WREN Webinar: PUN 201 – Deleting Basic Comma Errors

Mr. Loeb English II Kenwood Academy High School 2014-2015

Our Goals  

•  Kenwood Academy 10th grade writers will… 1.  Achieve 3 points growth between the pre-PLAN and post-

PLAN. 2.  Achieve 85% mastery on all English and Reading College

Readiness Skills covered in the course. 3.  Score an average of 85% on all writing assignments by

the end of the year.

•  Have you ever haphazardly placed a comma in a sentence simply because you “thought it should be there”?

•  This is a common error that many inexperienced writers make; they place commas thinking about where pauses should be instead of following the rules about how to combine sentences and ideas using commas.

•  Today’s webinar is going to discuss the purpose of the comma as a punctuation mark, why we use commas, and review some basic comma skills that every writer needs.

Overview  

•  The comma is used in many contexts and languages, mainly for separating parts of a sentence such as clauses, introductory prepositional phrases, interrupters, non-essentials, items in lists, and many other sentence structures.

•  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comma comes directly from the Greek komma (κόμμα), which means something cut off or a short clause.

•  The first uses of the modern comma were done by Aldus Manutius, a Venice publisher, sometime during the 15th century.

The History and Purpose of the Comma  

•  Over the years, the comma has taken on many uses and evolved.

•  Today, it is widely known as one of the more annoying, misused, and confusing punctuation marks to use in the English language.

•  People tend to overuse the comma, oftentimes creating comma splices, separating elements of a sentence that probably shouldn’t be separated.

•  While many writers use the comma to create pauses in prose, this may lead to more misuses (and it usually does).

The History and Purpose of the Comma  

•  Today, we’re going to go over a few basic comma rules that are more simple than the ones we’ve been learning.

–  Rule #1: Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple

series of three or more items.

–  Rule #2: Use a comma to separate two adjectives when the adjectives are interchangeable.

–  Rule #3: Do not place commas (a) between subjects and verbs or (b) between compound subjects and compound verbs.

–  Rule #4: Do not place commas (a) before prepositional phrases that end a sentence or (b) between a verb and the direct object.

Basic Comma Rules  

•  Rule #1: Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items.

•  Example(s): – My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law,

and nephew. –  I read Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and

Othello over the summer. –  Jane prepared grape tomatoes, cucumber, and

hummus as appetizers for the party.

Explanation of Skill: Rule #1  

•  Rule #2: Use a comma to separate two adjectives when the adjectives are interchangeable.

•  Example(s): – He is a strong, healthy man. – The rich, renowned writer was at the book

signing. – Mark was a smart, competent boss.

Explanation of Skill: Rule #2  

•  Rule #3: Do not place commas (a) between subjects and verbs or (b) between compound subjects and compound verbs.

•  Example(s):

– My brother, fell down.

–  Jack, and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water.

– He thought quickly, but still did not answer correctly.

Explanation of Skill: Rule #3  

•  Rule #4: Do not place commas (a) before prepositional phrases that end a sentence or (b) between a verb and the direct object.

•  Example(s): –  She found her locket, in the closet on the floor.

–  I’ll be sure to pick you up on the way to school, in the morning.

–  We have had our share, of arguments.

–  She will most likely become, the suspect of the crime case.

Explanation of Skill: Rule #4  

Practice: (1) Label the subject (S) and verb (V) in each sentence; (2) underline any prepositional phrases that you find; (3) add or delete commas as you see fit; (4) write down the rule next to each answer you record by writing either Rule #1, Rule #2, etc. 1.  Jeremy, and I, have had our share of arguments. 2.  I need sugar, butter, and eggs, from the grocery store. 3.  She finished her work, and then, took a long lunch. 4.  He left the scene of the accident, and tried to forget that

it had happened. 5.  She listened to her favorite record with close careful

attention.

WREN Skills Practice: PUN 201  

Directions: Correct any comma issues below based on the rules we have covered today. After each correction you make, write down the rule number you applied. The overall impact of the Arizona SB 1070 has many layers. From labor to tourism, should this become active law, millions of people will be affected. Likely, this controversial topic will become, the centerpiece of an on-going battle for years to come between the Federal government, and any state that attempts to pass such laws that are feared to challenge and undermine the Constitution. One aspect, that remains as important factor within the history of the United States is the idea that race issues are still as active as ever. Race issues make people so uncertain and afraid that Americans often question the progress of our democratic society.

Scholar Challenge: PUN 201