1. COMMAS, COLONS, AND SEMICOLONS OH MY!

2. The SEVEN Basic Comma Rules

3. Comma Rule #1 THE “SERIAL” COMMA (LISTING)
(not Killer)
Place a comma between items in a series.
Example: I have my iPad, my pens, my pencils, and my charger in my backpack.

4. PLACE THE COMMAS!
At the mall, I need to buy shirts pants sneakers and an iPhone case.
Some of the English teachers are Ms. Fishman Mrs. Lobitz and Mr. Grouzes.
My favorite sports are basketball baseball and hockey.

5. Comma Rule #2 CONJUNCTION COMMA
Place a comma before a conjunction that joins two independent clauses.
The coordinating conjunctions are: and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet. (FANBOYS)
Example: The best place to take a vacation is Chicago, but the best place to take a honeymoon is Hawaii.
(Look at the sentence BEFORE the comma. Look at the sentence AFTER the comma. Couldn’t they stand alone?)

6. PLACE THE COMMA!
I would usually agree with you but I actually don’t think you’re right on this topic!
Would you rather go to the movies or do you just want to hang at home tonight?
She raised her hand through the entire class but the teacher never called on her!

7. INTRODUCTORY WORDS OR PHRASES
Comma Rule #3
INTRODUCTORY WORDS OR PHRASES
Always place a comma after an introductory word or phrase. See below.
Example: John, what are you doing to my car? OR
As I walked down the street, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in years. OR
Wait, didn’t we already decide?

8. PLACE THE COMMA! Once I stole a candy bar from a store.
However I think that the book was better than the movie.
Courtney can you please stop sending Snapchat pictures of me?
Although I knew he was right I ignored him.

9. EXPLANATORY WORD/PHRASE
Comma Rule #4
EXPLANATORY WORD/PHRASE
“Appositive”
Always place a comma before AND after any word or phrase that can be removed from the sentence and still make sense.
Example: Ms. Fishman, the teacher, wrote her name on the board. OR
Jane, my youngest sister, always steals my stuff.

10. PLACE THE COMMA!
Bloomingdales the most expensive store in the mall was off-limits today.
Rex the dog next door is usually really aggressive.
The law which would allow driving at 15 did not pass in the legislature.

11. CONCLUDING WORD OR PHRASE
Comma Rule #5
CONCLUDING WORD OR PHRASE
Always place a comma before any word or phrase that is just tagged on at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
Is that you in the corner, John? OR
I hadn’t seen Matt in years, though that didn’t make much difference in our friendship.

12. PLACE THE COMMA! Did you say something Ray? I’ll take a Pepsi too!
I laughed though the joke wasn’t funny at all.

13. Comma Rule #6 CATCH-ALL COMMA RULES
To separate numbers more than four digits long (1,000,000);
To separate city from state, (Austin, Texas);
To separate month & year (August 15, 1980);
Before and after titles (James Smith, M.D.)

14. PLACE THE COMMA! Their wedding is on March 18 2015.
I paid for my car.
Last summer I traveled to Paris France and Berlin Germany.
My college professor is Kelly MacIntyre Ph.D.

15. Comma Rule # 7 Dialogue! Commas are placed BEFORE dialogue.
Example: John said, “Wow, that was fun!”
Commas are placed at the END of the dialogue (UNLESS the dialogue ends in ? or !)
Example: “I would like to go there,” said John.
Example: “I would like to go there!” said John.

16. PLACE THE COMMA! “I think she is the best” Jamie said.
Jeff stated “Game of Thrones is the best television show ever.”
“Wow” Matt exclaimed “that was really awesome!”

17. THE COLON We use colons to LIST!
The word BEFORE the colon is always some sort of NOUN!
Example: I will buy the following foods at the market: eggs, chicken, and cheese.
Do you notice how after the colons, the first words were lower case?
Example: I love these bands: Muse, The Black Keys, and The Lumineers.
Here, right after the colon I was listing proper nouns, so they are capitalized.

18. PLACE THE COLON! Here are my favorite cars Lexus, Toyota, and Porsche.
I want the following a mansion, lots of money, and a cool car.
I have a few favorite teachers Mrs. Caiola, Mr. Nolen, and Mrs. Lobitz.
I think that movies are fun, entertaining, and interesting.

19. When formally addressing…
Use a colon in an or letter to a formal person.
Example: Dear Mrs. Sweeney:
Who is a formal person?
Future bosses;
Teachers;
Administrators;
THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND
Barack Obama
Someone you’d like to impress!

20. SEMICOLONS
It's no accident that a semicolon is a period atop a comma. Like commas, semicolons indicate a pause—slightly longer than a comma's, but short of a period's full stop.
Do not use semicolons in PLACE of a colon!
Example:
WRONG: “I have one goal; to find her.”
RIGHT: “I have one goal: to find her.”

21. SEMICOLON RULE 1
Use a semicolon INSTEAD of a period IF the two complete sentences relate to each other.
What’s a complete sentence?
Contains a SUBJECT and VERB and expresses a complete thought.
“Along a bumpy road.” NO
“The car drove along a bumpy road.” YES

22. SEMICOLON RULE 1 EXAMPLES
OK Example: Call me tomorrow. We can discuss it then.
That’s not wrong. But they’re talking about the same thing and each sentence can stand on its on -- so why not join them?
BETTER Example: Call me tomorrow; we can discuss it then.
REPLACING COMMAS:
Example: The cow is loud, it moos all night long.
Example: The cow is loud; it moos all night long.

23. SHOULD YOU USE A SEMICOLON INSTEAD?
I don’t like Chinese food very much. It always gives me a stomach ache.
I love to listen to music. I especially like listening to it loudly in my car.
Math is my least favorite subject. I really like running track.

24. SEMICOLON RULE 2  LISTING
Listing … again? Yes – we use COLONS (:) to START the list.
However, WITHIN the list, sometimes we use SEMICOLONS to AVOID CONFUSION!
Example: I like the following qualities in a friend: kind and calming; funny and witty; honest and upfront; and laid back but daring.
Example: I have visited the following places: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore, Maryland.