Language Arts

WednesdayMarch 4, 2014

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #1: Use a comma before any coordinating

conjuction (FANBOYS) that links two independent clauses.

Ex. I went running, and I saw a duck.

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• If you eliminate the second “I” from the example, the clause lacks a subject and it no longer needs a comma.

• Ex. I went running and saw a duck.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #2: Use a comma after a dependent clause

that starts a sentence.

Ex. When I went running, I saw a duck.

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• Commas always follow dependent clauses at the start of a sentence. If a dependent clause ends a sentence, however, it no longer requires a comma (unless you are using it for emphasis).

Ex. I saw a duck when I went running.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #3: Use commas to offset appositive

phrases from the rest of the sentence.

Ex. While running, I saw a mallard, a kind of duck.

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• If the appositive occurs in the middle of the sentence, both sides of the phrase need a comma.

Ex. A mallard, a kind of duck, attacked me.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #4: Use commas to separate items in a

series.

Ex. I saw a duck, a magician, and a video store when I went running.

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• The last comma is known as the Oxford Comma and helps reduce ambiguity.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #5: Use commas after introductory adverbs

that answer the question how (or end in –ly).

Ex. Finally, I went running.Ex. Unsurprisingly, I saw a duck when I went

running.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #6: Use a comma when using quotation

marks.

If a speech tag (or attribution) comes before the quote, place the comma outside the quotation marks.

ex. The runner said, “I saw a duck.”

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If the speech tag (or attribution) comes after the quote, place the comma inside the quotation marks.

Ex. “I saw a duck,” said the runner.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #7: Use a comma to separate each element

in an address. Also, use a comma after a city-state combination within a sentence.

Ex. I work at 8150 N. Congress Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64152 Ex. Chicago, Illinois, is a great city.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #8: Use a comma to separate the elements

in a full date (weekday, month and day, and year).

Ex. March 15, 2013, was a strange day.

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• However, you don’t need a comma when the sentence only mentions the month and year.

Ex. March 2013 was a strange month.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #9: Use a comma when the first word of a

sentence is a freestanding “yes” or “no”.

Ex. Yes, I saw a duck when I went running.Ex. No, the duck didn’t bite me.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #10: Use a comma when directly

addressing someone or something in a sentence.

Ex. My mom often asks, “Sarah, is your paper done yet?”

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #11: Use a comma between two adjectives

that modify the same noun in the same way.

Ex. I saw the big, mean duck when I went running.

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Only coordinate adjectives (adjectives that appear in sequence with one another to modify the same noun) require a comma between them.

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• Two part test for coordinate adjectives:a) Can you replace the comma with and?b) Can you reverse the order of the adjectives and keep the

same meaning?

If you can do both, then you have a coordinate adjective.Ex. Did you read about Poe’s short, miserable life?Ex. Did you read about Poe’s short and miserable life?

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #12: Use a comma to offset negation in a

sentence (even if it occurs at the end of the sentence).

Ex. I saw a duck, not a baby seal, when I went running.

Ex. I saw a baby seal, not a duck.

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• Also, use commas when any distinct shift occurs in the sentence or thought process to avoid confusion.

Ex. The cloud looked like an animal, perhaps a baby seal.

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13ish Rules for Using CommasRule #13: Use commas before every sequence of

three numbers when writing a number larger than 999. (Two exceptions are writing years and house numbers).

Ex. 10,000 or 1,304, 687

Work Time

• Complete the Commas worksheet using what you have just learned about commas.

Closing

• Why is it important to know the many different uses of commas?