Comma Sense or Let’s Figure Out Where Those Things Go, and What in the World They’re Doing!

Commas are like drops of water: you need to have enough, but not too much.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Not a sentence: Phrases are just bits and pieces of sentences, not the whole sentence. A phrase does NOT have both a noun and a verb. It is missing one or the other.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Not a sentence: Phrases hurt kitten shooting a cow my brothers and guns on the farm

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Not a sentence: A Dependent Clause cannot stand on its own. It needs to be linked to an independent clause. It contains both a subject and a verb, so it is a clause, but something has been added to it to make it dependent.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Not a sentence: Dependent Clause Because my brother tried to shoot a magpie off a cow’s head,... Illustration found online

A Reminder: Types of Sentences A Simple Sentence is one independent clause. It has at least one subject and at least one verb.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences A Simple Sentence I have two younger brothers. They loved guns and motorcycles. Both brothers got into trouble with guns and with motorcyles. This photo is of Raymond as a teenager.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences A Compound Sentence is made up of two independent clauses linked with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. (FAN BOYS conjunctions)

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Compound Sentences My brother Ray actually did some helpful things with his gun, and one of the things he did was sad but necessary. One of our farm cats had her kittens in a nest in a hayfield, and that was a dangerous place for them to be. Illustration found online

A Reminder: Types of Sentences A Complex Sentence is made up of an independent clause linked to a dependent clause. (Uses subordinating conjunctions: A WHITE BUS or )

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Complex Sentence When my dad mowed the long hay, the mother cat was caught in the mower and killed. As that happened, one of the kittens was also injured. Illustration found online

A Reminder: Types of Sentences A Compound-Complex sentence is made up of a dependent clause and two independent clauses. It uses both subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Compound-Complex Even though my dad brought the kittens to the house, one of them was injured, and they all were so small we had to feed them with a tiny bottle, so we worried they wouldn’t survive. Illustration found online

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Compound Sentence: One of the kittens was badly injured, and we tried to care for it, but the flies got to it, so its wounds ended up crawling with maggots. This is not the actual cat from this incident – just an illustration.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Because it was in so much pain, I knew the kitten should be put out of its misery. (complex) My brother Ray volunteered to take care of it. (simple) He took it and his gun behind a shed and quickly killed the tiny animal. (simple) I was so glad I didn’t have to do that. (simple) This is not the actual cat from this incident – just an illustration.

A Reminder: Types of Sentences Another time, what Ray did with his gun was not so helpful. (simple) We hated magpies. (simple) They would sit on the cows’ backs and peck holes through their hides. (simple) Whenever they could, the boys and my dad would shoot magpies. (complex) Illustration from the internet

One day a magpie was sitting on the head of one of our prize dairy cows. (simple) Because my brother tried to shoot the magpie off the cow’s head, we ended up with a dead cow, and the magpie flew away to bother cows another day. (compound- complex) Illustration found online

Those were true stories. Illustration found online

Something You Need to Know

Click on the image to get to The Podcast for Grammar Girl on Serial Commas Take Cornell Notes on this Podcast.

Podcast: Grammar Girl on Serial Commas, Slide 1 Rebecca was proud of her new muffin recipes: blueberry, peanut butter and chocolate chip and coconut. (simple sentence)

Podcast: Grammar Girl on Serial Commas, Slide 2 To my parents, Ayn Rand and God. (This is just a phrase, not a sentence. It is a made-up book dedication.)

Podcast: Grammar Girl on Serial Commas, Slide 3 I went to see Zack, an officer and a gentleman. (simple sentence)

Comma Rule #1: Using Serial Commas With words I bought apples, grapes, peanuts, and butter. (simple sentence) With noun phases She loved sunny days, colorful sunsets, and moonlit nights. (simple sentence)

Using Serial Commas With verb phrases I jumped out of bed, threw on my clothes, ran down the stairs, grabbed a granola bar, ran out the door, and actually caught the bus to school. (simple sentence)

Comma Rule #3: Using Commas with Coordinate Adjectives (Coordinate means Equal.) The test: This soft [comma or no comma?] warm blanket is my favorite. Can you insert "and" between the adjectives?

Comma Rule #3: Using Commas with Coordinate Adjectives The test: Can you insert "and" between the adjectives? This soft and warm blanket is my favorite. If yes, take out the “and” and add a comma.

Comma Rule #3: Using Commas with Coordinate Adjectives Another test: Can you switch the adjectives?

Comma Rule #3: Using Commas with Coordinate Adjectives This soft, warm blanket is my favorite. (or) This warm, soft blanket is my favorite. If yes, then the comma belongs there.

Preview of Another Story Told in Sentences Not a sentence: Phrases Going to New York My Daughter and I Band Fans In Central Park

Preview: A Reminder: Types of Sentences Not a sentence: Phrases Going to New York My Daughter and I Band Fans In Central Park

Preview: A Reminder: Types of Sentences As we stood at the top of the building known as The Rock, we could see much of the city. (complex sentence)