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Jamie Sue Reed

North Carolina State University

Commas and:

1. Introductory clauses

2. Free modifiers

3. Major pauses

4. Coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives

5. Nonessential and essential elements

6. Dates, places, addresses, titles

7. Series

8. Quotes

9. Independent clauses

Abuse of commas with:10. Dependent clauses

11. Two verbs

12. Subject-verb

13. Compound subjects and objects

Common starter words for introductory clausesthat should be followed by a comma include: after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while.

1) While I was eating the cat scratched at the door.

2) Because her alarm clock was broken she was late for class.

3) If you are sick you ought to see a doctor.

4) When the snow stops falling we'll shovel the driveway.

Common introductory phrases that should be followed by a

comma include:

5) Having finished the test he left the room.

6) To get a seat you'd better come early.

7) After the test but before lunch I went jogging.

8) Because the sun radiated intense heat we sought shelter in the cafe.

Common introductory words that should be

followed by a comma include: yes, however, well.

9) Well perhaps he meant no harm.

10) Yes the package should arrive tomorrow morning.

11) However you may not be satisfied with the results.3

A

B

C

after, although, as, because,

if, since, when, while

SLIDE

3

Before we get

to the

next

slide…

you need

to know

what a

modifier is….

Use commas to set off phrases atthe end of the sentence that refer to the beginning or middle of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers. You have to be careful with all modifiers that you ensure clarity regarding placement of the comma and clause.

Lisa waved at Nancy laughing joyously. (What’s theproblem?)

Nancy waved enthusiastically at the docking ship laughing joyously. (This is better because Nancy is clearly laughing, since ships do not laugh.)

Laughing joyously Lisa waved at Nancy. (Here, Lisa is clearly laughing and this is no longer a free modifier, but still needs to be offset by a comma.)

Lisa waved at Nancy who was laughing joyously.

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5

LMAO!

1

2

3

4

Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrastedcoordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.

The recruiter was merely ignorant not stupid.You're one of the general’s close friendsaren't you?The private seemed innocent even gullible.

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6

The robot seemed reflectivealmost human.

You can determine if two adjectives in a row

are coordinate by asking these questions:

He was a difficult stubborn child.

Your cousin has an easy happy smile.

They lived in a white frame house.

She often wore a gray wool shawl.

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7

Can you reverse the adjectives and it still makes sense?

Can you write and between them

and it still makes sense?

Yes!

Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, or words that are not essential to the sentence.

Use a comma before the pause and after the pause.

Is it nonessential? Ask these questions:

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If you leave out the phrase, or word, does the sentence

still make sense?

Does the phrase, or word interrupt the flow of words

in the sentence?

Can you move it in the sentence?

Yes? Then add a comma!

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9

Clause: That sandwich,which happens to have my puppy in it, is the last sandwich I had in my pantry.

Word: I appreciate your hard work. In this case, however, you seem to have over-exerted yourself.

Phrase: This restaurant has an exciting atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is rather bland.

1

2

3Fred, who often cheats, is just

hurting himself.

Apples, which are my favorite fruit,are the main ingredient in this.

My niece, wearing a yellow

jumpsuit, is playing in the hall.

Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as relative clauses beginning with “that." That clauses after nouns or verbs expressing mental action are always essential.

That clauses after nouns:

The book that I borrowed from you is excellent.

The apples that fell out of the basket are bruised.

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10

That clauses after verbs expressing mental action:

She believes that she will earn an A.

He is dreaming that he can fly.

I contend that it was wrong to mislead her.

They wished that warm weather would finally arrive.

Other essential elements:

Students who cheat only harm themselves.

The guy wearing the red shirt is my nephew.

The candidate who had the least money lost the election.

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Birmingham, Ala., gets its name from Birmingham, England.

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Jacob Hooker, PhD, graduate of the College, was selected as the first recipient of the Young Alumnus Award in 2009.

These sculptures were on a roof at 6300 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, N.C.

You need a comma between the day and year, and after the year:

July 22, 1959, was a momentous day in his life.

When you use just the month and the year, no comma is necessary after the month or year:

The average temperatures for July 1998 are the highest on record for that month.

Use commas between items and before the last item in a list:

WORD

The Constitution establishes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

PHRASE

The candidate promised to lower taxes, protect the environment, reduce crime,and end unemployment.

CLAUSE

The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime, who had a strong revenge motive, and who had access to the murder weapon, was guilty.

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13

Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.

John said without emotion, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I was able," she answered, "to complete the assignment."

In 1848, Marx wrote, "Workers of the world, unite!"

“ ”SLIDE

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1

2

3

Independent

clause:

Dependent

clause:

Cannot stand

alone as a

sentence.

I went to the movies

with my boyfriend

and we had a rotten

time.

I dumped my

boyfriend and went

to the movies.

The last thing you hoped to learn when you signed

up for my class….

Can stand alone

as a sentence.

Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions:

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16

The game was over,but the crowd refused to leave.

The student explained her question,yet theinstructor still didn't seem to understand. Yesterday was her

brother's birthday, soshe bought him a puppy.

1

2

3

Can stand

alone as a

sentence.

Yes, I am doing this. I am showing you a graphic illustration of comma abuse.

(No commas were actually harmed in the making of this illustration.)

Don't put a comma before a dependent clause except for cases of extreme contrast.

She was late for class,because her alarm

clock was broken.

The cat scratched at the

door, while I was eating.

She was still quite upset,although she had won the

Oscar.

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(This comma use is correct

because it is an example of

extreme contrast)

Cannot stand

alone as a

sentence.

Don't put a comma between

two verbs or verb phrases.

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19

We laid out our music

and snacks, and began to study.

2

I turned the corner,and ran smack into a patrol car.

1

Don't use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.

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20

The most important attribute of a ball player, is quick reflex actions.

An eighteen-year-old in California, isnow considered an adult.

1

2

Subject

verb

adjective

object

adjective

object

I have two dogs and one cat.

Compound object = More than 1 object.

Subject

linking word

subject

verb

adjective

object

Greg and I have two dogs.

Compound subject = More than 1 subject.

Don't put a comma between a compound subjector compound object.

Compound subject:

The music teacher

from your high school, and the football

coach from mine

are married. Compound object:

Jeff told me that the

job was still available, and that the manager

wanted to interview me.

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23

1

2

2

3

Where does the missing punctuation go in the following pictures?

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1

“Why I Won’t HirePeople Who UsePoor Grammar”

KYLE WIENSHarvard Business Review

Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing — like stocking shelves or labeling parts.

In the same vein, programmers who pay attention to how they construct written language also tend to pay a lot more attention to how they code….

And just like good writing and good grammar, when it comes to programming, the devil is in the details. In fact, when it comes to my whole business, details are everything.

I hire people who care about those details. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other (important) things also aren’t important.

That’s why people who walk in the door looking for a job are given a grammar test. Grammar is my litmus test. All applicants say they’re detail-oriented; I just make my employees prove it.

And I guarantee that even if other companies aren’t issuing grammar tests, they pay attention to sloppy mistakes on résumés. After all…

sloppy is as sloppy does.

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