Download Comma Use and Abuse

Comma Use and Abuse
Renn Lugent
Ryan Ritchie
Shane Sprayberry
Brandi Harrison
What is a Comma?
 A valuable
punctuation device
that separates
sentences to make
them more
manageable.
Use of Commas
 To separate three or
more elements in a
series.
 Example: Fred's doglike-girlfriend is short,
hairy, and drooling.
Use of Commas
 With conjunctions (the
“fanboys”: for, and, nor,
but, or, yet, so) to
combine independent
clauses into a sentence
 Example: Joe woke up
next to his girlfriend, but
he did not recognize her
after a long night.
Use of Commas
 To set off an
introductory phrase,
clause or word.
 Example:
Fortunately, the
opening pitch didn’t
count.
Use of Commas
 To separate part of a
sentence that is not
necessary or to add
extra details.
 Example: Eleanor,
his wife of thirty
years, was a severe
pain in the neck.
Use of Commas
 To separate coordinate
adjectives, a series of
modifiers describing the
same noun.
 Example: Joe has a tall,
hairy, brown-haired
girlfriend.
Use of Commas
 To use as an
opening for a
quoted phrase.
 Example: Carl
says, “I like
french-fried
taters.”
Use of Commas
 To express ideas
that contradict
each other
 Example: Some
say the world will
end in fire, not ice.
Use of Commas
 Typographical Reasons
 Between City and State (Newport
News, VA)
 Between a Date and a Year (June
29, 2007)
 Between a title and a name when
the title comes after the name
(Rick Dollieslager, Professor of
English)
 In long numbers
(19,278,340,192,372)
Abuse of Commas
 Don’t split the
subject from verb
by unnecessary
use of a comma.
 Example: Studying
for a test, is
recommended to
pass.
Abuse of Commas
 Don’t put a comma
between two
compound verbs or
compound verb
phrases.
 Example: I turned
the corner, and ran
smack into a patrol
car.
Abuse of Commas
 Don’t put a comma
between two nouns,
noun phrases, or noun
clauses in a compound
subject or compound
object.
 Example: The music
teacher from your high
school, and the football
coach from mine are
married to each other.
Abuse of Commas
 Don’t put a comma after
the main clause when a
dependent (subordinate)
clause follows it, which
separates the verb from
the complement (the
completion of the
thought).
 Example: The cat
scratched at the door,
while I was eating.
Works Cited
 "Using Commas." OWL: Online Writing Lab. 2007.
Purdue University Writing Lab. 26 Jun 2007
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g
_comma.html>.
 Darling, Charles. "Rules for Comma Usage." Guide to
Grammar and Writing. 2004. Capital Community
Technical College Foundation. 28 Jun 2007
<http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/comma
s.htm>.