Commas, Colons & Semi Colons

Commas and Compound Sentences

• Conjunctions: and, but, or, for, nor• Use a comma when two complete sentences are joined together

with a conjunction.

Fix the following sentences:1. Turkeys are not exactly known for their great brain power

and nobody thinks that worms are likely to win scholarships to Harvard.

2. He hated television and music but he loved doing algebra equations more than anything on Earth.

3. Mary and Joe went on a hike up the Absolom Canyon on a beautiful day.

Commas in a Series

• Commas serve as little dividers.

• When a list or a series of items are used, you need to separate then so that they don’t run together.

• EXAMPLE:NO Calvin liked sausage

cereal and prune tarts for breakfast.

YES Calvin liked sausage, cereal, and prune tarts for breakfast.

Three or more comma before the conjunction

 

 

USE COMMAS TO SEPARATE ITEMS IN A SERIES.

 

 

Fish, ice cream, burritos and coffee are the specialty of the house at Eduardo's Exquisite Cuisine.

Using Commas with Appositives

• Appositive-an interrupting element. It interrupts the flow of the sentence to give more information about a noun in the sentence.

EXAMPLE:

Katy saw the dog, the one with the curly tail, and knew she had to have it.

Fix the following sentences:

1. Hockey my favorite sport can be dangerous.

2. I was very much afraid of the Abominable Snowman the mysterious creature that supposedly haunts the Northwest until he came to my door selling light bulbs.

Using Commas with a Parenthetical Expression

•Parenthetical Expression-is a word or phrase that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. KINDS OF PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSIONS

Names of people being addressed

Listen carefully, Bob and Lucinda, while I explain.

That is a logical conclusion, Pete.

Certain adverbs The other sand dune, therefore, is several meters higher.

Roberta will not be able to go with us, however.

Common Expressions The sand, I think, is scarce on Peruvian deserts.

They believe in her ability, of course.

Contrasting Expressions These dune, not those, resemble crescents.

The decision should be mine, not yours.

Using Commas Between AdjectivesAdjective-describing word

When two or more adjective are used before a noun commas should be used to separate them, except…

•When adjective must stay in a specific order.

EXAMPLES:

Three brief hours will be enough to reach the mountain. (no commas)

If changed-Brief three hours will be enough to reach the mountain. (no sense, the order MUST stay the same, therefore, NO commas)

An experienced desert guide led us into the Sahara. (no commas)

If changed- A desert experienced guide led us into the Sahara.

Commas needed if you can change the adjectives and the sentence still makes sense.

EXAMPLES:

The long, dry stretches of sand were mesmerizing.

The dry, long stretches of sand were mesmerizing.

Using Semi Colons with Independent Clauses

A semi colon is a period over a comma.

•Use a semi colon to join two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction.

EXAMPLE:

The fire began with a tossed match; in that one moment in 1676, all of Jamestown began to burn.

Marianne’s report was Christopher Newport; Dave’s was about General George McClellan.

•Use a semi colon to avoid confusion.

Use a semi colon to avoid confusion when an independent clause or items in a series already contain commas.

EXAMPLE:

Three important dates in Jamestown history are April 30, 1607; September 10, 1607; and January 7, 1608.

I used to live in Chicago, Illinois; Memphis, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Orlando, Florida.

Fix the following sentences. Replace commas with semi colons where needed.

1. In Williamsburg, particularly, there were wig makers, who provided wigs for successful men and women, saddlers, who made saddles and other horse equipment, and cabinet makers, who produce fine furniture.

2. The cities of Williamsburg, Virginia, New Bern, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, became centers of commerce.

Use a Semi Colon to Join Independent Clauses with a Conjunctive Adverb or a Transitional Expression

Conjunctive adverbs: also, besides, furthermore, however, indeed, instead, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, then, therefore, thus

Transitional expressions: as a result of, at this time, consequently, first, for instance, in fact, on the other hand, second, that is

EXAMPLE:

We were very impressed with the child’s knowledge of history; indeed, she was remarkable well informed about the first English settlement.

Fix the following sentences. Replace commas with semi colons where needed.

1. English investors supported the Jamestown settlement, therefore, Virginia became a popular destination.

2. The desire to acquire land inspired the colonist, indeed, many Virginians joined in the westward expansion.

Colons

A colon is… :Rules when to use a colon-

Rule 1: Use a colon before a list of items following an independent clause.

EXAMPLE:

You can visit these historic places in Virginia: the Jamestown Archaeological Laboratory, Jamestown Festival Park, and James Fort.

Rule 2: A colon is used to indicate time with numerals, to end a salutation in a business letter, and to signal important ideas.

EXAMPLES:

Numeral-3:04 P.M.

Salutation- Dear Ms. Langley:

Labels- Notice: Shop is closed for repairs.

Fix the following sentences. Insert the missing colon.

1. Settlers in Virginia during the early eighteenth century included German settlers of many religious backgrounds Amish, Lutherans, and Mennonites.

2. Caution Deer Crossing

3. We saw several deer in the woods two bucks, five does, and three fawns.

4. Dear Mr. Connolly

5. Notice Classes Cancelled

6. Gentleman This is to inform you of a change in schedule.

7. The meeting will be held today at 200 P.M. , not 330 P.M.

8. The meeting will cover these topics schedule, budget, guidelines, and goals.

9. Does your flight arrive at 830 or 900?

Hyphens

• A hyphen is used to combine numbers and word parts, to join certain compound words, and to show that a word has been broken between syllables at the end of a line.

TWO-WORD NUMBERS

Example: There were thirty-four people panning for gold.

FRACTIONS USED AS AN ADJECTIVE

Example: A fourth-fifths majority wanted to head west.

• PREFIX AND PROPER NOUNExample: Many settlers moved west in the

post-Revolutionary years.Prefixes-anti, mid, post, pre, pro, un• ALWYS WITH PREFIXES ALL, EX, SELF,

AND SUFIX –ELECTExamples: all-powerful, self-determined, ex-

leader, governor-elect• TWO NOUNS OR MORE USED AS ONE

WORDExamples: lady-in-waiting, great-

grandfather, secretary-treasurer

• DIVIDING WORDS AT THE END OF A LINE

Rules: 1. do not divide one syllable words

2. do not divide a word so that one letter stands alone

3. divide a word between consonants or at syllables

Example: dig-ging, far-ther, re-group, snow-fall