Download 9. Use commas after "he said," etc. to set off direct quotations.

TERMINOLOGY CHEAT SHEET
Example sentence:
Tom broke the vase.
NOUN – word used to name a person, a place, a thing, or an idea (TOM and VASE)
VERB – a word that expresses action (BROKE)
ARTICLE – a word that modifies or limits a noun (THE)
Example sentence:
Tom accidentally broke the big vase of flowers.
ADVERB – modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (ACCIDENTALLY)
ADJECTIVE – a word that modifies a noun (DIG)
PREPOSITION – word that motes the relation of a noun to an action or a thing (OF)
PHRASE – a group of words that acts as a single part of speech – missing either a subject, a verb, or both
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE – a group of words beginning with a preposition (OF FLOWERS)
Example Sentence:
As he ran across the room, Tom accidentally broke the big vase of flowers.
PRONOUN – a word that takes the place of a noun (HE)
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE – a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and is a complete thought (Tom
accidentally broke the big vase of flowers)
DEPENDENT CLAUSE - a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but is not a complete thought (As he ran
across the room)
Comma Quiz! Yay!
1. Gerald was the president of the club Marcus was the treasurer and Emily kept an eye out for comma
splices.
2. The students really loved learning about commas so they formed a comma club. They had a hard time
thinking of a name but they finally decided upon “The Comma Kidz.”
3. Well some of the students thought they were too cool for the commas.
4. Seeing the club approaching the Funboys turned and ran.
5. The new intimidating club started holding meetings each Friday.
6. Ms. Willems who is a teacher at ADM loves commas.
7. School is a place to learn about commas not semicolons.
8. The most intimidating member of club however was Heidi.
9. Ms. Willems was born in Transylvania Pennsylvania on November 12 1956.
10. To Tom Ms. Willems was the best writing teacher in the whole world.
1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by: FOR, AND, NOR, BUT,
OR, YET, SO (FANBOYS)
Example: The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
Your turn: The students really loved learning about commas so they formed a comma club. They had a
hard time thinking of a name but they finally decided upon “The Comma Kidz.”
2. Use commas to separate words, phrases, and clauses written in a series of THREE or more
coordinate elements.
Example: A trio of Marie, Ellen, and Frances sang at the entertainment. Jack walked into my office, took
off his hat, and sat down.
Your turn: Gerald was the president of the club Marcus was the treasurer and Emily kept an eye out for
comma splices.
3. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe or modify the same
noun. (Coordinate adjectives can be interchanged.)
Example: The noisy, enthusiastic group applauded the speech. (the group is noisy and enthusiastic or
enthusiastic and noisy.) BUT: The new tennis court will soon be open. (The court is not new and tennis.)
Your turn: The new intimidating club took on the menacing splicing Funboys.
4. Use commas in the BEGINNING of the sentence after an introductory clause or phrase which
has a verb or verb form.
Example: Hearing his owner call him, the dog ran forward. While I was reading, the cat scratched at the
door. If you want a seat, you ought to arrive by 7:30 p.m. My schedule having been arranged, I went
home for the week-end.
Your turn: Seeing the club approaching the Funboys turned and ran.
5. Use commas at the BEGINNING of the sentence to set off exclamations or comments such as
"yes," "no," "well," "oh," etc.
Example: Yes, I'll think about it.
Your turn: Well some of the students thought they were too cool for the TCK.
6. Use commas in the MIDDLE of the sentence to set off phrases and clauses which are not
essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use these commas in pairs, one before the phrase or
clause to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the
pause.
Really long example: Sara Clark, who lives in my dorm, is in my chemistry class. (comma #1 at the
beginning) (comma #2 at the end) BUT, commas are NOT used in this "who" clause because it is a
necessary part of the sentence. The girl who is sitting at the table next to you is in my chemistry class.
Use a pair of commas in a similar manner: -To set off nonessential appositives (phrases which identify a
noun). Tom, the captain of the team, was injured in the game. The person injured in the game was Tom,
the captain of the team. -To set off words or names used in direct address. It is up to you, Jane, to finish
the assignment. -To set off nonessential comments which interrupt the sentence. I was, however, too
tired to make the trip.
Your turn: Ms. Willems who is a teacher at ADM Middle School loves commas.
One more time: The most intimidating member of TCK however was Heidi.
7. Use commas near the END of the sentence to separate sharply contrasted coordinate
elements in the sentence.
Example: He was merely ignorant, not stupid.
Your turn: School is a place to learn about commas not semicolons.
8. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day),
addresses (except the street name and number), and titles in names.
Example: Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England. July 22, 1967, was a
momentous day in his life. Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.? Donald B. Lake,
M.D., will be the principal speaker.
Your turn: Ms. Willems was born in Transylvania Pennsylvania on November 12 1956.
9. Use commas after "he said," etc. to set off direct quotations.
Example: John said, "I'll see you tomorrow." "I was able," she answered, "to complete the assignment this
morning."
Your turn: The excited intelligent student said “I can’t wait to start my comma project” and pranced out of
the room.
10. Use commas to prevent possible confusion or misreading.
Example: To John, Harrison had been a sort of idol. Above, the mountains rose like purple shadows.
Your turn: To Will Ms. Willems was the best wriitng teacher in the whole world.
Comma Abuse (You could go to jail for this)
Commas in the wrong places can break a sentence into illogical segments or confuse readers with unnecessary and
unexpected pauses.
12. Don't use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.
An eighteen-year old in California, is now considered an adult. (incorrect)
The most important attribute of a ball player, is quick reflex actions. (incorrect)
13. Don't put a comma between the two verbs or verb phrases in a compound predicate.
We laid out our music and snacks, and began to study. (incorrect)
I turned the corner, and ran smack into a patrol car. (incorrect)
14. Don't put a comma between the two nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses in a compound subject or compound
object.
The music teacher from your high school, and the football coach from mine are married. (incorrect: compound
subject)
Jeff told me that the job was still available, and that the manager wanted to interview me. (incorrect: compound
object)
15. Don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of
extreme contrast).
1. She was late for class, because her alarm clock was broken. (incorrect)
2. The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating. (incorrect)
3. She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar. (correct: extreme contrast)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html - great site for more comma help!
Apostrophes Quiz! Yay!
1. Peters new car is extremely expensive
2. Womens issues will be important in the next election
3. The girls room will be renovated this summer.
2 Rules of Apostrophes
• ’s – subject is singular (one person/one thing)
Peter’s car….
• s’ – plural person/thing that ends in s – just put apostrophe after s.
Girls’ room….
Run-on Sentences and Fragments
The bride and groom drove away in their car. As the children ran behind, shouting and laughing.
1. A. NO CHANGE
B. While the
C. During which the
D. The
Although it will always be associated with Shakespeare’s famous literary character. The castle at Elsinore was
never home to Hamlet.
2. A. NO CHANGE
B. character, the
C. character; the
D. character. A
There is not much difference between the decision to enter politics and the decision to jump into a pit full of
rattlesnakes, in fact, you might find a friendlier environment in the snake pit.
3. A. NO CHANGE
B. rattlesnakes. In fact,
C. rattlesnakes in fact
D. rattlesnakes, in fact
The college’s plans for expansion included a new science building and a new dormitory if the funding drive is
successful, there will be enough money for both.
4. A. NO CHANGE
B. dormitory, if
C. dormitory; if,
D. dormitory, If
Parallelism
1. When you see the gingerbread houses of Roskilde with their neatly thatched roofs, the gardens filled with
flowers, blooms, and the happy smiles on the fresh-faced inhabitants, it is difficult to believe that this town was
ounce the home of a more warlike people – the Vikings.
A.
B.
C.
D.
NO CHANGE
flowers and blooms,
flowers; blooms
flowers, blooms
Parallelism
Walking to the pawnshop, Bob’s watch dropped into the sewer.
1. A. NO CHANGE
B. Bob’s watch dropped in the sewer
C. Bob dropped his watch into the sewer
D. Bob’s dropped watch into the sewer