Phrase: Group of words lacking a subject and / or verb

Clause: Group of words with both a subject and verb.

A sentence consists of two parts: the SUBJECT and the

PREDICATE.

The subject tells whom or what the sentence is about. The

predicate tells something about the subject

Examples:

Subject PredicateWater spilled.Dina bought the salad.

The simple subject is the main word or group of words that tells

whom or what the sentence is about

Examples:

The television is broken again.

Examples:

The television is broken again.

Who was the performer in that concert?

Examples:

The television is broken again.

Who was the performer in that concert?

Walking to his car, Antonio whistled his favorite song.

The simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase that tells

something about the subject.

Examples:

Pauline was restless and bored.

Did Omar memorize his lines for the show?

Recognizing complete sentences and independent clauses (clause with a subject and predicate) will

help combat comma errors.

Commas are used in sentences on paper the same way that pauses are used in speech—to clarify

and convey meaning.

An effective way to determine natural pauses is to read the

sentence out loud.

There are many more specific rules as well. Here is a list of

common comma rules to follow.

1.Put commas after

introductory elements coming before the main

sentence.

1. a. Put commas after

introductory adverb clauses.

1. a. Put commas after

introductory adverb clauses.

These clauses begin with words like while, when, but, although, and like, among

others.

Examples:When I ride my bike, I never fall

down.

Although the vote was a close one, Kennedy beat Nixon.

1. b.Put commas after

introductory –ing phrases.

Examples:Foaming and splashing, the water

crashed against the rocks.

Running too fast, I slipped on the ice.

1.c.Put commas after introductory

prepositional phrases.

Examples: Without further ado, here is the

Heisman Award winner.In today’s society, money is the

ultimate goal for many.

1.d.Put commas after introductory

infinitive phrases. Infinitives are the word “to” + a verb.

Examples:To vote in America, a person

must be 18.To be successful, you must have

an education.

1.e.Put commas after other

introductory phrases or words that could be misread or

misunderstood.

Examples:However people do have successes

without education.

Examples:However people do have successes

without education.

However, people do have successes without education.

Examples:Beyond the stars flashed in the dark

space.

Examples:Beyond the stars flashed in the dark

space.

Beyond, the stars flashed in the dark space.

Examples:Yes he has made his choice.

Examples:Yes he has made his choice.

Yes, he has made his choice.

2.Put commas before these 7

conjunctions when they connect two full sentences: AND, BUT,

OR, NOR, FOR, SO, YET.

Examples:I tried to run, but I kept falling

down.

Examples:I tried to run, but I kept falling

down.I tried to run but fell down

repeatedly.

Examples:The president is the leader, so he

makes the final decisions

Examples:The president is the leader, so he

makes the final decisionsThe president is the leader and

makes the final decisions.

3.Put commas between words in a

series of three or more.

Example:Some basic parts of speech are

nouns, verbs, adverbs, and prepositions.

4.Put commas around words or

phrases that interrupt sentences.

Examples:The man, however, was not fooled

by the trick.The water, dashing against the rocks, foamed and splashed.

5.Use commas to set off non-restrictive

elements and other parenthetical elements.

5.A non-restrictive modifier is a phrase or

clause that does not restrict or limit the meaning of the word it is modifying.

(Even though removing the non-restrictive

element would result in some loss of meaning, the sentence would still make sense without it.)

5.You should usually set off non-restrictive

elements with commas:

-Dr. Forester, who teaches chemistry, will retire next year.

-The getaway vehicle, which was pock-marked with rust, was parked in the

driveway.

6.Commas are used in certain

conventional places.

a.With numbers: St. Cloud has a population of 45,000.

b.With dates: Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

c.With addresses: John lives at 434 Court Ave., Delbert, ND, 55555.

d.With titles and degrees: My teacher is Jim James, Ph.D.

e.With direct quotations: Mary said, "How are you?"

"Strangely enough," he said, "I am fine.”