Commas! You’re using them all wrong…

1. Joining two independent clauses FANBOYS For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so Each sentence COULD stand alone, but when you use a FANBOY, they connect the ideas together to make one, fluid sentence. The cake was for her birthday, but she did not want to wait until after presents to eat it. Tiffany did not have long to go in her trip, so we let her stay at our place to rest for the night.

2. Separating introductory material in a sentence Sometimes, we need to setup a sentence with information to help our reader. For example: In case the game runs over, we brought snacks in the car for later. After playing outside for hours, it was finally time to go inside and rest.

3. Separating extra information in a sentence You may want to add in extra information to a sentence without it taking over your main ideas. Use commas to help you out! Example: James, a skilled football player, scored every touchdown at yesterday’s game! Often times, you can use the commas to tell more information about a person or place to help the sentence. Example 2: The test, which was on Friday, was very difficult. In sentences like this, WHICH, WHO, or WHILE are often used.

4. Separating items in a series This should be familiar to you because it happens often in your thesis sentences! Example: When you go to the store, please buy milk, bread, butter, and yogurt. Remember to clean your room, vacuum the basement, and dry the dishes before you leave.

Classroom Activity! Using your other classmates, piece together the parts of the paragraph AND place the correct commas in to complete the story. First group with the correct format wins bonus!

Today’s Class, September 9 Write a story about your summer in eight or more sentences. EACH sentence you write needs to include one of the four rules we reviewed yesterday. Therefore, you should show each of the rules at least twice if not more! Using a partner, PROOF READ each other’s story once you both have completed to make sure your partner used the commas correctly. When you both think you have successfully written a story that has EIGHT comma examples, turn them in with your names on them. Complete the homework assignment if time allows.