2. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas This set of slides will illustrate the most common uses of one of the most common punctuation marks:

3. © Capital Community College Follow all comma rules concerning quotes. Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” begins with the lines, “Some say the world will end in fire, / Some say in ice.” The English House of Commas Rule #1 “Fire when ready, Gridley,” the Admiral said. “We can’t see into the future,” said the President, “but we have to prepare for it nonetheless.”

4. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #2 Put a comma after a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence. A phrase that has a subject and verb, but isn’t a sentence because it begins with a hanging word

5. © Capital Community College Rule #2 cont… Hanging words: –Since –Although –Because –Before –After –If –When –Etc. Hint: cover up the hanging word & it should make sense up to the comma

6. © Capital Community College Put a comma after a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence. Because they were anxious about the upcoming winter, settlers began to bicker among themselves about supplies. The English House of Commas Rule #2 After they made it through the winter of 1944, nearly half the settlers died of starvation or exposure. After I left the school, I went home.

7. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #3 Put a comma after YES, NO, WELL, and OH at the beginning of a sentence. Yes, I like math. No, I am not going to prom with you! Well, the dog ate my homework. Oh, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.

8. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #4 When speaking TO a person, not about him/her, set off the name with commas. This is called DIRECT ADDRESS Nicknames and titles count

9. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #4 1.John, you are nice. I realize, Judy, that you are smart. 2.John, is nice and Judy, is smart.

10. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #5 Put a comma after a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence. An –ing or –ed ending phrase that is not the subject of a sentence

11. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #5 The –ing or –ed ending word can be the 1 st word in the phrase or the 2 nd with the hanging word before it. HINT: THE SUBJECT IS SHORTLY AFTER THE COMMA

12. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #5 Put a comma after a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Sitting in class, I fell asleep.

13. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #6 Put a comma before the word “too” at the end of a sentence. BEFORE: I want to go to the Brewer game too. AFTER: I want to go to the Brewer game, too.

14. © Capital Community College Put a comma before AND, BUT, OR, NOR, FOR, YET, and SO only if it’s between two complete thoughts. The English House of Commas Rule #7 Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) to separate two independent clauses. independent clauses

15. © Capital Community College Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) to separate two independent clauses. independent clauses The public seems eager for some kind of gun control legislation, but the congress is obviously too timid to enact any truly effective measures. If the two independent clauses are brief and nicely balanced, this comma may be omitted, but the comma is always correct. Our team is very good but their team is better. The English House of Commas Rule #7

16. © Capital Community College Put a comma after TWO or more prepositional phrases at the beginning of a sentence. The English House of Commas Rule #8

17. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #8 Prepositions include words such as: during, about, after, around, before, by, for, from, near, past, since, through, to, until, without, etc. Therefore, a prepositional phrase includes the following: PREPOSITION + Article (a, an, the) or pronouns. + OBJECT of the PREPOSITION (which is almost always a noun) Note: sometimes it will only be the prep. & the object of the prep.

18. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #8 PREPOSITION + Article (a, an, the) or pronouns. + OBJECT of the PREPOSITION (which is almost always a noun) Note: sometimes it will only be the prep. & the object of the prep. UNDER THE TREE

19. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #8 Ex) In a tree near my house, a bird was singing. Two Prep. Phrases= IN a TREE NEAR my HOUSE

20. © Capital Community College Put a comma after ONE prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence. The English House of Commas Rule #8 optional Near the door, my dad was standing impatiently. Near the door my dad was standing impatiently.

21. © Capital Community College Set off an appositive from the rest of the sentence. The English House of Commas Rule #9 A phrase that renames the word in front of it; provides more information/detail on the word before it.

22. © Capital Community College Set off an appositive from the rest of the sentence. The English House of Commas Rule #9 Where should the commas go? LeRoy a small town near Taopi is cool.

23. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #9 LeRoy, a small town near Taopi, is cool. The appositive is “a small town near Taopi”

24. © Capital Community College Use a comma to set off the elements of a series (three or more things), including the last two. The English House of Commas Rule #10 Put a comma between THREE or more items in a series or between TWO adjectives (describers) HINT: Numbers don’t count as describers.

25. © Capital Community College Use a comma to set off the elements of a series (three or more things), including the last two. My favorite uses of the Internet are sending e-mail, surfing the Web, and using chat rooms. You may have learned that this comma is not necessary. Sometimes, however, the last two items in your series will glom into one if you don’t use the so-called serial comma. The English House of Commas Rule #10

26. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #10 I like dogs cats and birds. I like dogs, cats, and birds.

27. © Capital Community College The English House of Commas Rule #10 I ate the old stale bread. I ate the old, stale bread.

28. © Capital Community College This is the most difficult rule in comma usage. A parenthetical element is “added information,” something that can be removed from a sentence without changing the essential meaning of that sentence. Deciding what is “added information” and what is essential is sometimes difficult. See the next slide. The English House of Commas Rule #11 Set off a parenthetical phrase from the rest of the sentence.

29. © Capital Community College Parenthetical Phrases: I believe (think, know, hope), I am sure, on the contrary, on the other hand, after all, by the way, incidentally, in fact, indeed, naturally, of course, in my opinion, for example, however, nonetheless, to tell the truth, as a matter of fact, for instance, therefore, furthermore… The English House of Commas Rule #11

30. © Capital Community College ONE SENTENCE SET-UP The English House of Commas Rule #11 ____________, however, ______________ TWO SENTENCE SET-UP ____________. However, ______________ ____________; however, ______________

31. © Capital Community College Example The English House of Commas Rule #11 I was in fact very late.

32. © Capital Community College Example The English House of Commas Rule #11 I was, in fact, very late. If you take out the parenthetical, the sentence will still make sense. Therefore, the comma goes around the P.P.

33. © Capital Community College STANDARD USAGE The English House of Commas Rule #12 a. After a greeting in a personal letter or letter of application. Dear Billy, Dear Mr. Smits,

34. © Capital Community College Use a comma to set off cities and states/countries AND day and year (in a full date) The conference was originally set for Geneva, Switzerland but was then rescheduled for Chicago, Illinois. The English House of Commas Rule #12 Their wedding date was set for August 5, 2000 in the college chapel in Newton, Massachusetts.