9th grade English – Ms. Mosley COMMAS

Rule 1 Rule 1: In a series of three or more items, use a comma after every item except the last one. Bungee jumping has joined the ranks of surfboarding skateboarding and sky surfing as an extreme sport. A person who wants to bungee jump can go to professional sites and jump from bridges hot-air balloons and tall buildings.

Rule 2 Rule 2: Use commas after first, second, and so on when they introduce items in a series. Participants are asked to follow three simple rules: first secure the bungee cord for safety; second do not attempt to hold on to anything; and third have fun.

Rule 3 Rule 3: Use commas between adjectives that modify the same noun. A young adventurous man jumped off a 300-foot bridge. The round blue ball bounced down the hallway. The very hungry dog ate all of the food. –No comma needed. Very is an adverb.

Rule 4 Rule 4: Use a comma after an introductory word or a mild interjection such as oh or well. Oh bungee jumping is not for the faint-hearted. However if you are a thrill-seeker, then this is the perfect hobby.

Rule 5 Rule 5: Use a comma after an introductory prepositional phrase, infinitive phrase, participial phrase, or adverb clause that is at the beginning of a sentence. At the beginning of the jump a person feels a rush of emotions. Taking a deep breath the jumper prepares for the dive.

Rule 6 Rule 6: Use commas to set off words that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence. Bungee jumping by the way can be done in groups. A seven-person team for example has jumped in a specially designed basket.

Rule 7 Rule 7: Use commas to set off nouns of direct address. Direct Address occurs when the speaker uses the name of the person he/she is speaking to. David do you know anyone who has gone bungee jumping? If you want to learn more about bungee jumping ladies and gentlemen try a search on the Internet.

Rule 8 Rule 8: Use commas to set off appositives. An appositive is a word or phrase that renames a noun or pronoun in the same sentence. Paul my brother has gone bungee jumping in Australia. His friend Sheila will jump from a hot-air balloon in August.

Rule 9 Rule 9: Use commas to separate direct quotations from explanatory words like he said, Greg replied, and Sheila asked. At the beginning of the quote, the comma is placed before the quotation marks. The comma is place after explanatory words and before the quote begins. Mr. Cruz said, "The rodeo was born during the era of the cattle industry, in the 1860s and 1870s." "Cowboys would gather together," Mr. Cruz said, "and compete against one another in steer roping and bronco riding." "Today cowboys compete against each other for monetary awards," added Mr. Cruz. Note: Do not use a quotation mark if the quote is set off by words like “that” or “whether.” EX: John said that “He would never quit for anything!”

Rule 10 Rule 10: Use a comma to separate two independent clauses, or two complete sentences joined by a conjunction in a compound sentence. Rodeos are held in many parts of the United States but they are also popular in Mexico, Canada, and Australia. Many Western regions claim to be the birthplace of the rodeo and hold annual exhibitions to celebrate the Old West. –No comma needed. This is only 1 complete sentence.

Rule 11 Rule 11: Use commas in letters, place names, and dates. After the salutation of a letter Separate the year from a date Separate the year from the rest of the sentence Separate a state or country following a city Comma after each part of an address, but not before a zip code Separate the zip code from the rest of the sentence Comma after the closing.

Dear Samantha, On June 25, 2000, my family is planning to take a trip to Houston, Texas for a rodeo show. We also plan to visit the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The museum is located at 3 West Fourth Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102. I thought you might want to join us since we'll be in your neighborhood. What do you say? Sincerely, Anna