1. Commas You’d Like to Know Date, City/State, Nonessential, Clarity, and Number

2. Date  When expressing a date using the month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. However, no commas are used if you have only month and day or month and year.  On December 20, 199_, I will fly home.  They will be married December 11, 2000, in the Salt Lake Temple.  BUT On June 1 we will celebrate.

3. Nonessential non  Set off a nonessential phrase or clause with commas.  HINT--they usually begin with a w  who, which, when, where, wherever, whenever  The boy, who is three or four years old, is always knocking on my door.  The city by the beach, where we had the flat tire, is only a bad memory.

4. More nonessential non  If the phrase or clause is essential to the sentence, do not use commas.  The check that is on the shelf is yours; the check that is on the table is mine.  BUT  Your check, which is still lying on the shelf, is collecting dust.

5. Clarity Clar  When the sentence would otherwise be misread and no other comma rule applies, use a clarity comma.  We would have, had we only known.  In August, Augusta married Merl.  While eating, the man had a heart attack.  While walking, the baby fell down the stairs.

6. Number no.  In most numbers over 9999 use a comma.  BYU accepted 26,756 students.  All of the 256,999 members voted.  Sam paid $26,750 for his new pickup.  Do not use commas in Social Security, account, or telephone numbers.  His telephone number is 529-1111.

7. Numbers continued  Tell your class an example of the number comma rule.

8. You Identify Which Rule  Home, where I learned to walk and talk, will always hold a special place in my heart.  Can you help me, Sue?  In May, May will go to England.

9. Do These Need Commas?  On October 11 I was born.  On November 3 35987 people voted.  Roger Reid who is the former BYU coach found a new job.  George Smith who is now the Office Education Department Chairman is in Room 229A.

10.  You did a great job on the party and Sue superbly cooked the dinner.  We went to the movie however our roommates went shopping.  While you were sleeping the earth quaked.  Martin Brown who is now the President of Snow College is a nice man.  She runs you swim and he hikes.