1. Comma Rules
Mrs. Anderson

2. When listing items in a row (usually a list of nouns), separate each item with a comma.
Examples:
Dylan likes jazz, rock, and blues.
I need to wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, and brush my teeth before I leave.

3. Example: It was a dark, stormy night.
Adjectives describe nouns (people, places, things, or ideas). Sometimes more than one adjective is used to describe a noun. A comma is used to separate these adjectives.
Adjectives must be equal and related to each other.
Trick: if you can put the word “and” between the adjectives, you need to place a comma there.
Example: It was a dark, stormy night.

4. If the adjectives don’t describe the noun equally, then it doesn’t get the comma.
Example: She was a little old lady from Pasadena.
Adjectives are NOT equal, and they are NOT related to each other.
“Little” describes height, and “old” describes her age. You wouldn’t say, “She was a little and old lady.”

5. Another way to test this rule is to reverse the adjectives
Another way to test this rule is to reverse the adjectives. If they still make sense then they are coordinating. If they don’t make sense, then they are not coordinating.
Coordinating adjectives NOT coordinating adjectives.
It was a dark, stormy night. (Yes) She was a little old lady. (Yes)
It was a stormy, dark night. (Yes) She was an old little lady. (No)
It was a stormy and dark night. (Yes) She was an old and little lady. (No)

6. When combining two independent sentences into one longer sentence, you use the conjunctions and, but, for, or, nor, yet, or so, put a comma BEFORE the conjunction. Example: Ryan wants to go rollerblading , but I want to listen to a CD.

7. If a sentence begins with a sub
If a sentence begins with a sub. conjunction (although, because, while, until, etc), put a comma at the end of the dependent clause.
Examples:
Unfortunately, pigs can’t fly.
However, we didn’t eat until 7:00pm.
After we traveled to France, we visited the Eiffel tower.
As the day drew to a smoky end, the firefighters put out the last of the embers.

8. Here’s another way to say it…
When a sentence begins with an incomplete thought (the dependent clause), join it to the rest of the sentence with a comma at the place it links with the real sentence (the independent clause).

9. More example of introductory elements
Although I don’t want to admit it, commas are starting to make sense.
Sadly, the old church was completely destroyed.
To escape with our lives, we would have to run for the exits.

10. If there are words in a sentence that can be removed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence, you need commas around the words you could delete. Examples: Batman, the “Dark Knight” of Gotham, is the coolest of all the superheroes. Venus, named after the Greek goddess, is the second closest planet to the sun. My uncle, who used to be a police officer, now spends all his time on the golf course.

11. When information is needed…
RULE: The rule here is that if you can take out the “extra” information and still accurately and completely understand the sentence, then the extra information is non-essential and gets separated with a comma on both sides.
The following information is needed in the sentence…
Example: The man in the yellow hat is George’s owner.
Which man is George’s owner? The man with the yellow hat.
Example: The house next to the graveyard is haunted.
Which house is haunted? The house next to the graveyard.

12. The comma goes INSIDE the quotation marks. Always. No exceptions.
When characters are talking to one another, you need quotation marks. You lead in and out of these quotation marks with commas.
The comma goes INSIDE the quotation marks. Always. No exceptions.
Examples:
My father always said, "Be careful what you wish for.“
"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had.“
“You’ll be tested on every mark of punctuation you’ve ever heard of on Friday,” the teacher snapped.

13. Use commas to separate:
The city or town from the state
Day of the month from the year
Day of the week from the day of the month and year

14. Dates and Addresses Examples:
I once lived in Chicago, Illinois.
Forward our mail to 10 Pleasant Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Bob’s birth date is May 17, 1978.
Bob was born on Monday, May 17, 1978, in East Meadow, New York.

15. Two definitions you need to know: Phrase= a group of words that acts as a unit. A phrase does not have both a subject and a predicate. (incomplete sentence) Clause= a group of words that has a complete subject and a complete predicate. (complete sentence)