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 review, have students create their own example sentences for each comma rule. I ask my students to write two example sentences for each rule; they write them on the back of the previous page so that they re visible as they read the rule. I also like to have students highlight the specific words, phrases, or clauses in the example sentences that indicate a comma is needed. Teacher preparation is simple! Make one copy of page 3 per four students and cut apart for the flipbook cover. Make one copy of pages 4 10 for each student. Have students cut the pages apart. Stack them using the numbers in the upper right margin. Place the cover on top and staple above the dashed line. If this material is a review for your students, they could likely go through the entire booklet and write example sentences for each rule within a 90-minute class, which might make this an easy lesson plan for a sub. I prefer to break this into mini-lessons, though, and review three or four rules at a time over a period of several days. My students seem to retain the information better when it s not presented all at once. However you prefer to use this flipbook, I hope you find it as helpful as I have! p
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1 3 After each item (except the last) in a series of three or more 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. After the date and year when all three parts of the date are included On December 31, 1938, teams from Kentucky and Connecticut played in a national championship game in Baton Rouge, LA. Mike Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team in November 1978 and made the JV team instead. Football players graduating in 2015 can sign with a Division I or II college between February 4 and April 1. series dates 2 4 After the city (Not the state) in a mailing address National High School Hall of Fame P.O. Box 690 Indianapolis, IN 46206 After each Part of the address in a sentence We traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, to visit the National High School Hall of Fame. Before & After a title or degree after a person s name James Andrews, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon known for his work with famous athletes. Ken Griffey, Sr., and Ken Griffey, Jr., both played major league baseball. Sherry Werner, Ph.D., offers clinics for fastpitch softball pitchers. places titles
5 6 Before & after an interjection in a sentence (unless an Exclamation mark is used) Between two coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun Hey, would you like to go with me to the dance after the game? Aww, that s sweet of you, but, well, I have to babysit tomorrow. Alright, maybe some other time then, okay? 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. Yeah, sure, maybe next week. Bye... Woohoo! After suffering a severe, frightening concussion, the star quarterback quit playing football. interjections adjectives
7 8 After transitional and conjunctive adverbs First, playing high school sports requires a lot of time. before & After words, phrases, or clauses that show contrast or contradiction Students who play sports must divide their time between practice and studying; however, athletes have a higher mean GPA than non-athletes. Before & After the word Too meaning also Cheering is considered a sport, too. Dancers, too, spend hours practicing and working out. You tried out for the volleyball team, didn t you? Our school doesn t have pep rallies to support the bowling team, even when they win the state championship! Horseback riding, not skiing, is the most expensive sport. adverbs contrast
9 10 Before Beginning and End Quotation marks According to ESPN, Some high school districts across the country are lowering minimum GPA requirements for student-athletes in an effort to keep them on the field and in the classroom. Before & After naming the person or group being addressed Let s go, Lady Panthers! Coach, I finished selling my raffle tickets for the fundraiser. We realized, said an administrator, that when we kicked kids off the team, they weren't going to the library. 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, said one high school athlete. Listen up, team, here s our game plan Quotes direct address
11 12 After introductory phrases of more than three words Before a coordinate conjunction joining two independent clauses 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. Many high school students dream of playing their sport in college, but only about six percent of high school athletes play in the NCAA. 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. Introductory phrases compound sentences
13 14 After a dependent clause Before & After nonessential words, phrases, or clauses Because teens bones are growing in uneven spurts, muscle and tendon injuries are common. 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. 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 14.82 seconds. Linsey Lindberg set a record for crushing ten apples with her biceps, the muscles in the upper arm, within one minute. dependent clauses nonessential phrases & clauses
15 16 whenever needed to prevent confusion Do Not use a comma After racing the sprinters cooled down with an easy jog. After racing the sprinters? 1. Between subject and verb 2. Between parts of a compound predicate After racing, the sprinters cooled down with an easy jog. 3. After the main clause in a complex sentence Without asking the team planned a surprise party for the graduating seniors. Without asking the team? Without asking, the team planned a surprise party for the graduating seniors. Commas & Spacing 1. Do not leave a space before a comma. 2. Do leave a space after the comma if a word comes next. 3. Do not leave a space after the comma if it is followed by closing quotation marks or parentheses. To prevent confusion Do not use a comma
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