by itself? No There shouldn t be a comma here. On the other hand, pictures can tell stories without using words. On the other hand, pictures can tell stories without using words. Is the second half complete by itself? Yes We need a comma.

3 Try to use this technique on the examples below and add commas if they are needed: Alex told his sister to get out his room but didn t say please. Since the football season ended I haven t watched any sports on TV. The dog barked at the mailman for a full ten minutes last Wednesday. I hate broccoli so you shouldn t cook any tonight. Drinking is bad if you don t know when to stop. The teacher ran into the room gasping for breath this morning. You can take economics 101 at 9:30 or you can take accounting 45 at 9:30. In conclusion this is why having a savings account is a good idea. Politicians are sometimes truthful but other times they tell lies. My teacher will give us sixty pages of homework unless we can finish this project today.

4 Clauses: A clause is a part of sentence made up of subjects, verbs, objects, and prepositional phrases. There are two kinds of clauses Independent and dependent. Independent clause: a clause that can make sense by itself. I ate a whole pizza. They parked their cars. The essay was easy. My favorite movies is Casablanca. Dependent clause: a clause that cannot make sense by itself. Because I ate too much. After the movie. Unless Erik changes his tires. Although you want the chocolate. You can check to see if a clause is independent by using this test: insert the clause into the sentence below I couldn t believe that If the sentence makes sense, then you have an independent clause. If not, you have a dependent clause.

5 Putting two independent clauses creates a compound sentence. You can always join two independent clauses by adding a joining word (coordinating conjunction) and a comma. Joining words: Adam cooked breakfast. The explosion shook the house. You can vote for her. My wife flirted with my brother. I woke up late. Samantha didn t notice. You can vote for him. I let her walk home. Combine each sentence using an appropriate joining word and adding a comma: Adam cooked breakfast The explosion shook the house You can vote for her My wife flirted with my brother I woke up late. Samantha didn t notice. you can vote for him. I let her walk home. Make up your own compound sentences using the joining words below: 1. and 2. but 3. so 4. or

6 When you join an independent clause with a dependent clause, you ll create a complex sentence. To do this, create dependent clauses using dependent words (subordinating conjunctions). Dependent Words: Adam cooked breakfast. the explosion shook the house. you vote for her. my wife flirted with my brother. the close play-off game. they passed the new tax break. I woke up late. Samantha didn t notice. You can t vote for him. I let her walk home My knuckles were white. I owe less money this year. You can usually reverse the order of complex sentences as well You can t vote for him My knuckles were white I owe less money this year you vote for her. the close play-off game. they passed the new tax break. The trickiest part of complex sentences is when and where to put a comma. The rule is this: if the sentence begins with a dependent clause, you need a comma before the independent clause. If the sentence begins with an independent clause, you don t need a comma at. Try writing your own complex sentences following the instructions below: 1. begin with a dependent clause 2. begin with an independent clause