Commas: Notes & Worksheets Part 1: Commas in Sentence Parts Commas with Introductory Elements Use a comma after mild interjections or introductory words such as oh, yes, no, and well. Yes, I admit that I love to watch the Daytona 500. Use a comma after an introductory prepositional phrase that contains additional prepositional phrases. In the middle of the race, the lead car blew out a tire. If you just have one prepositional phrase, make sure that it has at least four words for it to need a comma after it. During the long midnight storm, the baby continually cried. Use a comma after an introductory adverb such as accordingly, also, consequently, finally, indeed, meanwhile, surprisingly, and therefore. Unfortunately, that car is out of the race. Use a comma after an introductory adverbial clause (these are a type of dependent clause and usually describe the verb in the sentence). After the pace car exits the track, drivers may reach speeds of over 200 mph.
Use a comma after an infinitive (begins with the word to followed by a verb) or participial phrase (looks like a verb but acts as an adjective) that serves as an introductory element. INFINITIVE PHRASE To cover their expenses, racing teams solicit sponsors. PARTICIPIAL PHRASE Smiling politely, the driver accepted a $200,000 check. Commas with Interrupters Use commas to set off nouns of direct address. (A noun of direct address is the word naming the person or persons spoken to.) Marisa, have you ever worked as part of a pit crew? Use commas to set off parenthetical expressions, such as however, therefore, for example, I suppose, moreoever, and by the way. These can be anywhere in the sentence. By the way, your favorite driver will participate in the next heat. Use a comma to separate a question tagged onto the end of a sentence. That s a fairly common way of speaking, isn t it?
Commas with Nonessential Clauses and Phrases Use commas to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential participial phrases. NONESSENTIAL CLAUSE The pit crew manager, who also serves as the chief engineer, advised the driver of the car s condition. NONESSENTIAL PARTICIPIAL PHRASE The team, working hard for its driver s success, has won several races this year. ESSENTIAL CLAUSE The woman who won last year will compete today. (This is essential because it is giving us information that identifies which woman we are talking about no comma needed). Use commas to set off nonessential appositives and appositive phrases. APPOSITIVE Eddie Cheever s racing team, Team Cheever, has won the Indy 500. APPOSITIVE PHRASE Professional auto racing, often a very dangerous sport, requires extensive training and well-maintained equipment.
ESSENTIAL APPOSITIVE The main character in the book The Great Gatsby is actually Nick. (This is essential because it is giving us information that identifies which book we are talking about no comma needed). Commas with Compound Sentences Use a comma before the conjunction that joins the two independent clauses of a compound sentence. Ted had the best opening lap, but he lost the race. Make sure you re punctuating a compound sentence, not a simple sentence with a compound predicate. No commas are needed then. Ted had the best opening lap but lost the race. Commas with Series or Lists In a series of three or more items, use a comma after each item except for the last one. Racetracks can have dirt, asphalt, or concrete surfaces. Use a comma between two or more adjectives of equal rank that modify the same noun. A skilled, athletic pit crew should be able to get a driver back on the racetrack in less than 20 seconds. Do not use a comma if one adjective in a series modifies another. The driver in the olive green car is winning.
Exercise #1: Determining Where Commas Go in Sentences. Directions: For each of the following sentences, there are 19 commas missing. (1) First, insert the missing commas and circle the commas. (2) Second, you need to give the reason why the comma needs to be inserted into the sentence. Look at the following two examples. Example #1: Dr. Charles Drew, who has worked as a surgeon for twenty years, developed new ways of storing blood. Reason:_non-essential clause Example #2: I am going to take English, science, social studies, algebra, and Spanish. Reason:_Items in a series 1) Your first car may not be a brand-new model but you don t have to settle for a lemon either. 2) Affordable reliable used cars do exist. 3) To help you get the most for your money here is some time-tested advice. 4) Always bring along a responsible adult when you check out any car new or old you d like to purchase. 5) If possible, have a used car checked out by an experienced dependable mechanic. 6) When you take a test drive pay attention to how well the car accelerates.
7) Be certain that all equipment (including the lights windshield wipers gauges and engine) is in good condition. 8) Also find out whether the car comes with a warranty. 9) By consulting the Kelley Blue Book listing you can determine whether the price is fair. 10) Even if you desperately want a car always shop around before making a purchase. 11) My grandfather who likes to work on old cars just bought a 1960 convertible. 12) Always have someone with you when you swim or you may find yourself without help when you need it. 13) Elizabeth Blackwell completing her medical studies in 1849 became the first female doctor in the United States. 14) My friends knowing how much I like funny sweat shirts gave me several of them for my birthday last month. 15) Helium which is mixed with oxygen for deep-sea divers is an inert gas.
Exercise #2: Using Commas Directions: Insert commas where they are needed in each sentence. If no commas are necessary, write None on the line. 1) Please buy bread lettuce milk and orange juice at the grocery store. 2) The abandoned rustic barn is no longer sound enough to use. 3) Do you know Brian why the North Pole has such a cold climate? 4) Yes it is because the sun never rises far above the horizon there. 5) Naturally the bus left early on the only day I was running late. 6) Kurt likes to ski because it is good exercise because he likes to be outdoors and because he enjoys moving quickly. 7) We are studying the poetry of writer Langston Hughes. 8) The security guard who stands inside the bank was a high school athlete. 9) To stay under budget our class decided against an expensive band for the prom. 10) Marissa is a conscientious helpful assistant. 11) The United Nations which meets in New York City is now in session. 12) Before the children s parents left they gave Chandra the telephone number where they could be reached. 13) This excellent movie I suppose will be nominated for an award. 14) Lisa looked up the number and made the call. 15) The cat having been left alone all weekend complained loudly when its owner returned.
Exercise #3: Using Commas in Writing Directions: Insert commas where they are needed in the following paragraphs. Hunting whales seems unthinkable to us doesn t it? Well earlier in the history of our country whaling was an important industry. In the 1600s the colonists hunted right whales off the Atlantic coast. By the end of the 1700s right whaling had declined and sperm whaling had expanded throughout the Atlantic and into the South Pacific. Sperm whales produced three valuable products: sperm oil a fuel for lamps; spermaceti an ingredient in candles; and ambergris the base for expensive perfumes. Whaling was a profitable respectable business. The 19 th century saw a change in whaling. Lured by the dream of striking it rich in the California gold fields young men who had formerly signed up for whaling crews headed west. During the Civil War many whaling ships were sunk by the Confederate forces. Finally with the rise of the U.S. petroleum industry the late 1800s whaling declined even further. Today Americans no longer hunt whales but instead work to protect them. Exercise #4: Using Commas in Writing Directions: Insert commas where they are needed in the following paragraph. The sleek beautiful clipper ship is perhaps the best-known sailing ship built in the 1800s. Prized for its speed the clipper ship had a slender hull and up to six rows of sails on each mast. Its name was a derivation of clip, meaning to move swiftly. Indeed it could move at a top speed of 20 knots. Clipper ships carried tea from China wool from Australia and passengers and supplies to the gold fields in California. From New York on the East Coast the clipper ships could sail around the tip of South America and dock at San Francisco in about 100 days. The greatest designer of these ships was Donald McKay a Canadian. At his shipyard in East Boston Massachusetts McKay constructed over 30 ships. One of them Great Republic was the largest such boat ever built. Sailing on such a ship would be quite an adventure don t you think?