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Commas
a mark of punctuation indicating a pause between parts of a sentence; also used to separate items in a list
- use to separate elements in a series, including the last two items
- prevents situations in which the last two items will try to glom together (especially in long and complex lists)
- example: apples, bread, macaroni and cheese
- introductory clauses are dependent clauses that provide background information for the main part of the sentence
- introductory dependent clause, main clause
- Nonessential clauses: Unnecessary information in a sentence that is enclosed by commas.
atiqah - hannah - lou
Commas in introductory clauses
commas in Compound sentences
- the sentence must contain two independent clauses and a coordinating conjunction
- independent clause, coordinating conjunction, independent clause
Nonessential and Essential Clauses
Commas in a series
- Essential clauses: Important part of the sentence and is needed for a sentence to male sense.
Example: Paulette bought fresh broccoli, baker's chocolate, flour, sugar, and eggs.
I need to buy apples, bread, macaroni and cheese.
I need to buy apples, bread, macaroni, and cheese.
Example: For my project I needed to bring markers, colored pencils, construction paper, scissors, and glue.
Try It: The street was filled with angry protestors shouting spectators and police.
Try It: This morning I woke up got dressed brushed my teeth and ate breakfast.
Conjunctions to use a comma with:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Example: I hadn't seen my nieces and nephews for ages, so I went overboard on buying them Christmas gifts.
Combine them: We finished eating dinner. Then the children cleared the table.
Combine them: I slept through my alarm this morning. I had to run my fastest to catch the school bus.
Example: Before he went to New York, he had spent a year in Australia.
Example: To improve her English, she practiced it every day.
Try It: Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands.
Try It: On the sand of the beach by the inlet we relaxed in the sun.
Example:
Nonessential Clause: Tabitha is a girl, who loves wearing red, bought a new sweater which was a deep maroon.
Example:
Essential: The book that I borrowed from you is not my type of book.
Try It:
Does this sentence contain a nonessential clause or an essential clause?
I love all of the colours, especially red, that is why my wardrobe is colour-coordinated.