The POWER of Punctuation! Did you know that commas have the power to save lives???

It’s true! Commas save lives!

Yet they can also take lives... A panda bear walks into a bar and orders a sandwich. The waiter brings him the sandwich. The panda bear eats it, pulls out a pistol, kills the waiter, and gets up and starts to walk out. The bartender yells for him to stop. The panda bear asks, “What do you want?”. The bartender replies, “First you come in here, order food, kill my waiter, then try to go without paying for your food.”

“Panda”monium... The panda bear turns around and says, “Hey! I’m a Panda. Look it up!”. The bartender goes into the back room and looks up panda bear in the encyclopaedia, which reads: “Panda: a bear-like marsupial originating in Asian regions. Known largely for its stark black and white coloring. Eats, shoots, and leaves.”

Commas can also skew meaning......in funny little ways.... “Look at that huge hot dog!” “Look at that huge, hot dog!”

Commas can also skew meaning......and in more notable ways... A woman without her man is nothing. A woman—without her, man is nothing.

Convinced yet? Punctuation is POWERFUL! Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy— will you let me be yours? Jane As opposed to...

Same text, different punctuation... Dear John: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Jane

The Comma Rule #1: Use a comma after every item in a series except the last one. A series contains 3 or more words or phrases. e.g. Eminem is a poet, a rapper, and a father. I listen to my I-Pod in the morning, after school, and before I go to bed at night.

The Comma Rule #2: Use commas after first, second, third, and so on, when these adverbs introduce a series. e.g. There are at least three ways to be successful in ENG4U1: first, read the texts; second, participate in class; and third, ask for help when needed.

The Comma Rule #3: When there are 2 or more adjectives before a noun, use commas between them. e.g. Big Daddy is a gruff, loud man. Maggie is a manipulative, catty, determined woman.

The Comma Work sheet questions # 1 – 15. Please choose 2 questions that you would feel comfortable answering when we take these up in a few minutes.