COMMA RULE #1: USE COMMAS TO SEPARATE ITEMS IN A SERIES Why, Commas Really DO Matter!

A Little Comma Humor for You… COMMAS SAVE LIVES!  A panda, carrying a bow and arrow, walks into the Trinity Middle School library… He eats a sandwich, then draws his bow and shoots two arrows. “Why did you do that?” Ms. Sanker nervously asks as the panda walks toward the Red/Green Pod exit. The panda tosses Ms. Sanker a badly punctuated book. “I’m a panda,” he says, “That’s what it says we do.” The panda leaves and Ms. Sanker, puzzled, opens to the first page of the book. It reads… “ PANDA: Large black-and-white mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.

Just Ask Your Grandma… Let’s eat grandma!  Whoa! What does this sentence say???  What does it mean to say? See? Commas really DO save lives!

Comma Rule #1 Use Commas to Separate Items in a Series  A series is a group of three or more items in a row. Types of items in a series include…  Words in a Series  Phrases in a Series  Clauses in a Series

Words in a Series Example  Ms. Wherry, Ms. Birch, and Ms. Beck are seventh-grade English teachers at Trinity Middle School. Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives! Example  The cold, crisp air made the night perfect for trick-or-treating.

Phrases in a Series Example  To go skydiving, to visit Ireland, and to meet someone famous are all things on Ms. Wherry’s bucket list.

Clauses in a Series Example  Pay attention, study hard, and complete your homework so that you can ace your comma usage test!

A General Rule of Thumb… (The number of items you have in your series)-1= The number of commas that should appear in your sentence! HOWEVER… If you only have two items in your series, you do not need a comma!  Example: You will need a pencil and plenty of paper. OR… If all of the words in your series are joined by and or or, you do not need commas to separate them.  Example: Ms. Wherry likes apples and bananas and strawberries but does not like oranges.

A Word About Semi-Colons Commas separate clauses in a series. BUT…  If you have a series of long, independent clauses, separate these clauses using a semi-colon  Example: Yawning, my dog Zoey laid down on the couch; I, who had just finished reading a book, turned on the television; and my younger brother, Paul, worked diligently on his homework.

Let’s Practice! Exercise 3, pg. 337  Cleveland Cincinnati Toledo and Dayton are four large cities in Ohio.

Let’s Practice! Exercise 3, pg. 337  The captain entered the cockpit checked the instruments and prepared for takeoff.

Let’s Practice! Exercise 3, pg. 337  The speaker took a deep breath and read the report.

Let’s Practice! Exercise 3, pg. 337  The neighbors searched behind the garages in the bushes and along the highway.

Let’s Practice! Exercise 3, pg. 337  Rover can roll over walk on his hind feet and catch a tennis ball.

Let’s Practice! Ghosts goblins witches and zombies will be roaming the streets tonight, frightening Ms. Wherry.

Let’s Practice! Rattling chains and misty fog and eerie lighting are just a few classic ways to make a house look spooky for Halloween.

Let’s Practice! The big scary monster stalked the smallest slowest child as he trick-or- treated in his neighborhood.

Let’s Practice! Halloween pencils and skull rings are Ms. Wherry’s boo-tiful gift to you!

Commas Between Two or More Adjectives are Important…

…Or You Would be Talking About This…

So, Commas Separate Items in a Series Just like this…

But When You Change the Punctuation… The meaning of the sentence changes!