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Commas Until You Cry !
No handbook says to use commas
where you pause while speaking!
Blah blah blah
[pause = ,] blah blah
blah [pause = ,] blah
blah blah …
Don’t hook your reader’s eyes with
unnecessary commas! When in
doubt, leave them out!
Ouch!
As builders do with skyscrapers,
create successful sentences by
learning when and where to place
commas.
Each sentence part
that follows will–
depending on its
location –connect
with a comma.
Prepositional Phrase
• Begins with a preposition, a word that
•
•
•
shows location in place or in time. Click
here for a complete list.
Might include optional description.
Ends with a noun.
Check out these examples:
That tasty poodle went
over my tongue,
down my throat,
and into my
stomach!
Participle Phrase
• Begins with a present or past participle.
• A present participle always ends in ing.
• A past participle frequently ends in ed.
• An irregular past participle takes a variety of
forms. Click here for a complete list.
• Might include modifier(s) to finish the
•
thought.
Check out these examples:
Ground like hamburger,
boiling in swamp water,
seasoned with garlic, the
tasty poodle simmered in a
pot!
Infinitive Phrase
• Begins with an infinitive [to + verb].
• Might include modifier(s) to finish the
•
thought.
Here are some examples:
To eat
another tasty
poodle or to
be satisfied
with just that
one ...
Appositive
• An appositive is a noun phrase that
renames another noun.
• An appositive comes either right before or
right after the noun it describes.
• Check out this example:
The poodle,
yapping
fur ball,
a
was not as
tasty as the
human foot I
snagged last
week.
Noun of Direct Address
• A noun of direct address is a name
•
inserted into the sentence to indicate who is
receiving the information.
Removing the noun of direct address will
not change the meaning of the sentence.
•
•
•
•
Marvin
Mr. Trump
Dad
Sweetheart
Compare this sentence …
I have
already
eaten
Marvin.
Burp
Burp!
… to this sentence.
No thank you! I have
already eaten,
Marvin.
Adverb
• Modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
• Many end in ly ; many others, however, do not.
• In terms of comma placement, worry only about those
•
adverbs that act as transitions between sentences or
between paragraphs.
Check out these examples:
Unfortunately,
poodles give me
indigestion.
That fact, however, will
not keep me from eating
them.
Subordinate Clause
• Begins with a subordinate conjunction, such as
although, because, if, when, while, etc.
•
•
•
Click here for a complete list.
Includes a subject and a verb.
Does not, however, express a complete
thought.
Check out these examples:
If you ever fall
off a boat ...
While I am
swimming nearby ...
Speaker Tag
• Introduces a direct quotation.
• Includes a subject and verb.
• Check out this example:
Then my
doctor said,
“Poodles are
bad for your
health!”
Comma Tip 1
• All introductory elements require a
comma when they are connected to a
main clause that follows.
• The pattern looks like this:
Introductory
element
+ , +
main
clause.
• For more detailed information, consult
the handout version of this slide.
1. Because she is short , Francine
loves to go food shopping with
Rachel, a tall friend. Strolling down
the aisles, Francine asks Rachel to
grab packages of imported crackers
and boxes of high-fiber cereal, items
that are always too high to reach.
2. On top of the computer monitor in
the bedroom, a collection of stuffed
unicorns supervises the work Lori
completes at the keyboard below.
3. Akram has a problem hitting the
snooze button on his alarm over and
over. To get to his first class on time ,
Akram frequently eats a donut in the
car, getting crumbs all over the seat of
his new vehicle.
4. Pablo walked all the way across
campus before he noticed the
lightness of his book bag.
Suddenly, he realized that his
heavy chemistry text was on the
backseat of his car.
5. In English class, no one wants to sit
next to Eli because he is always
smacking his gum loudly. Moreover ,
he nervously swings his leg, kicking
people in the thighs, shins, and
ankles.
Only one more
sentence part to
learn!
Nonessential Clause
• Begins with who, whoever, whom,
whomever, where, wherever,
which, or whichever.
• Contains a subject and a verb.
• Check out this example:
I can still eat poodle
dinners, which I
really enjoy, in
moderation.
Comma Tip 2
• All interrupters require a comma in
front and behind when they break the
flow of a complete sentence.
• The pattern looks like this:
First part of the sentence
interrupter
+ , +
+ , +
rest of the sentence.
• For more detailed information, consult
the handout version of this slide.
1. George used War and Peace , a
heavy, thick, intimidating book , to
smash the cockroaches he found
crawling on the walls of his
college dorm room.
2. Take this soup bone, Joe , and
give it to the puppy before he
starts chewing on our shoes.
3. "When you get hungry ," my
mother announced, "I want you to
try a bowl of this squid eyeball
stew."
4. Mr. Finklestein , who assigns more
papers than he has time to grade ,
keeps student essays half a
semester before returning them.
5. January, the month Julie usually
dreads because of its cold, dark
mornings, was unusually warm this
past year.
Comma Tip 3
• All concluding elements require a
comma when they are connected at the
end of a main clause.
• The pattern looks like this:
Main
clause
+ , +
concluding
element.
• For more detailed information, consult
the handout version of this slide.
1. Jennifer tolerated the family
reunion , slapping mosquitoes with
a paper plate and drinking iced
tea to combat the heat.
No
concluding
2. In a panic, Tony searched the interior
of his car. He hoped to find his
biology lab work under the
front
seat
element
=
no
or among the clutter in the trunk.
comma!
3. At Burger King, James tried to
keep pace with Theodore , who
can eat a Whopper in thirty
seconds flat.
4. “ Don’t bother to ask Mom ,”
warned Sue. “ She never extends
curfew, especially if you tell her
that you will be out with a guy. ”
5. At the West Oaks Mall food
court, Aisha winked at Rodney, a
cute young man in a tight T-shirt.
Comma Tip 4
• Follow these rules when you use commas with
and.
Complete sentence
+ , + and
complete sentence.
Ø
item
+
item
+ , +
+ and +
item
item
+ , + and +
item
• For more detailed information, consult the
handout version of this slide.
item + and
1
+ item = no
comma!
. Tony wanted to order a pizza
from Papa John's and some
Peking duck from Lam's Garden.
2. Debbie rushed to get the report
typed, and Martha frantically
answered the phones.
item + and +
3
item = no
comma!
. I don't know when to leave my
credit card at home and when to
say no to a Big Mac with fries.
4. When Mike took his Toyota to
the dealership, the mechanics
wanted to put in a new starter,
replace his shocks, and overhaul
the transmission.
item
+
and
+
5
item = no
comma!
. Because George snores to wake
the dead and because Fuzzball,
the dog, barks at the slightest
sound, Alice never gets a good
night's sleep.
Comma Tip 5
• Follow these rules when you use commas with
nonessential clauses.
The student
+
ø
+
Robert
+ , +
+
ø
+
essential clause
ran to his class.
+ , +
nonessential clause
ran to his class.
• For more detailed information, consult the
handout version of this slide.
Essential
1. People who know their
grammar rules shouldn't
clause
= no
always correct those
of us
who don't.
commas!
2. My brother James, who
cannot please Dad, has
decided to move to
Michigan.
Essential
3. The basketball players
whom I admire the most
clause
play for teams =
otherno
than
the Orlando Magic.
commas!
4. The movie Aliens , which I
have seen twenty-seven
times , contains too much
violence for my nephews
to watch.
5. We watched a crazy kid on
a skateboard weave through
the heavy traffic on Orange
Avenue. The kid , who had
no fear of death or litigation ,
leaped a curb and crashed
into a lawyer walking along
the sidewalk.
Comma Tip 6
• Follow these rules when you use commas
with a series of adjectives.
coordinate
adjective
noncoordinate
adjective
+,+
+ø+
coordinate
adjective
noncoordinate
adjective
• For more detailed information, consult the
handout version of this slide.
1. Two cluttered computer
tables and an unmade,
sagging bed fill Antonio's
small bedroom.
2. The cute , soft , frisky ferret
will bite your fingers if you
try to pick him up.
3. Michael's faded , ragged
New York Jets jacket was
an inappropriate choice of
clothing for his second
interview at Sun Trust
Bank.
4. The hot, spicy, appetizing
bowl of squid eyeball stew
steamed on the clean,
shiny kitchen counter.
5. A strange smell emanated
from Barbara's blue ,
disorganized book bag,
which lay on the floor
beside her desk.
Comma Tip 7
• Follow these rules with so and so that or
so [that implied].
Complete sentence
+ , + so +
complete sentence.
Complete sentence
+
ø
+ so that +
subordinate clause.
• For more detailed information, consult the
handout version of this slide.
Implied
that
microwave for his first
apartment so he could
after
soand= no
cook popcorn
macaroni and cheese, the
only
meals he could afford.
comma!
1. Robbie bought a small
2. Sylvia wore flat shoes
on
Implied
that
her date with Tony so she
wouldn’t intimidate
thisno
after
so
=
short young man with her
height.
comma!
Implied
that
3. Yuko bought a small
aquarium and some
after
so
= no
goldfish so
her apartment
wouldn’t feel so lonely.
comma!
4. Patrick always carries an
English handbook with him,
even to basketball games ,
so that he can check other
people’s grammar wherever
he goes.
5. Rachel neglected to make
her car payment three
months in a row, so she
must hide her Honda Civic
in friends’ garages in an
attempt to foil the repo
man.