1. Comma Rules Lesson One

2. Commas Are Needed When... 1. Three or more items are in a list. Ex. Please pick up eggs, bacon, and bread. 2. Two “equal adjectives” are in a row to describe a noun (adjectives are equal if they don’t need to appear in any particular order). Ex. Please pick up your wet, stinky socks. Vs. Please pick that big red apple.

3. Commas Are Needed When... 3. A “direct address” -- when a speaker addresses someone by name. Ex. Allen, please bring me that wrench. 4. A full date is written out -- comma is placed between day and year (and after the year if sentence continues). Ex. On April 23, 1902, something happened.

4. Commas Are Needed When... 5. Address or location -- commas is placed after the street, after the city, and after the state (if the sentence continues). Ex. My address used to be 35 Water Street, Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.

5. Practice -- Name Rule, Add Commas 1. I went to the store to buy a bag of chips a can of soda and a box of Twinkies. 2. My neighbor has a hideous stinky pet dog. 3. I don’t know what to tell you John. 4. My brother was born on July 4 1997 so we always light fireworks for his birthday party. 5. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located at 1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard Cleveland Ohio.

6. Practice -- “Equal Adjectives?” Yes or No? 1. I try to stay away from that danger-filled crime-ridden part of town. 2. We built a clubhouse in the old elm tree behind our house. 3. Grandpa is a friendly generous man. 4. Your friend is an obnoxious inconsiderate person.

7. Practice -- Create example sentences. 1. Separate three or more items in a list with commas. 2. Separate two equal adjectives with a comma. 3. With dates, use a comma between the day and the year and after the year if the sentence continues. 4. With addresses or locations, use a comma after the street name, after the city, and after the state if the sentence continues. 5. A comma is used in a “direct address” when the speaker addresses someone by name.

8. Practice -- Find Exemplar Sentences From your reading today, find a sentence that uses a comma according to one of the five rules we learned today. 1. Quote and cite the sentence. 2. Identify the rule being used. 3. Explain why the comma is needed -- how does it clarify the meaning of the sentence?