Comma Rules

The 10 (or 11) comma rules, taught by Michael Plasmeier for Honors 9th Grade level class on 3/9/2006.

Lesson Plan

Objectives

After the lesson, students will be able to:

Correctly and successfully use commas in their everyday writing
Correctly and successfully identify and/or insert commas into a paragraph
Know the 10 or 11 rules for when commas are used

Matrials

PlazWiki (this site)
Class set of laptops
Smart Board with PowerPoint

Instructional Strategies

Lecture / Present comma rules on PowerPoint slide show
...
Fix a paragraph on PlazWiki (solo activity) (in two shifts; what does the other shift do?)

Assessment Techniques

Fix a paragraph exercise by self
...

Steps

Introduce 10 (or 11) comma rules in PowerPoint slide show
...
...
...
Fix a paragraph exercise
(other shift);...

Lecture/Presentation

The Comma Rules

Introduction

The comma is a valuable, useful punctuation device because it separates the structural elements of sentences into manageable segments.
"comma" comes directly from the Greek komma, which means "something cut off" or "a short clause".
The rules provided here are those found in traditional handbooks; however, in certain rhetorical contexts and for specific purposes, these rules may be broken.

Before Coordinating Conjunctions for Compound Sentences

Use comma before an coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
Used to connect two independent clauses in a compound sentence
Ex: Joe has seven chickens, but Jack has three.
Ex: I asked you to repeat that, yet you didn’t.

Set off an Introductory Phrase or Clause

Introductory clauses are dependent clauses that provide background information or "set the stage" for the main part of the sentence, the independent clause. For example:
If they want to win, athletes must exercise every day. (introductory dependent clause, main clause)
Because he kept barking insistently, we threw the ball for Smokey. (introductory dependent clause, main clause)
Clue: Introductory clauses start with adverbs like after, although, as, because, before, if, since, though, until, when, etc.
(We call this a complex sentence)

Important Exception

Ex: Because she fell, she was late to class.
Don’t put a comma when the dependent clause comes after the independent clause
Ex: She was late for class, because she fell.
Instead: She was late for class because she fell.

Transition/Introductory Words and Phrases

Use a comma to set off transition words from the rest of the sentence
Common introductory phrases that should be followed by a comma include participial and infinitive phrases, absolute phrases, nonessential appositive phrases, and long prepositional phrases (over four words).
Ex: Unfortunately, there is no free lunch
Ex: I don’t want to take the test, however, I need to.

Set off an Appositives and Parenthetical Phrases

An appositive is a noun or pronoun -- often with modifiers -- set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it.
Parenthetical = (like Parentheses)
Only put commas before and after appositives when the sentence would make still sense without the appositive (non-restrictive)
Ex: Bill, my brother, got a job.

Don’t use a comma when...

after a brief prepositional phrase. (Less then five words)
after a restrictive (essential) appositive phrase.
to separate the subject from the predicate.
Ex: Preparing and submitting his report to the committee for evaluation and possible publication [x] was one of the most difficult tasks Bill had ever attempted.
To start a new business without doing market research and long-term planning in advance [x] would be foolish.
Extracting the most profit for the least expenditure on labor and materials [x] is the primary goal of a capitalist.

Separate Adjectives

Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives that describe the same noun
(coordinating adjectives) describe the same noun equally (Does it make sense to put in an and?)
Ex: I will go into the small, cramped room.
Not: The powerful [x] summer sun beat down upon them.

Quoted Words and Dialogue

Use a comma to set off quoted words and dialogue
Before the quote
Ex: I said, “go to the mall.”
After the quote
Ex: “Go to the mall,” I said.
Use a comma to set off the noun you are directly talking to.
Ex: Mom, go get me a soda.

Phrases that Express Contrast

Use a comma to set off phrases that express contrast or a distinct pause or shift
Ex: You need to pay attention now, not later.
Ex: The game is today, not tomorrow.

Mild Interjections

Use a comma to set off mild interjections!
Ex: Oh, it will freeze.
Ex: My gosh, that’s smart.

More Comma Abuse

Don’t use a comma to separate a subject from the verb
An ant, is the smallest bug.
Don’t put a comma between 2 verbs in a compound predicate
We put on our music, and began to study.
Don’t put a comma between 2 nouns (or noun phrases) in a compound subject
The music teacher, and the football coach are married

Separate Items in a Series or List

Use commas to separate items of three or more things
The last comma is sometimes left out (serial comma)
Ex: Milk, bread, and cheese

Dates and Years

Used to separating the day from the year when also writing the month.
Ex: March 19, 2005
Ex: June 17, 1905

Large Numbers

Used to present large numbers in more readable forms
Every 3 Places
Ex: 1,500,275 = One million, five hundred thousand, two hundred seventy-five
**Fun fact – In Europe and other countries, they use commas as decimal points and spaces for commas**

City and States

Used to separate the city from the state
Ex: Havertown, PA
Ex: Orlando, Florida

Names and Titles

Ex: Dr. Brown, PhD.
Ex: Mrs. Smith, R.N, B.S.
Also when using the last name first
Ex: Bond, James
Used often in books (and MLA)

And finally:

You have the power to put a comma in wherever necessary to prevent confusion or misreading

Ex: To George, Harrison had been a sort of idol. (note how it still sort of fits one of our rules)

More Help

• For more help ask me or download the extra presentation from the PlazWiki at Image:OWLComma.PPT

Exercise Instructions

Get laptops
Connect to the internet and go to http://theplaz.com
Hit “Log in” at the top right of the page
Type “Comma Rules” in to the search bar and hit “Go”
Find your number which I assigned to you and click on that
Hit edit at the top of the page
Edit the paragraph by inserting the commas where necessary. Fill in the total number of mistakes you found.
Hit “Save this page” and call me over.
The winner wins a “ThePlaz.com” T-Shirt

Sources

My notes from 8th Grade.
[1] (and other OWL pages)
"Comma (punctuation)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Mar 2006, 19:32 UTC. 5 Mar 2006,

22:27 [2] (and other pages)

Fix a Paragraph Exercise

Plaz will post a paragraph with errors on PlazWiki. Students will register and log on to edit paragraph on their own page. The first person finished from each shift wins a ThePlaz.com t-shirt (tentative)