Writing skills success - LearningExpress 2009
Lesson 5. Commas that separate
Pretest
The fi nest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.
—George Eliot, British poet (1819-1880)
LESSON SUMMARY
Besides setting off sentence parts, commas are used in many other situations. This lesson reviews the many instances in which you should use commas to separate sentence elements.
Commas are used to separate or clarify relationships between sentence parts to make the meaning of a sentence clear and easy to grasp. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use commas to separate independent clauses, items in a series, items in a date or address, two or more adjectives preceding a noun, and contrasting elements and words that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence. The last section of the lesson explains how to use commas in the greetings and closings of a friendly letter.
Begin by seeing how much you already know about commas that separate. Add commas where you think they are needed to the Problem column on the next page. Check your answers against the corrected version in the Solution column. Try to identify the rules that apply to those you missed as you go through the lesson.
Problem
Dear Ms. Ames
I want to thank you for writing the recommendation letter. It was a very kind gesture. I also wanted to tell you that Mr. Matthews the director of the camp offered me the counselor job. I will work at Camp Arrowhead in June July and August. Additionally I will accompany the campers on a week-long trip to Hershey Pennsylvania.
I will have many responsibilities at the camp but most of my time will be spent organizing the sports activities. I will be teaching the campers to play soccer basketball and tennis all sports that I happen to love. Louise who directs the sports program at Camp Arrowhead is an accomplished athlete with a dynamic personality. I am looking forward to working with her.
Ms. Ames I am so grateful for all your support. Without your guidance as well as your confidence in me I wouldn’t have received this job offer. When I begin my summer job I will be ready to make an excellent impression as an eager and well-prepared young woman. This summer thanks to you will be one that I will never forget.
By the way you can write to me at Camp Arrowhead 303 Valley Road Lebanon Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Commas with Independent Clauses Joined by a Conjunction
As you may recall from Lesson 3, an independent clause is a group of words that could stand alone as a complete sentence. A conjunction is a joining word: and, but, or, for, nor, so, or yet. Sometimes, a writer will combine two or more independent clauses to form a compound sentence. If a conjunction joins the clauses, place a comma after the first clause. The commas and conjunctions are highlighted in the following examples.
Solution
Dear Ms. Ames,
I want to thank you for writing the recommendation letter. It was a very kind gesture. I also wanted to tell you that Mr. Matthews, the director of the camp, offered me the counselor job. I will work at Camp Arrowhead in June, July, and August. Additionally, I will accompany the campers on a week-long trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I will have many responsibilities at the camp, but most of my time will be spent organizing the sports activities. I will be teaching the campers to play soccer, basketball, and tennis, all sports that I happen to love. Louise, who directs the sports program at Camp Arrowhead, is an accomplished athlete with a dynamic personality. I am looking forward to working with her.
Ms. Ames, I am so grateful for all your support. Without your guidance, as well as your confidence in me, I wouldn’t have received this job offer. When I begin my summer job, I will be ready to make an excellent impression as an eager and well-prepared young woman. This summer, thanks to you, will be one that I will never forget.
By the way, you can write to me at Camp Arrowhead, 303 Valley Road, Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Examples:
I went to bed early last night, so I felt rested this morning.
The city’s economic situation has improved, but there are still neighborhoods where many people depend on the generosity of others in order to live.
Susan worked through lunch, and now she is able to leave the office early.
If independent clauses are joined without a conjunction, they are separated by a semicolon instead of a comma.
Examples:
I went to bed early last night; I felt rested this morning.
The city’s economic situation has improved; however, there are still neighborhoods where many people depend on the generosity of others in order to live.
Susan worked through lunch; now she is able to leave the office early.
Practice
Use commas and semicolons to correctly punctuate the following sentences. Answers are at the end of the lesson.
1. You can safely view an eclipse through the viewing glass of a welding helmet or you can look through a piece of overexposed film.
2. Jack my cat will lounge lazily in the bay window most of the afternoon soaking up the warmth of the sun.
3. The young calf put its head over the fence and it licked my hand.
4. Icebergs in the Antarctic are flat and smooth but those in the Arctic are rough.
5. Only resort members are allowed to enter the pool area please have your membership pin visible at all times.
6. I like Sam he likes me for we are best of friends.
7. The inventory is valued at one million dollars but it’s not enough to cover our debt.
8. If you know of anyone with data processing experience encourage him or her to apply for this new position.
Commas to Separate Items in a Series
Commas are used to separate items in lists of similar words, phrases, or clauses to make the material easier for a reader to understand. The last item in a series is also usually preceded by a conjunction. Strictly speaking, no comma is needed before the conjunction. (However, many writers—some test writers included— prefer to use a comma before the final conjunction to avoid confusion.)
Examples:
Al, Jane, Herbert, and Willis all applied for the promotion.
The old Tempo’s engine squealed loudly, shook violently, and came to a halt.
The instructions clearly showed how to assemble the equipment, how to load the software, and how to boot the system.
If each item in the series is separated by a conjunction, no commas are needed.
Example:
Billie and Charles and Cameron performed at the company Christmas party.
Commas to Separate Items in a Date or an Address
When giving a complete date in the format month - day - year, put a comma on either side of the year. When giving a date that is only a month and year, no comma is needed.
Use a comma to separate each element of an address, such as the street address, city, state, and country. A comma is also used after the state or country if the sentence continues after the address.
Examples:
We moved from Fayetteville, North Carolina, on May 16, 2005.
Since November 1994, Terry has lived at 654 36th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Dwana attended Drake University, in Des Moines, Iowa, both fall 2004 and spring 2005.
Practice
Add commas and end marks where they are needed to the following sentences. Use not only what you are learning in this lesson, but also what you learned in Lesson 4. Answers appear at the end of the lesson.
9. For safety reasons make sure the tires are properly inflated you should check the oil too.
10. The homegrown philosopher who lives next door at 251 Acorn Street Libertyville Kansas claims to know exactly who invented the wheel sliced bread and kissing.
11. On May 4 2006 Richard celebrated his birthday in grand style he turned 61.
12. Looking for a solution to the printing problem Karissa asked an older employee questioned the supervisor and finally consulted the printer manual.
13. Baruch brought a pasta salad to the potluck Shannon brought peanuts mints and pretzels.
Commas to Separate Adjectives
Use commas to separate two or more equally important adjectives.
Examples:
Alex avoided the friendly, talkative, pleasant boy sitting next to him at school.
The carpenter repaired the floor with dark, aged, oak flooring.
The reporter spoke with several intense, talented high school athletes.
Pay close attention to the last sentence. You’ll notice that the words several and high school are also adjectives modifying athletes. Not all adjectives modifying the same word are equally important. Only those of equal importance are separated with a comma. If you apply one or both of these tests, you can easily tell whether a comma is needed:
■ Change the order of the adjectives. If the sentence reads just as clearly, separate the adjectives with a comma. If the sentence becomes unclear or sounds awkward, do not use a comma. The first two example sentences make sense even if the position of the adjectives is changed. The last example sentence makes no sense if you change the order of any of the adjectives other than intense and talented. Therefore, those are the only adjectives separated by a comma.
✓ Alex avoided the talkative, friendly, pleasant boy sitting next to him at school.
✓ The carpenter repaired the floor with aged, dark, oak flooring.
X The reporter spoke with intense, several, talented, high school athletes.
■ A second, equally effective test is to place and between the adjectives. If the sentence still reads well, then use commas between the adjectives. If the sentence sounds unclear or awkward, do not use commas. Again, this works with the first two example sentences, but in the last sentence, and makes sense only between intense and talented. Where do commas go in the following sentences?
We bought an antique wrought iron daybed.
The envelope contained three crisp clean brand-new one hundred dollar bills.
You should have punctuated the sentences like this:
We bought an antique, wrought iron daybed.
The envelope contained three crisp, clean, brand-new one hundred dollar bills.
Commas to Separate Other Elements of a Sentence
■ Use commas to separate contrasting or opposing elements in a sentence. The comma functions as a signal to the reader: What follows is an opposite idea. It makes the idea easier for the reader to grasp.
Examples:
We searched the entire house, but found nothing. We need strong intellects, not strong bodies, to resolve this problem.
The racers ran slowly at first, quickly at the end. We expected to meet the president, not a White House aide.
■ Use commas to separate words or phrases that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence.
Examples:
The deadline, it seemed clear, simply could not be met.
We came to rely, however, on the kindness and generosity of the neighbors.
The alternative route, we discovered, was faster than the original route.
■ Whenever the name of the person being addressed is included in a sentence, it should be set off by commas.
Examples:
Dave, we wanted you to look at this layout before we sent it to printing.
We wanted you to look at this layout, Dave, before we sent it to printing.
We wanted you to look at this layout before we sent it to printing, Dave.
■ Mild exclamations included in a sentence are also set off with commas.
Examples:
Well, that was certainly a pleasant surprise.
Yes, I’ll call you as soon as we get the information.
Heavens, that was a long-winded speaker.
■ Use a comma after the greeting and closing of a personal or friendly letter.
Examples:
Dear Uncle Jon,
Sincerely,
Yours truly,
Practice
Choose the correctly punctuated version of each of the following sets of sentences. Keep in mind what you learned about commas in the previous lesson.
14. a. Oscar’s grocery list included bread, milk, toothpaste, soap, dog food, and a fly swatter.
b. Oscar’s grocery list, included bread, milk, toothpaste, soap, dog food and a fly swatter.
c. Oscar’s, grocery list included bread, milk, toothpaste, soap, dog food, and a fly swatter.
15. a. My daughter loved the museum, my son, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind.
b. My daughter loved the museum; my son, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind.
c. My daughter loved the museum, my son, on the other hand was bored out of his mind.
16. a. Well, Marcus, I hope that Lisa left you a number where she can be reached.
b. Well, Marcus I hope that Lisa left you a number where she can be reached.
c. Well Marcus, I hope that Lisa left you a number where she can be reached.
17. a. When I go to my yoga class, I need to bring comfortable clothes a yoga mat and a bottle of water.
b. When I go to my yoga class I need to bring comfortable clothes, a yoga mat, and a bottle of water.
c. When I go to my yoga class, I need to bring comfortable clothes, a yoga mat, and a bottle of water.
18. a. The restaurant I believe is located at 112 West Orange Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
b. The restaurant, I believe, is located at 112 West Orange Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
c. The restaurant, I believe, is located at 112, West Orange Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
19. a. Ben, and Trace, and Samuel are all excellent athletes students and musicians they play in a rock band together.
b. Ben and Trace and Samuel are all excellent athletes, students, and musicians, they play in a rock band together.
c. Ben and Trace and Samuel are all excellent athletes, students, and musicians; they play in a rock band together.
20. a. I’m afraid, Mr. Dobbs, that you lack the qualifications for this job; but we have another that might interest you.
b. I’m afraid Mr. Dobbs, that you lack the qualifications for this job, but we have another that might interest you.
c. I’m afraid, Mr. Dobbs, that you lack the qualifications for this job, but we have another that might interest you.
21. a. Usually, at the company picnic we play badminton, Frisbee golf, volleyball, and horseshoes.
b. Usually, at the company picnic, we play badminton Frisbee golf, volleyball and horseshoes.
c. Usually at the company picnic, we play badminton, Frisbee, golf, volleyball, and horseshoes.
22. a. We will advertise our biggest sale of the decade on June 21, 1997, the 25th anniversary of our Grand Opening sale.
b. We will advertise our biggest sale of the decade on June 21 1997, the 25th anniversary of our Grand Opening sale.
c. We will advertise our biggest sale of the decade on June 21, 1997 the 25th anniversary of our Grand Opening sale.
23. a. Exhausted by the heat, rather than the exertion, Ming collapsed under a tall shady oak tree.
b. Exhausted by the heat rather than the exertion, Ming collapsed under a tall, shady oak tree.
c. Exhausted by the heat, rather than the exertion, Ming collapsed under a tall, shady oak tree.
Answers
1. You can safely view an eclipse through the viewing glass of a welding helmet, or you can look through a piece of overexposed film.
2. Jack, my cat, will lounge lazily in the bay window most of the afternoon, soaking up the warmth of the sun.
3. The young calf put its head over the fence, and it licked my hand.
4. Icebergs in the Antarctic are flat and smooth, but those in the Arctic are rough.
5. Only resort members are allowed to enter the pool area; please have your membership pin visible at all times.
6. I like Sam; he likes me, for we are best of friends.
7. The inventory is valued at one million dollars, but it’s not enough to cover our debt.
8. If you know of anyone with data processing experience, encourage him or her to apply for this new position.
9. For safety reasons, make sure the tires are properly inflated; you should check the oil, too.
10. The homegrown philosopher, who lives next door at 251 Acorn Street, Libertyville, Kansas, claims to know exactly who invented the wheel, sliced bread, and kissing.
11. On May 4, 2006, Richard celebrated his birthday in grand style; he turned 61.
12. Looking for a solution to the printing problem, Karissa asked an older employee, questioned the supervisor, and finally consulted the printer manual.
13. Baruch brought a pasta salad to the potluck. Shannon brought peanuts, mints, and pretzels.
14. a.
15. b.
16. a.
17. c.
18. b.
19. c.
20. c.
21. c.
22. a.
23. c.
TIP
As you read the newspaper, a book, or written materials at work, take special note of the commas you see. Try to remember why a comma might be used in each of the situations. Since commas are one of the most frequently misused punctuation marks, look for places where other writers have misused them.