1. ESSAY WRITING 101— COMMA RULE #1 COMMAS IN A SERIES ELA 7

2. Basic Commas in a Series RULE:  When you see words or phrases listed in a series (in a row), put a comma after every item except the last word or phrase (more than two items in a row constitutes a series). PURPOSE- to help your readers understand when you are listing things in a series. EXAMPLES:  Wednesdays are busy because I have school, soccer, dance, and confirmation class.  When I got up this morning, it was pouring rain, my dog had made a big mess, my brother had eaten all the cereal, and my favorite TV cartoon was over.

3. Where do the commas go in these sentences? Directions:  Copy the sentences on your own piece of loose leaf paper.  As you write, insert commas where they are needed.  Finally, highlight the commas. 1) My favorite Yankees are Derek Jeter Mariano Rivera Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano. 2) I had a crazy weekend because of a family picnic in Sodus a soccer tournament in Penn Yan and a birthday party in Buffalo. 3) Before I go to bed, I drink a glass of milk read for half an hour and make sure my Batman nightlight is plugged in.

4. Check out the commas in RED. 1) My favorite Yankees are Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Robinson Cano. 2) I had a crazy weekend because of a family picnic in Sodus, a soccer tournament in Penn Yan, and a birthday party in Buffalo. 3) Before I go to bed, I drink a glass of milk, read for half an hour, and make sure my Batman nightlight is plugged in.

5. Make a few sentences of your own.  On your piece of loose leaf paper, write three of your own sentences using commas in a series.  Make sure to highlight your commas!