⚫The name of the person being

addressed.
⚫Ex: Dean, please pick up your
socks.
⚫An interjection or transition
word like well, oh, however, or
first.
⚫Ex: Well, I guess that would be
all right.
⚫Ex: Next, you should pick up
your shoes.
⚫Short starters may contain
several words.
⚫Ex: Surprised and confused, the
man scanned the room.
⚫Ex: First of all, let’s improve our
writing with punctuation practice.
⚫It can depend on how you want
the reader to read it.

⚫Example:
⚫Sometimes I wonder about you.
⚫Sometimes, I like to go outside and
gaze at the stars.
Punctuate the following
sentence:

⚫Fortunately we get to practice

correct comma usage on a daily
basis.
⚫Same idea as short starters.

⚫Commas are not optional, Jerry.

⚫They are necessary for good writing,
obviously.
Punctuate the following sentences:

1. You need to use commas in

your writing Students.
2. I’d like you to use them
correctly by the way.
⚫Interrupt the flow of the sentence
⚫Not essential to the meaning of
the sentence
✓ Interrupters always need 2
commas
✓Not needed for the meaning of
the sentence
✓ Extra information
• Can be single words—a name,
transition words
• Ex: Take out the garbage, Sam,
and then clean your room.
• Ex: Sarah, however, has already
done her chores.
⚫Appositives (words which
rename the noun)
⚫Ex: Ms. Dailey, my English teacher,
loves to read.
⚫Ex: The Bison, an awesome team,
will play this weekend.
⚫Adjective phrases/clauses (words
which describe the noun)
⚫Ex: Jason, tired and discouraged, fell
asleep right away.
⚫Ex: Mondays, which are always a
little depressing, are reserved for
getting work done.
Punctuate the following sentences:

1. Shut the door Grant so the bugs

won’t come in.
2. An important reason a person
should use commas besides the
fact that they are grammatically
correct is to make one’s writing
clearer for the reader.
⚫Determine if information is essential or
not essential to the meaning of the
sentence.

⚫Information that is essential 🡺 no

commas

⚫If it is NOT essential, use commas.

⚫Example: The man waiting for
the elevator is my uncle.
⚫Waiting for the elevator is essential for
the meaning of the sentence. It explains
which man.
⚫Example: Brandon, waiting for
the elevator, was nervous about
his interview.
⚫Waiting for the elevator is extra
information.
⚫John Anderson, who wears sunscreen every
day, is a lifeguard at the local pool.
⚫Can be left out without affecting the basic
meaning of sentence
⚫Yes, some meaning is lost, but it’s extra info.

⚫A person who wears sunscreen every

day is less likely to get wrinkles.
⚫Necessary for meaning of sentence
1. Students who have young
children often find it difficult to find
time to study.
2. The Smiths who have young children
will arrive at seven tonight.
1. The students still dressed in their
choir uniforms went to Dairy Queen
after the performance.
2. The students still dressed in their
choir uniforms will have their pictures
taken.
⚫Sometimes it depends on the context
⚫The dessert, which was made with
fresh raspberries, was delicious.
⚫Just adds info about the dessert

⚫The dessert which was made with

fresh raspberries was delicious.
⚫There were two desserts. Only one was
good—the one with the raspberries.
Coordinate adjectives
⚫ Side-by-side in a sentence
⚫ Use a comma to separate

⚫ Example: The dirty, smelly clothes

piled up in the corner.
No comma needed if two adjectives
separated by and, or, nor.

⚫ Example: I like hot or iced lattes.

Punctuate the following
sentence:

⚫ Nothing improves one’s

sentences like the delightful
useful comma.
⚫Once in awhile, you don’t need a comma
between adjectives in a row.
⚫ Example: The little old lady whacked me with
her huge, bulky purse.

⚫If you wouldn’t put and between the

words, you don’t need a comma.
⚫ Example: The little and old lady whacked me
with her huge and bulky purse.
Awkward
This one works, so use comma.
⚫ Commas serve as dividers in lists.
⚫ Options for separating items in a
list:
⚫ Conjunctions (like and, or)
⚫ Commas

o Ex: Types of punctuation we will study

include commas, semi-colons, and colons.
⚫ If you have a list (or a series) of
items, separate them so that they
don’t run into one another.

o Ex: Students love using commas, reading

books, and listening to Ms. Dailey.
⚫Bob and Jane went to the store.
⚫No comma needed because the
conjunction and separates Bob and
Jane, right?

⚫Sam, Bob, and Jane went to the store.

⚫The and is still there. Why add a
comma?
⚫Sam, Bob and Jane went to the store.
The Oxford comma avoids confusion.

⚫She took a photograph of her parents,

the president and the vice president.
⚫How many people did she take a picture of?

⚫She took a photograph of her parents,

the president, and the vice president.
⚫Now we know.
⚫ A sentence = independent clause.
o Clause = has a subject and a verb
o Independent = Complete thought; can
stand alone (i.e. a sentence)
⚫ Compound sentences = two
independent clauses are connected
⚫ Need a conjunction and a comma.
⚫ Example: Commas are easy to use, and
correct punctuation usage improves
your writing.
⚫Coordinating conjunctions to
memorize because they can
connect sentences:

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Ex: I'm coughing all the time, so I think I

should see a doctor.
⚫Just because you see a conjunction, it doesn’t
automatically signal a comma

⚫I like hot or iced lattes. (Or connects two

adjectives)
⚫He spent the summer riding his bike and
swimming in the lake. (And connects two verb
phrases)

⚫Make sure the conjunction is connecting two

complete thoughts.
Punctuate the following sentence:
1. Using correct punctuation makes
a person look smart and
everyone likes to look smart.
2. Name the FANBOYS.
3. Why is it helpful to know them?
⚫Phrases (groups of words that
function together in a sentence)
⚫ Prepositional phrases (indicate
relationship of one word to
another)

⚫Ex: Without commas, life would be

confusing.
⚫Ex: In your composition notebook,
write a statement using a commas.
⚫Infinitive phrases (the word to
with a verb)

⚫To succeed in school, one needs

to attend regularly and do his or
her work.
⚫To win games, the athletes must
practice regularly.
⚫Participial phrases (-ing word)

⚫Running behind the bus, Zeke

waved his arms and yelled.
⚫Preparing for the test, Zelda
reviewed her notes.
1. At the end of the comma unit
you will feel confident about
comma usage.

2. After the game the Bison

celebrated their victory.
A comma is optional with a short
⚫
phrase if the meaning is clear.

⚫On that night we became friends.

OR
⚫On that night, we became friends.
⚫ Another example of optional comma

⚫In December we had record snowfall.

OR
⚫In December, we had record snowfall.
⚫Introductory phrases/clauses can
be short
⚫Can also be very long
⚫Sometimes longer than the main
part of the sentence
⚫Ex: If you never use commas and
don’t punctuate properly, your
readers will be confused.
⚫Sentence = independent clause
⚫Has a subject and a verb
⚫Can stand alone

⚫Dependent clause has a subject

and a verb, but cannot stand
alone.
⚫Ex: When you finish taking notes
⚫Dependent clauses are also
referred to as subordinate clauses.
⚫Ex: Since I am hungry

⚫Subordinating conjunctions are

words that begin
dependent/subordinate clauses
⚫Memorize AAAWWWWUUBBIIS
(Pronounce: Ah-woo-bus)

⚫after, although, as, when, while,

whatever, whenever, until,
unless, because, before, if, in
order to, since
⚫Although the acronym
AAAWWWWUUBBIIS does not
include all the subordinating
conjunctions, it contains most of
them.

⚫There are a few others:

during, even though, though
⚫When a sentence starts with a
subordinating conjunction
(AAAWWWWUUBBIIS word), you know
a comma is coming.

⚫Look for where the dependent clause

ends and the independent
clause/regular sentence begins.
⚫Rule 1: If a sentence begins
with one of these words, it
signals a comma will be needed.

⚫Ex.: After we left the park, the

wind storm knocked over some
of the trees.
⚫Rule 3: A subordinate conjunction
needs a clause with it. It cannot
stand alone with just a comma after
it.

⚫No: Although, she is a good cook.

⚫Yes: However, she is a good cook.
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. Although grammar exercises are
exciting and enjoyable the real joy
is found in writing well.

2. While sometimes it can take extra

time to check one’s punctuation
the benefit of having polished
writing is worth it.
⚫Dialogue and speaker tags
⚫“Don’t forget to call me,” she said.