COMMAS….
What rules can you infer about commas
based on these sentences?



I like spaghetti, lasagna, and garlic bread.
The angry, bitter guard beat down the annex
door.
Petey Sampson went
to the Disco Sports,
and Sally Rockafella
ate at Arby’s.
RULE #1
Use a comma to separate items in a list.
EXAMPLES:
Three items
I like spaghetti, lasagna ,and garlic bread.
Two commas
COMMAS ARE USED IN THE FOLLOWING LISTS:
A list or series of words:
The engine rattled, coughed, and stalled.
A list or series of phrases:
There were fingerprints at the top, on the sides, and on the bottom
Or a list or series of clauses:
We sang, we danced, and we played trivia games.
PRACTICE
4 Items

I read poetry, novels, memoirs, and plays.
3 Commas
3 Items
• Rover can roll over, walk on his hind feet , and
catch a tennis ball.
2 Commas
PRACTICE

It doesn’t matter how many items are listed.
Every item needs to be separated with a comma.
The man complained of back aches, headaches ,
stomach aches, dry skin, bad breath, stinky feet ,
and a strange mole on his back.
A Fine Example…
A chariot pulled by four horses roared past. The air
was made of dust and heat, horse sweat and
sunlight. The children from the Lightbender’s show
had joined an enormous crowd of ancient Romans
who were cheering for charioteers as they raced
around a track at violent speeds.
Circus Mirandus,
by Cassie Beasley
Rule 2: 23g.

Use a comma to separate two or more
adjectives that come before a noun.
EXAMPLES
The guard is described as
angry and bitter.
The angry,bitter guard beat down the annex door.
So we put a comma
between the adjectives
PRACTICE

The curious,black-masked raccoons sat on
the picnic table.
Where are the
adjectives in
this sentence?
Where do the
commas go?
NEVER PUT A COMMA BETWEEN THE ADJECTIVE
AND THE NOUN!!
PRACTICE
There are four adjectives in this sentence.
Can you find them?

I love chocolate ice cream on a hot summer
day.
This one’s tricky, though. Words like
ice cream and summer day are
treated like nouns.
DIGGING DEEPER

How do we know when to use commas
The angry, bitter guard beat down the annex door
And when to leave them out?
I
love chocolate ice cream on a hot summer day.
You put the word “and” in for the comma to
see if the sentence sounds right…
DIGGING DEEPER

The angry and bitter guard beat down the
annex door.
That makes sense.
I love chocolate and ice cream on a
hot and summer day.
That sounds funny.
When an adjective and a noun are closely linked,
they may be thought of as a unit. Such a unit is
called a compound noun.
RULE 3

Place a comma before a conjunction when it
joins (connects) two sentences (or
independent clauses) together.
REMEMBER: CONJUCTIONS ARE:
F OR
A ND
N OR
B UT
OR
Y ET
S O
PRACTICE

Petey Sampson went to the Disco Sports,and
Sally Rockafella ate at Arbys.
The comma goes before the conjunction.
Mary went home but decided to meet
her friends at the mall.
Two sentences or
Independent clauses?
Uh, no..
PRACTICE
The KEY is to make sure there
is a sentence (independent clause)

Piku finished her homework , so she grabbed
her iPod and went for a walk.
On either
Side of the conjunctions.
RECAP: The Rules

Use a comma to separate items in a series.
Use
a comma to separate two or more
adjectives preceding (in front of) a noun.
Place
a comma before a conjunction when it
joins (connects) two sentences (or independent
clauses) together.
COMMAS PART 2
What rules about commas can you infer
from the following sentences?



Ann Meyers, our neighbor, is a fine golfer.
My sister, listening to her radio, did not hear
me.
My oldest sister, Alicia, will be at
basketball practice tonight.
INTERRUPTERS

Rule #4 Use commas to set off an
expression that interrupts a sentence.
Examples
Ann Meyers, our neighbor, is a fine golfer.
Naturally, we expect to win.
My answer is correct, I think.
Practice 1:
1.
The politician, hoping for more votes, kissed
the baby.
2.
We pleaded to go home early, of course.
3.
Mr. Smith, my biology teacher, is the sponsor
of the Science Club.
The Nonessentials

Use commas to set off nonessential participial
phrases and nonessential subordinate clauses
–
–
A nonessential phrase or clause adds information that is not
needed to understand the basic meaning of the sentence.
Such a phrase or clause can be omitted (left out) without
changing the main ideas of the sentence.
NONESSENTIAL PHRASE: My sister, listening to her radio, did not
hear me.
NONESSENTIAL CLAUSE: The Wizard of Oz, which I saw again
last week, is my favorite.
Practice 2:
1.
Ellis Island, rebuilt as a museum, was officially
opened to the public in 1990.
What phrase could be left out and the sentence
would still makes sense?
2.
The Immigrants, who came from many
countries, hoped to find freedom.
More nonessentials

Use commas to set off nonessential appositives
and nonessential appositive phrases.
–
An appositive is a noun or pronoun used to identify or
describe another noun or pronoun.
EXAMPLES:
1. My oldest sister, Alicia, will be at basketball practice tonight.
(word)
2. Jamaica, a popular island for tourists, is in the Caribbean.
(phrase)
Practice 3:
1.
At Gettysburg, a town in Pennsylvania, an
important battle of the Civil War was fought.
2.
Shana Alexander, an editor of a popular
magazine, was the main speaker.
3.
The North Sea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean,
is rich in natural resources.
COMMAS PART 3
What rules about commas can you
infer from the following sentences?


Ben, please answer the door bell.
Carl, on the contrary, prefers soccer to
baseball.
Use commas to set off words that
are used in direct address.
Example
Ben, please answer the door bell.
Practice 4:
1.
Jenny, that was a great jump shot.
2.
I’m not sure, Mrs. Smith, that I agree with
you.
3.
You are excused, Sam.
Use commas to set off
parenthentical expressions.
Example
Carl, on the contrary, prefers soccer to
baseball.
Practice 5:
1.
Studying the constellations is, in my opinion,
a most interesting hobby.
2.
The Milky Way, in fact, is very impressive in
the summer.
3.
Of course, Hercules is an interesting
constellation.
Pg. 617 1-20
 Write the word that goes
before the comma, and
the
the comma itself, for
each sentence, with each
answer separated by a
semicolon
Ex.: 1. Kyoto,; city;

Assignment!