Conquering the Comma

Conquering the Comma A workshop brought to you by the Purdue University Writing Lab & Miss Lesniak Purdue University Writing Lab

What Is a Comma? • A comma is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause is needed in a sentence. • Commas help to clarify meaning for the reader. , Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Commas Between Items in a Series • Place commas in a sentence to divide items in a list. • The commas will help the reader to avoid confusion. Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Commas Between Items in a Series Consider the difference in the following: Last month, Alex dated Mary Ann Lee and Kim. Last month, Alex dated Mary, Ann, Lee, and Kim. Last month, Alex dated Mary Ann, Lee, and Kim. How many girls did Alex date? Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Commas Between Items in a Series • Commas should be placed in series of words, phrases, or clauses. • Place commas in the following sentences: Martina brushed her hair put on her pajamas and went to bed. Martina brushed her hair put on her pajamas and went to bed. She fell asleep and dreamed that she was a princessshe kissed a frog,and she rescued her prince. She fell asleep and dreamed that she was a princess she kissed a frog and she rescued her prince. Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Keep Numbers Clear • Commas are used to separate the digits in a number in order to distinguish hundreds, thousands, etc. • Place commas in the following sentences: In 1995 the total number of immigrants in the U.S. was 720461. I feel like I have been here for the 1345897th time! Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas In Dates and Addresses • Commas are used to distinguish items in an address and items in a date • Place commas in the following sentence. The address of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Inc is 449 Auburn Ave N. Atlanta GA. Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Enclose Information • Used to enclose a title, a name, or initials that follow a person’s last name. • Melanie Prokat M.D. Michael Fox Jr. and Gerald Shan Ph.D. admitted that they can’t program their VCR’s. Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas Between Two Independent Clauses • A comma may be used between two independent clauses (subject & predicate) that are joined by coordinate conjunctions. • What are some coordinate conjunctions? • And • But • Or • Nor • For • So • Yet Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas Between Two Independent Clauses • Many businesses are selling their products on the Internet and online buying has become popular with millions of people. • Obesity is a common problem in America but people continue to buy fast food at alarming rates. Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Separate Adjectives • Use commas to separate adjectives that provide an equal description of a noun. THE TEST: Can you put “and” between the adjectives? Can they be described in reverse order? If so, use a comma. big blue housethree hungry kittens a cranky, ungrateful man Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Separate Clauses and Phrases Purdue University Writing Lab

Clauses To Set Off Phrases Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas with Nonrestrictive Clauses • Nonrestrictive clauses are clauses that may be removed from a sentence without changing the basic meaning of the sentence • Restrictive: The suspect in the lineup who has red hair is the culprit. • Nonrestrictive: The suspect in the lineup, who owns a red car, is the culprit. Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Direct Address • A noun in direct address is the name or title of a person being spoken to. • Use commas to set off nouns in direct address. • Example: Mrs. Barnhart, I love learning grammar! I want to learn more about commas, Tracy, so I can be the best writer! Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Set Off Interuptions Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas To Set Off Interjections Purdue University Writing Lab

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Commas To Set Off Dialogue Follow your rules for dialogue punctuation. If the He said comes first, place the comma after said. He said, “I know Kung Fu.” If the he said comes after the quote, place the comma inside the quotation marks after the last word in the quotation. “I’ll dance with you,” he said. Purdue University Writing Lab

Commas in To Set Off Dialogue • If the he said comes in the middle of the quote, place the comma inside the quotation marks after the last word in the first part of the quote and after the he said. “Put the box,” he said, “in the house.” Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Appositives • An appositive is a noun or phrase that identifies the person or thing it follows. • Use commas to set off MOST appositives. • Do not use commas to set off a short appositive, such as one name. This is my friend Kara. Purdue University Writing Lab

Sentence Structure:Appositives My brother, the biggest nerd I know, plans to throw a party! Sappositive V Even without the appositive, the sentence still makes sense : My brother plans to throw a party! Purdue University Writing Lab

A Common Comma Error:The Comma Splice • A comma splice is an error in which two sentences are joined by a comma. Wehad a nice time,Ihope we can meet again soon. SV S V The Internethas revolutionized the business world, SV online saleshave increased dramatically this year. SV Purdue University Writing Lab

To Correct a Comma Splice • Insert a conjunction between the two sentences. • Start a new sentence. • Insert a semi-colon between the two sentences. • We had a nice time, and I hope we can meet again soon. • We had a nice time. I hope we can meet again soon. • The Internet has revolutionized the business world; online sales have increased dramatically this year. Purdue University Writing Lab

Conquering the Comma