1. Basic Comma Rules Putting the FIINAL touches on a sentence.

2. F=Fanboys Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet & so)  Capri has met Cam Newton, and she says he is really nice.  Jameson may write incredibly long vocabulary sentences, yet they are always grammatically correct.  You may choose to argue the affirmative side in your research paper, or you may decide to support the negative opinion.

3. I=Introductory Elements Put a comma at the end of the introductory phrase, clause, or transition.  On my way home from school, I saw Destinee and Abi running cross country.  If you forget how to format an MLA paper, you can find directions on my website.  Hopefully, you will choose a research topic that interests you.

4. I=Interrupter Put commas around words that interrupt the flow of the sentence.  Aleksa and Kelsey, students in my 3th & 4 th periods, play volleyball for NCHS.  This semester you will, in fact, learn many new words.  Please collect everyone’s homework, Anairia.  We read a letter by Martin Luther King, Jr., that he wrote in a Birmingham, Alabama, jail.

5. N=Non-essential elements Put commas before and/or after unnecessary clauses.  Non-essential: Most students improved their scores on the second benchmark test, which is good news. (Unnecessary for meaning; use comma.)  Essential: Most students who took the second benchmark test improved their scores. (Necessary for meaning; don’t use comma.)

6. A=Adjectives in a series Put commas between adjectives modifying the same noun.  Rule: If you can use “and” to join the adjectives, you can separate them with commas.  Jackson and Grant are two of the tallest, nicest students in 1 st period. (They are the tallest and nicest students. This works! Use a comma.)  Nic and Haley are avid Tar Heel fans. (They are avid and Tar Heel fans. (This doesn’t make sense, so don’t use a comma.)

7. L=Lists Use commas between items in a list.  In grammar we study commas, semicolons, and hyphens.  Hon. Eng. III students must be able to read difficult literature, analyze its meaning, engage in thoughtful discussion, and write intelligent essays.

8. Basic Comma Rules FIINAL Review  F=Fanboys  I=Introductory elements  I=Interruptors  N=Non-essentials  A=Adjectives  L=Lists