1. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Articles & Commas

2. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Articles Consistently choosing the appropriate article for nouns is a challenge for most Korean English language learners. Using articles correctly depends on both your understanding of the noun and the context in which it appears.

3. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Indefinite Articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ are used for non-specific (indefinite), singular, countable nouns. – ‘a’ is used before nouns beginning with a consonant sound – ‘an’ is used before nouns beginning with a vowel sound. Used when no specific noun is being referred to. Requires us to understand whether knowledge of the specific noun is shared between interlocutors.

4. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Indefinite Article Examples Would you like a drink? Yes, I’d like a glass of water, please. I prepared a snack for you as well. Thanks, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. It’s an honor to have you in my house. I’ve been wanting to spend an afternoon visiting with you for a long time.

5. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Definite Articles ‘the’ is used in front of plural nouns, uncountable nouns, and specific (definite) nouns. Used to refer to a specific person or thing or group of people or things. Requires us to understand whether knowledge of the specific noun is shared between interlocutors.

6. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Definite Article Examples Your boyfriend told me about the accident. Are you OK? Yes, I’m OK. The driver of the car that hit me had to go to the hospital, though. I think he had been drinking. Really? I hope the police charge him with drunk driving. The officers at the scene told me they would.

7. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Rules: NOT used with names of cities, towns or states names of streets names of lakes or bays (unless it is a group of lakes, like The Great Lakes in NY) names of mountains (unless it is a group/range like The Rocky Mountains) names of continents names of islands (unless it is a group of islands, like The Hawaiian Islands) names of MOST countries–there isn’t a very specific rule for what ones have the and what ones don’t names of holidays

8. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Rules: IS used with names of rivers, oceans, and seas names of points on a globe (like The North Pole) names of large, geographical areas (like The North) names of deserts names of forests names of gulfs names of peninsulas names of religious texts proper nouns that contain “of” in the name (The fourth of July, The United States of America)

9. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Nothing No article is used with indefinite plural nouns – I like cats, but I’m deathly allergic to them. No article is used with indefinite uncountable nouns. – Throughout history, technology has driven change. Uncountable nouns can be definite or indefinite depending on the context. – I generally like rain, but the rain today is inconvenient.

10. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Simple Flowchart * Chart from: http://unenlightenedenglish.com/2009/04/grammar-guide-articleshttp://unenlightenedenglish.com/2009/04/grammar-guide-articles

11. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Articles Practice This is ___ easy question. Please speak ___ little louder. May I have your ___ phone number? I have never seen ___ UFO. May I ask you ___ question? David is ___ best student in our class. What is ___ name of the next station? He has ___ my car today. I went to ___ beach you recommended during my summer vacation. Is there ___ public telephone near here? * Quiz from: http://a4esl.org/q/h/mc001-ck.html

12. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Articles Practice Answers This is an easy question. Please speak a little louder. May I have your (nothing) phone number? I have never seen a UFO. May I ask you a question? David is the best student in our class. What is the name of the next station? He has (nothing) my car today. I went to the beach you recommended during my summer vacation. Is there a public telephone near here?

13. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Commas Commas, when used well, can help to clarify writing. Commas, when NOT used well, can make your writing an unsightly mess. Commas can be used for many purposes. They are generally used in the same way a clear pause is used when speaking. The following list of uses is not comprehensive, but it does address some of the more common uses.

14. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (1) Commas are used to separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. – I went to the park, and I saw my friend. – I went to the park, but I did not see my friend. – I don’t like to walk to work, for it’s far from home. – I can go to college, or I can get a job. – I can’t go to college, nor can I get a job. – I like ice cream, so I eat it often. – I like ice cream, yet I don’t eat it often.

15. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (2) Use commas after introductory clauses, phrases, or words that precede the main clause. – When I saw her, I nearly fell off the bench. – To get a good grade, you have to study a lot. – Yes, I do like kimchi.

16. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (3) Use commas to set off clauses, phrases, and words which are not essential to the meaning of the sentence (non-defining) – My high school, which recently won the football state championship, only a couple miles from my house. – The food here, in my opinion, is the best in Seoul. – From my perspective, however, you have not considered all of the possible options.

17. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (4) Use commas to separate 3 or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series. (I suggest using the Oxford comma in this case). – We have second, third, and fourth-year students in our class. – I try to provide students with motivational lessons, a respectful environment, and a compassionate attitude. – I was late because I went the wrong way on the highway, I forgot your address, and I ran out of gas.

18. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (5) Use commas to separate two or more coordinating adjectives. – The soft, smooth sofa was great for a nap. – The creepy, scary house was feared by the kids. An adjective is “coordinating” if it is the same category/status as the other adjective – Think about adjective order in our previous lesson. – These can often be separated with “and” instead of with a comma.

19. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (6) Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasting elements or to emphasize a pause or shift. – He was fat, not stupid. – You like ice cream, don’t you? (tag questions) – He was kind, almost angelic.

20. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (7) Use commas to set off the following: – geographical names Chicago, Illinois, is a great city. – items in dates (except month and day) July 4, 1776, is a special date in American history. – addresses (except street number and name) Can you please send the package to Daniel Craig at 5043 Main St., Chicago, IL? – titles in names Robert Mills, PhD, will be speaking at the conference.

21. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (8) Use commas to set off a quotation. – John said, “I’d like to buy a dog,” but he never really intended to do so. – “Whatever,” she said in an impatient tone. – “Whenever we go to the store,” he said, “we end up buying too much stuff.”

22. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Comma Rules (9) The last rule is not really a rule. Use commas to avoid confusion and, sometimes, don’t use commas to avoid confusion. This is particularly true with some complex sentences that appear to require many commas. – I, on the other hand, don’t care to comment, in this instance, on the issues at work, which were quite concerning, but, to help solve the problem, I will consider our, all too few, options. You have two options with the sentence above. The best option is to rewrite it without the need for all those commas. Your other choice is to remove some that are unnecessary. – I don’t care to comment on the concerning issues at work, but I will consider our limited options to help solve the problem.

23. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Commas Practice (1) He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened. Oil which is lighter than water rises to the surface. Madame de Stael was an attractive gracious lady. Nice is a word with many meanings and some of them are contradictory. The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly. Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages. * These questions come from: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/3/5, which has many great practice tasks to choose from.https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/3/5

24. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Commas Practice (2) Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities. The closet contained worn clothes old shoes and dirty hats. The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit. After surviving this ordeal the trapper felt relieved. Mark Twain's early novels I believe stand the test of time. The field was safe enough wasn't it?

25. English Writing Logic – Articles and Commas Commas Practice (3) Write the editor of the Atlantic 8 Arlington Street Boston Massachusetts 02116. He replied "I have no idea what you mean." After a good washing and grooming the pup looked like a new dog. Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity some people refuse to go to the zoo. Men who are bald are frequently the ones who are the most authoritative on the subject of baldness. Vests which were once popular have been out of vogue for several years.