Writing skills success - LearningExpress 2009

Lesson 4. Commas and sentence parts
Pretest

The writer who neglects punctuation, or mispunctuates, is liable to be misunderstood For the want of merely a comma, it often occurs that an axiom appears a paradox, or that a sarcasm is converted into a sermonoid.

—Edgar Allan Poe, American poet (1809-1849)

LESSON SUMMARY

Commas, one form of internal punctuation, play an important role in many sentences. In this lesson, learn how they highlight specific parts of a sentence in order to make them cohesive with the rest of the sentence.

During this lesson, you will learn how to use commas in relationship to sentence parts. As you progress through this lesson, remember what you learned about sentences and sentence faults in Lesson 3. Before you begin this lesson, see how much you already know about commas and sentence parts. Insert commas where you think they should be in the Problem version of the sentences that appear on the next page. Check your answers against the corrected version of the sentences in the Solution section that follows.

Commas Following Introductory Words, Phrases, and Clauses

Use a comma to set off introductory words, phrases, and clauses from the main part of a sentence. The comma keeps a reader from accidentally attaching the introductory portion to the main part of the sentence and having to go back and reread the sentence. In other words, commas following introductory elements will save the reader time and reduce the chances of misinterpreting what you write. Examine the following examples to see how introductory words, phrases, and clauses are set off with commas.

Words:

Disappointed, we left the movie before it ended.

Annoyed, the manager stomped back into the storeroom.

Amazed, Captain Holland dismissed the rest of the troops.

Phrases:

Expecting the worst, we liquidated most of our inventory.

Badly injured in the accident, the president was gone for two months.

Reluctant to make matters any worse, the doctor called in a specialist.

Clauses:

If we plan carefully for the grand opening, we can increase sales.

While we were eating lunch, an important fax came.

Because we left before the meeting ended, we were not eligible to win a door prize.

Remember the fragment section of Lesson 3? Part of it dealt with subordinate or dependent clauses. Subordinate or dependent clauses are what you see in the last set of previous examples. The first part of each sentence, the subordinate or dependent clause, is followed by a comma. The two parts of each of these sentences could very easily be reversed and the sentence would still make sense. However, if you reverse the sentence parts, making the independent clause the first clause in the sentence, you would NOT need a comma.

Subordinate clauses after the independent clause:

We can increase sales if we plan carefully for the grand opening.

An important fax came while we were eating lunch.

We were not eligible to win a door prize because we left before the meeting ended.

Practice

Choose the correctly written sentence from each of the following pairs. Answers are provided at the end of the lesson.

1. a. Content for the first time in his life, Bryce returned to school.

b. Content for the first time in his life Bryce returned to school.

2. a. After eating the train conductor finished his scheduled route and headed back to the train yard.

b. After eating, the train conductor finished his scheduled route and headed back to the train yard.

3. a. I will never forget this moment, as long as I live.

b. I will never forget this moment as long as I live.

4. a. By the time we finally made up our minds, the contract had been awarded to someone else.

b. By the time we finally made up our minds the contract had been awarded to someone else.

5. a. Indignant, Mr. Caster left the restaurant without leaving a tip.

b. Indignant Mr. Caster left the restaurant without leaving a tip.

6. a. Wayne was delighted when he found out he’d been awarded the leading role in the show.

b. Wayne was delighted, when he found out he’d been awarded the leading role in the show.

7. a. By designing the program ourselves, we saved a great deal of expense.

b. By designing the program ourselves we saved a great deal of expense.

8. a. Weeping Wanda gently wiped her eyes while adsorbed in her favorite opera.

b. Weeping, Wanda gently wiped her eyes while adsorbed in her favorite opera.

9. a. Dripping with water from head to toe, Angie climbed the bank of the river.

b. Dripping with water from head to toe Angie climbed the bank of the river.

10. a. The company honored its oldest employee at the annual meeting.

b. The company honored its oldest employee, at the annual meeting.

Commas help a reader know which words belong together. Add commas to the following sentences to help make their meaning clear.

1. Inside the house was clean and tastefully decorated.

2. After running the greyhounds settled back into their boxes.

3. Alone at night time seems endless.

4. As he watched the game slowly came to an end.

You should have marked the sentences like this:

1. Inside, the house was clean and tastefully decorated.

2. After running, the greyhounds settled back into their boxes.

3. Alone at night, time seems endless.

4. As he watched, the game slowly came to an end.

Commas with Appositives

An appositive is a word or group of words that immediately follows a noun or pronoun. The appositive makes the noun or pronoun clearer or more definite by explaining or identifying it. Look at the following examples. The appositives and appositive phrases have been highlighted.

Examples:

Rachel Stein won the first prize, an expense-paid vacation to the Bahamas.

New Orleans, home of the Saints, is one of my favorite cities.

One of the most inspiring motivators in college basketball is Dr. Tom Davis, coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Sometimes, a proper name that identifies or further explains will follow a noun or pronoun. Although this is also a type of appositive, it is not set off by commas.

Examples:

My sister Deb lives four hours away.

The noted novelist Barbara Kingsolver writes about the South and Southwest.

Place commas where they are needed in the following sentences.

1. Ms. Mason the bank manager scheduled a meeting with new employees.

2. MP3 players devices virtually unheard of a decade ago are very common today.

3. Maggie loves to take long walks on the nature trail an oasis of calm.

4. Health care coverage a major consideration for everyone has steadily worsened over the years.

5. The poem was written by Sylvia Plath a very accomplished poet.

6. My friend Cynthia threw me a surprise party last year.

You should have marked the sentences like this:

1. Ms. Mason, the bank manager, scheduled a meeting with new employees.

2. MP3 players, devices virtually unheard of a decade ago, are very common today.

3. Maggie loves to take long walks on the nature trail, an oasis of calm.

4. Health care coverage, a major consideration for everyone, has steadily worsened over the years.

5. The poem was written by Sylvia Plath, a very accomplished poet.

6. My friend Cynthia threw me a surprise party last year. (no comma needed)

Commas and Nonrestrictive Clauses

Earlier in this lesson, you learned that a subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a comma, but a subordinate clause any other place in the sentence is not set off by a comma. This is true only if the clause is an essential clause. In some sentences, a clause cannot be omitted without changing the basic meaning of the sentences. Omitting such a clause changes the meaning of the sentence or makes it untrue. Such a clause is called an essential or restrictive clause.

Example:

All drivers who have had a drunk driving conviction should have their licenses revoked.

All drivers should have their licenses revoked.

The highlighted clause is essential because the meaning of the sentence is changed drastically if the clause is removed from the sentence. A restrictive clause is not set off with commas.

However, a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause must be set off by commas. A clause is nonrestrictive if it simply adds information that is not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence. If a nonrestrictive clause is removed, the basic meaning of the sentence is not changed.

Example:

My father, who is still farming, is 74 years old.

My father is 74 years old.

The highlighted clause is nonrestrictive. If it is removed from the sentence, the basic meaning of the sentence is not changed. Nonrestrictive clauses usually begin with one of these subordinating conjunctions: who, whom, whose, which, or that. (Technically, the proper subordinating conjunction for a restrictive clause is that, while nonrestrictive clauses use which, but in practice, many writers ignore this distinction.)

Practice

Each of the following sentences contains a subordinate clause. These are highlighted for you. If the clause is restrictive, or essential, write R in the box at the right. If the clause is nonrestrictive, or nonessential, put N in the box and set the clause off with commas. Answers are at the end of the lesson.

11. Cheryl my college roommate sent me a postcard from Mexico. □

12. My grandfather who was born in Berlin speaks with a German accent. □

13. James who is very shy had a great deal of trouble with his first speech. □

14. All employees who have put in more than 10 hours of overtime this week may take this Friday off. □

15. People who are born on February 29 grow old more slowly than the rest of us. □

16. Animals that have backbones are called vertebrates. □

17. Nicotine which is present in tobacco products is a powerful poison. □

18. Many Scandinavian names end with -sen or -son both of which mean son of. □

19. We live on Fleur Drive which is right next to the airport. □

20. Mrs. Olson is not a teacher who takes homework lightly. □

Review

This next exercise reviews everything you have learned so far. This passage contains no commas, end marks, or capitalization. Use what you have learned to add capitalization, end marks, and commas to make sense of the Problem version of the passage. Check your work against the Solution version that follows.

Problem

even though peter liked his job a great deal he always looked forward to his summer vacation it was the highlight of his year usually he spent two weeks in the middle of july at camp wi wi ta which was 40 miles from his home he was responsible for six physically challenged children for 24 hours a day for two weeks how he loved camp peter took the counseling job one he loved dearly very seriously each morning he rose before the first child awoke and never went to bed until the last of his kids went to sleep at night the best part of the job was challenging the kids to do things for themselves peter would insist that they comb their hair or cut their own food even if they begged for help the camp dean and some of the other counselors thought peter was slacking on the job but he didn’t see it that way he enjoyed knowing that his kids left camp more capable and confident than they had been when they arrived

Solution

Even though Peter liked his job a great deal, he always looked forward to his summer vacation. It was the highlight of his year. Usually, he spent two weeks in the middle of July at Camp Wi Wi Ta, which was 40 miles from his home. He was responsible for six physically challenged children for 24 hours a day for two weeks. How he loved camp!

Peter took the counseling job, one he loved dearly, very seriously. Each morning, he rose before the first child awoke and never went to bed until the last of his kids went to sleep at night. The best part of the job was challenging the kids to do things for themselves. Peter would insist that they comb their hair or cut their own food even if they begged for help. The camp dean and some of the other counselors thought Peter was slacking on the job, but he didn’t see it that way. He enjoyed knowing that his kids left camp more capable and confident than they had been when they arrived.

Answers

1. a.

2. b.

3. b.

4. a.

5. a.

6. a.

7. a.

8. b.

9. a.

10. a.

11. N. Cheryl, my college roommate, sent me a postcard from Mexico.

12. N. My grandfather, who was born in Berlin, speaks with a German accent.

13. N. James, who is very shy, had a great deal of trouble with his first speech.

14. R. All employees who have put in more than 10 hours of overtime this week may take this Friday off.

15. R. No commas are needed.

16. R. No commas are needed.

17. N. Nicotine, which is present in tobacco products, is a powerful poison.

18. N. Many Scandinavian names end with -son or -sen, both of which mean son of.

19. N. We live on Fleur Drive, which is right next to the airport.

20. R. No commas are needed.

TIP

As you learned in this lesson, omitting commas before introductory elements or wrongly placing commas around restrictive clauses can lead to humorous misreadings. Write some sentences of your own that are hard to read without commas, like this: “As they ate the horse moved closer.” Then correct them by adding commas.