Commas The toddler wouldn’t eat the red lettuce, tomatoes, green lettuce, or the cucumber.

Avoid Going Comma Crazy, or putting your reader in a comma-coma People love using commas, and their favorite reason to use a comma is because, “it sounds good,” which is the worst possible reason to use a comma. WORST. POSSIBLE. REASON.

Worst Ways to Use Commas

When to use a comma Combine independent clauses Separate items in a series Between two or more adjectives that modify the same noun Use a comma when the sentence starts with an introductory item With appositives When directly addressing a noun For direct quotes For items that break the flow

Reason 1: To Combine 2 Independent Clauses: , FANBOY Using a FANBOY For, and, nor, but, or, yet Remember, an independent clause has a subject, a verb, and is a complete thought. The seal was excited, and he was terrified. The view was fantastic, but the atmosphere could have been better.

Reason 1: To Combine 2 Independent Clauses: , FANBOY Comma comes before the conjunction (FANBOY) Without the conjunction this is a comma splice. Note: in some countries comma splices are punishable by lashings- -so be careful. The seal thought he would die, he lived. His mother told him not to swim at noon, he never listened to her. Comma splice 

Reason 2: To separate items in a series A series is 3 or more items The fish considered their situation, didn’t make eye contact, and pretended the shark wasn’t there. The shark wanted companionship, friendship, and snacks. OXFORD COMMA: use the comma before the last item and conjunction. Some people (lawyers) say you don’t need it….they are wrong.

Reason 3: To separate coordinating adjectives: two or more adjectives modifying the same noun. Coordinate adjectives are adjectives in a series that separately modify the noun that follows If you can rearrange the adjectives without messing up the meaning of things If you can use “and” between the adjectives Use a comma between these bad boys of modifying Note: if you are using and DO NOT use a comma The large and demanding shark ate my arm. , wrong The Great White was a large, demanding shark. He enjoyed quick, silent swimming.

Reason 4: To separate introductory elements dependent clause After John ate the shark fin soup, he felt mighty. prepositional phrase During the hurricane, three sharks rescued a boat of Somalian pirates. Use a comma after those intro items While she sang the song about peaceful sea creatures, the hungry shark circled his prey. After the attack, she changed her song.

Reason 5: To separate appositives Appositive are: noun or noun phrase that renames another noun Clyve, Mary’s pet shark, ate her leg. Use a comma before and after those fancy appositives The whale shark, a filter feeding shark, is the largest shark in the shark family. This large shark, the largest fish in the ocean, is very slow moving.

Reason 6: To set off items that break the flow Interrupting items can be set off with commas, dashes, or put in parenthesis. Shane, suprisingly, showed up to work on time. Interrupting items need to be set apart but…. it is an item of personal preference rather than grammatical correctness if you use dashes, commas, or parenthesis. In My Opinion Dashes work better when it is an abrupt break Parenthesis work better for extra, non essential information Commas work too….that is why it is in this powerpoint More to come on dashes and parenthesis later

Reason 7: To set off direct quotes Direct quotes are items people are saying. When a direct quote is used in the middle of a sentence, set it off with a comma. Janet said, “Off with her head!” to the chicken. If the direct quote does not end the sentence and does not end in a question or exclamation, then it should end with a comma before the end quote. Carlton stated, “We could not find a suitable poultry to eat,” to the upset and very hungry Janet.

Direct Quote Marvin told Julie, “We need to go,” but she asked, “Why?” He retorted, “because I have gas- what do you think? There is a shark!”

Reason 8: When directly addressing a noun By directly addressing a noun we mean: Examples YOU, Martin, Sam, Daniel Tiger, Bridgette, Tom, stop eating the paint chips. Tell me, Chelsea, did you really clean your ears? So then why, Chelsea, is wax oozing out of your dirty ears?

Directly addressing a person Chuck, get away! That is not a whale shark!

Commas Save Lives Let’s eat Grandma! Psycho Let’s eat, Grandma! Comma of direct address —also less cannibal —more socially acceptable.