COMMA SENSE

1. First Things First: Sentences often begin with a little something extra. Sometimes that word is the name of the person to whom you are talking. Ex: Steven, I would like to buy a parakeet. Sometimes it is a word like well, oh, or however. Ex: Well, I guess I’d like to try the escargots. To show that a word is extra, it is set off with a comma. That means, of course, that the comma goes after the word. Ex. Mary, would you marry me? No, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: Sadly he took his bassoon and went home.

What’s wrong with this picture?

2. Short Stuff: Many sentences begin with introductory “stuff” Sometimes the “stuff” is a short group of words called a phrase or a clause. An introductory phrase or clause is set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma Ex: In the back of the refrigerator, a moldy jar of mayonnaise sat beside a plate of greenish-looking pork chops.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: Although she denies it I’m not at all surprised that Sheri ate your Jell-O.

3. Long Stuff Introductory phrases and clauses can be short, like By the way, but they can also be very long, sometimes even longer than the main part of the sentence. Some introductory words include if, when, while, although, after, because Ex: If you eat a lot of candy of any kind and never floss or brush your teeth, your teeth may rot.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: While we watched Megan lunge for the aquarium that was about to topple off the table we all held our breath.

Teacher Joke!!! Q: What’s the difference between a cat and a comma? A: A cat has claws at the end of its paws, but a comma is a pause at the end of a clause

4. Interrupters It is also possible to add a word or group of words somewhere in the middle of the sentence, interrupting the flow of the sentence Ex. Jerry and his brother, incidentally, walked to school on Monday. Ex. Jerry and his brother, by the way, walked to school on Monday. Ex. Jerry and his brother, the one who kind of smells, walked to school on Monday.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: The most important things the astronauts took to the moon not counting a ton of powdered vegetables was a shiny roll of duct tape.

5. Ending Stuff Stuff can also be tacked on to the end of sentences. Ex. I want more ice cream, Mom. I want it now, by the way.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: I must have that lobster in the window the one with the sumptuous tail. NO!!!!!!

Another teacher joke!

6. Lists and Lists Commas can serve as little dividers in lists. Whenever you have a list (or a series) of items, you need to separate them so that they don’t run into one another. You can separate them with the words and or or, or you can separate them with commas. Ex: Calvin liked sausage, sugary cereal, and prune tarts for breakfast. Ex: Hobbes enjoys pouncing on Calvin, lounging in front of the fire, playing Calvinball, and eating tuna.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: Bella used her babysitting money to buy Lip Smackers bubble gum a Halloween afro wig and Oreos.

Grammar Guru Gabble: An interesting side note Did you know there is a dispute among grammar gurus over that last comma in a list, the one before the “and”? The comma used in a list is called a serial comma, or an Oxford comma Some writers and publishers use the comma, and some don’t (like Oxford University Press, hence the name “Oxford comma”)

What’s wrong with this picture?

7. Compounds A compound sentence means that there are two parts to your sentence. If you want to get fancy, you can call those “parts” independent clauses (meaning each part of the sentence could stand on its own). Ex: George ate an enchilada, and Julian gobbled up four tacos and an order of refried beans.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: Turkeys are not exactly known for their great brain power and nobody thinks that worms are likely to win scholarships to Harvard.

8. Side by Side When two adjectives occur side by side in a sentence, they are called coordinate adjectives and should be separated with a comma. If the word and or or separates two adjectives, then no comma is needed. Ex. Qudsia loves playful, cuddly puppies.

Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence: The lonely dejected slug sat on a soggy bun.

Last teacher joke! (for now)