Style Guidelines based on MLA 8 and Strunk & White

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1 Comma Rules Style Guidelines based on MLA 8 and Strunk & White Series Places Dates Titles Interjections Adjectives Adverbs Contrast Quotes Direct Address Introductory Phrases Compound sentences Dependent Clauses Nonessential Phrases & Clauses To Prevent confusion Do Not use a Comma

2 Series Use a comma after each item (except the last) in a list or series of three or more.

3 Series These coordinate conjunctions may be used in series. And Or Nor * special case Your jersey, socks, helmet, and cleats are in the bag. Ohio State, Baylor, or UCLA is my best option. He spent the game on the bench, neither running nor hitting nor pitching.

4 Series Basketball, football, and softball are the most common team sports in high school athletics. This comma just before the conjunction is called the serial comma or the Oxford Comma.

5 Series Do not use a comma with a coordinate conjunction joining only two items. x offense, and defense winning, or losing offense and defense winning or losing

6 Series Basketball, football, and softball are the most common team sports in high school athletics. Soccer, lacrosse, and swimming are popular with both males and females. Unusual sports offered by some schools include fencing, cricket, judo, and rodeo.

7 Places Use a comma after the city (not the state) in a mailing address.

8 Places Return Address Your Name Street Address City, ST ZIP Address Recipient Name Street Address City, ST ZIP

9 Places Heading Your Street Address City, ST ZIP Date Greeting Dear Sir: Inside Address Recipient Name Street Address City, ST ZIP

10 Places National High School Hall of Fame P.O. Box 690 Indianapolis, IN 46206

11 Places Use a comma after each part of the address in a sentence.

12 Places We traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, to visit the National High School Hall of Fame. This rule applies when city and state or city and country are named, when state/province and country are named, or when all three are included.

13 Dates Use a comma after the date and the year only when all three parts of the date are included.

14 Dates On December 31, 1938, teams from Kentucky and Connecticut played in a national championship game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

15 Dates Do NOT use a comma when only one or two parts of the date are given. Mike Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team in November 1978 and made the JV team instead. Football players graduating in 2018 can sign with a Division I or II college between February 7 and April 1.

16 Titles Use a comma before and after a title or degree following a person s name.

17 Titles James Andrews, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon known for his work with famous athletes. Ken Griffey, Sr., and Ken Griffey, Jr., both played on major league baseball teams. Sherry Werner, PhD, offers clinics for fastpitch softball pitchers.

18 Titles In the MLA Works Cited list, do not include titles or degrees with a person s name. DO include a suffix (like Jr. or IV) after the person s first name. MLA Tip Griffey, Ken, Jr. Griffin, Robert, III.

19 Interjections Use a comma before and after an interjection in a sentence (unless an exclamation mark is used).

20 Interjections An interjection is a word or phrase that is not grammatically related to the rest of the sentence and usually shows emotion. Hey! Wow hmm Yikes Oh, no!

21 Interjections Hey, would you like to go to the dance with me after the game? Aww, that s sweet of you... but, well, I have to babysit tomorrow. Alright, maybe some other time then, okay? Yeah, sure, maybe next week. Bye... woohoo!

22 Adjectives Use a comma between two coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun.

23 Adjectives Coordinate adjectives are two (or more) adjectives that are equal in rank and precede a noun. Quantity (Number) Quality (judgement) size age shape color origin purpose three dented old Rawlings baseball bats one tired, grouchy old baseball coach

24 Adjectives Coordinate adjectives are two (or more) adjectives that are equal in rank and precede a noun. Ask these questions to decide whether adjectives are equal in rank: Can I change the order of the adjectives? Can I insert the word and between the adjectives? one tired, grouchy old baseball coach one grouchy, tired old baseball coach one tired and grouchy old baseball coach

25 Adjectives Officials in an Oklahoma football controversy have been accused of making misguided, biased decisions. Random drug tests are administered in an attempt to prevent unfair, illegal doping among athletes. After suffering a severe, frightening concussion, the star quarterback quit playing football.

26 Adverbs Use a comma after a transitional or conjunctive adverb.

27 Adverbs A transitional adverb helps to connect one sentence or paragraph to the next by showing the relationship between thoughts. However FirstNext Meanwhile Finally In fact Therefore They usually begin a sentence or independent clause.

28 Adverbs First, playing high school sports requires a lot of time. Students who play sports must divide their time between practicing and studying; however, athletes have a higher mean GPA than non-athletes.

29 Adverbs Use a comma before and after the word too meaning also.

30 Adverbs Cheering is considered a sport, too. Dancers, too, spend hours practicing and working out.

31 Contrast Use a comma before and after words, phrases, or clauses that show contradiction.

32 Contrast You tried out for the volleyball team, didn t you? Our school doesn t have pep rallies for the bowling team, even when they win the state championship! Horseback riding, not skiing, is the most expensive sport.

33 Quotes Use a comma before beginning and end quotation marks.

34 Quotes According to ESPN, Some high school districts across the country are lowering minimum GPA requirements for studentathletes in an effort to keep them on the field and in the classroom.

35 Quotes We realized, said an administrator, that when we kicked kids off the team, they weren t going to the library instead. If a kid s able to do both work hard and maintain in the classroom and on the field he shouldn t have to compete with somebody who s one-sided, responded one high school athlete.

36 Direct Address Use a comma before and after naming the person or group being addressed.

37 Direct Address Let s go, Lady Panthers! Coach, I finished selling my raffle tickets for the fundraiser. Listen up, team, here s our game plan...

38 Introductory Phrases Use a comma after introductory phrases of more than three words.

39 Introductory Phrases In order to be a top high school athlete, a player needs commitment to and passion for the sport. Without a natural athletic physique, you can still develop strength and quickness through training, practice, and hard work. According to Malcolm Gladwell s book Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours of focused practice to become expert at any skill.

40 Compound Sentences Use a comma before a coordinate conjunction joining two independent clauses.

41 Compound Sentences The coordinate conjunctions can join words, phrases, or clauses. Do not use a comma when they join two words or two phrases. For And Nor but or yet so FANboys

42 Compound Sentences Phrase or clause? A clause always has a subject and a verb. Who or What Is or Does What

43 Compound Sentences Many high school students dream of playing their sport in college, but only about six percent of high school athletes play in the NCAA.

44 Compound Sentences About 1 out of every 30 high school men s basketball players plays in college, and fewer than 1 in 10,000 eventually plays in the NBA. Ice hockey has the highest percentage of high school players go on to play in college and professional leagues, so maybe you should try that sport.

45 Compound Sentences Can t remember whether the comma should be before or after the conjunction? Use alphabetical order: comma comes before conjunction. Memory Tip Com con

46 Dependent Clauses Use a comma after a dependent clause.

47 Dependent Clauses A dependent clause is a set of words that contains a subject and a predicate, but does not express a complete thought. Instead, it modifies or adds information about an independent clause. Tells Why Because teens bones are growing in uneven spurts, muscle and tendon injuries are common in adolescent athletes.

48 Dependent Clauses A dependent clause that acts as an adverb in a sentence always begins with a subordinating conjunction. Since when After Because if Teens bones are growing in uneven spurts. Because teens bones are growing in uneven spurts

49 Dependent Clauses The dependent clause may come at the beginning or end of a sentence. A comma is not required if the dependent clause follows the independent clause. Because teens bones are growing in uneven spurts, muscle and tendon injuries are common in adolescent athletes. Muscle and tendon injuries are common in adolescent athletes because teens bones are growing in uneven spurts.

50 Dependent Clauses Although repeated injuries can lead to long-term problems that require surgery, injured athletes often feel pressured to play through the injury. When a sports injury occurs, it s important to get treatment and follow a doctor s advice about when to return to play.

51 Nonessential Phrases & Clauses Use a comma before and after nonessential (parenthetical) words, phrases, or clauses.

52 Nonessential Phrases & Clauses Ask these questions to determine whether a phrase or clause is nonessential: Can I remove these words without changing the essential meaning of the sentence? If I remove these words, is it still clear who or what the sentence is about? Coach Bryant, my favorite teacher, taught me to prepare mentally for the game.

53 Nonessential Phrases & Clauses The Guinness Book of World Records, which has been published annually since 1955, has information about some unusual sports records. The world record for fastest 100-meter hurdles wearing swim fins, held by Christopher Irmsher of Germany, is seconds.

54 Nonessential Phrases & Clauses Linsey Lindberg set a record for crushing ten apples with her biceps, the muscles in the upper arm, within one minute.

55 To Prevent Confusion Use a comma whenever needed to prevent confusion.

56 To Prevent Confusion After racing, the sprinters cooled down with an easy jog. Without asking, the team planned a surprise party for the graduating seniors.

57 Do Not Use a Comma Do not use a comma between subject and predicate.

58 Do Not Use a Comma Adding a comma arbitrarily between the subject and predicate causes confusion for the reader. x First, playing high school sports, requires a lot of time. First, playing high school sports requires a lot of time.

59 Do Not Use a Comma Do not use a comma between parts of a compound predicate.

60 Do Not Use a Comma A compound predicate is found in a clause with more than one verb (and verb complements). x Michael Jordan played in the NBA for fifteen seasons, and also spent one year playing minor league baseball. Michael Jordan played in the NBA for fifteen seasons and also spent one year playing minor league baseball.

61 Do Not Use a Comma Do not use a comma after the main (independent) clause in a complex sentence.

62 Do Not Use a Comma Remember that the rule is to place a comma after the DEPENDENT clause. (The exception is when the dependent clause creates contrast or contradiction.) x It s important to get treatment and follow a doctor s advice about when to return to play, after a sports injury occurs. It s important to get treatment and follow a doctor s advice about when to return to play after a sports injury occurs.

63 Commas & Spacing Do not leave a space BEFORE a comma. Words, words, and more words

64 Commas & Spacing Do leave a space AFTER a comma followed by a word. Words, words, and more words

65 Commas & Spacing Do not leave a space after a comma followed by CLOSING quotations or parentheses. Words, My words, and more words

For Middle & High School

Quick Reference Guide For Middle & High School For the Teacher This flipbook makes a handy reference tool that students can store in their binders or glue into interactive notebooks. To make this an interactive