1. COMMA SENSE

2. 1.Introductory Words.
Sometimes that word is the name of the person to whom you are talking.
Example: Steven, I would like to talk to you.
Sometimes it is a word like well, oh, or however.
Example: Well, I guess I’d like to try something new.
To show that a word is extra, it is set off with a comma. That means, of course, that the comma goes after the word.
Example: Mary, would you marry me?
No, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on Earth.

3. Your turn!
Punctuate the following sentence: Sadly he took his bassoon and went home.

4. What’s wrong with this picture?

5. 2. Introductory Phrases
Sometimes the “stuff” is a short group of words called a phrase. An introductory phrase is set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma
Example: In the back of the refrigerator, a moldy jar of mayonnaise sat beside a bag of withered lettuce.
Example: On the field, the two teams battled for the championship trophy.
Example: After many years, she returned to the small town.
Notice that each of the introductory phrases begins with a PREPOSITION – IN, ON, AFTER

6. Your turn!
Punctuate the following sentence: Although she denies it I’m not at all surprised that Sheri ate your Jell-O.

7. Introductory phrases are sometimes short, like: By the way,
Sometimes they might be even longer than the main part of the sentence.
Some introductory words used with longer phrases include: if, when, while, although, after, or because
Example: If you eat a variety of different types of candy and never floss or brush your teeth, your teeth may rot.

8. Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence:
While we watched Megan lunge for the aquarium that was violently wobbling back and forth so it was about to topple off the table we all held our breath.

9. Teacher Joke!!! Q: What’s the difference between a cat and a comma?
A: A cat has claws at the end of its paws, but a comma is a pause at the end of a clause

10. 4. Interrupters
It is also possible to add a word or group of words somewhere in the middle of the sentence, interrupting the flow of the sentence
Example: Jerry and his brother, coincidentally, walked to school on the very same day that their neighbors decided to walk to school.
Example: Jerry and his brother, the one who is extremely shy, walked to school on Monday.

11. Your turn! Punctuate the following sentence:
The most important thing the astronauts took to the moon not counting a large number of powdered fruits and vegetables was a shiny roll of duct tape.

12. Another teacher joke!

13. 5. Lists and Lists Commas serve as little dividers in lists.
Whenever you have a list (or a series) of items, you need to separate them so that they don’t run into one another.
Example: Jim likes to eat eggs, sausage, sugary cereal, muffins, and fruit tarts for breakfast.
Example: Jeff enjoys lounging on the couch in front of the television, playing video games, eating junk food, and drinking soda.

14. Your turn!
Punctuate the following sentence: Bella used her babysitting money to buy a pair of jeans new sneakers red nail polish a pack of gum and Oreos.

15. Grammar Guru Gabble: An interesting side note
Did you know there is a dispute among grammar gurus over that last comma in a list, the one before the “and”?
The comma used in a list is called a serial comma or an Oxford comma
Some writers and publishers use the comma, and some don’t (like Oxford University Press, hence the name “Oxford comma”)

17. What’s wrong with this picture?

18. 6. Compounds or Independent Clauses
A compound sentence means that there are two sentences that are combined to form one sentence. If you want to get fancy, you can call those two “parts” of one sentence: independent clauses.
This means each part of the sentence could stand on its own.
Example: George ate an enchilada, and Julian gobbled up four tacos before heading to the movies.

19. Your turn!
Punctuate the following sentence: Turkeys are not exactly known for their great brain power and nobody thinks that worms are likely to win scholarships to Harvard.

20. 7. Side by Side Adjectives
When two adjectives occur side by side in a sentence, they are called coordinate adjectives and should be separated with a comma.
If you use the word and or or to separate the two adjectives, then no comma is needed.
Example: Jennifer loves playful, cuddly puppies.
Example: The sweet, spicy treat was delicious!

21. Your turn!
Punctuate the following sentence: The lonely dejected slug sat on top of the sandwich.

22. Last teacher joke! (for now)