The Comma is Your Friend

A guide to using commas with confidence!

Our Agenda For Today Is...
1. Punctuate-and-partner warm-up.
2. Reading the “Dear John” letters.
3. What do commas do? 3 rules of using commas.
4. Writing 1 sentence weekend recap stories.
5. Funniest-side-note-ever competition.
6. Mix and match ideas with coordinating conjunctions.
7. Play Kahoot to review.
Our Objectives For Today Are...
1. To learn about what commas are and 3 rules of using them
2. To actively practice speaking and writing sentences with the correct comma usage
3. To practice using coordinating conjunctions in sentences
4. To evaluate which sentences use the correct comma rules and/or coordinating
conjunction rules and which rule they are using.
Punctuate-and-Partner Warm Up!
1. Read the slip of paper you’ve been given. It is either from a love letter or a break up letter.
2. Independently, place punctuation where you think they belong in the passage (e.g., . , ? ! ; )
3. Find a partner with a slip containing the same highlighted words and phrases as you.
4. Compare passages and talk about what differences you have between your passages.
5. Join another pair and share your findings.
“Dear John…”
If you were John, which letter would you like to receive? Why?
Do you still
think
punctuation
isn’t
important?
Commas
What do commas do?

Definition: A comma (,) is a punctuation mark indicating a pause

between parts of a sentence.

Use a comma to define relationships in a sentence.

Use a comma to clarify meaning for the reader.

 Rule 1:
Use Commas with Lists
 Comma Rules
1- Use Commas with Lists
▪ When you have a list that contains more than two items, use commas to
separate them.

Mo loves ice cream, books, and kittens.

▪ Your list might be made up of nouns, as in the previous example, but it
could also be made up of other parts of speech.

Imagine for a moment that you just finished doing three chores.
The chores were:

a) Cleaning the house and garage

b) Washing the dishes
c) Taking out the garbage

If you were to list these three chores in a sentence, you would write:

,
I cleaned the house and garage washed the dishes , and took out the garbage .
 Weekend Recap! Help me complete this...
1. _____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

Last weekend, Jonathan...

What did you do last weekend?

#1 #2 #3
Individually, Write it on a post-it Write a sentence
think about what and swap notes about your
you did last with the person partner’s weekend
weekend. next to you. activities.
Discuss the notes.
 Rule 2:
Use Commas to set apart
nonessential information
2- Place Commas Around Nonessential information
▪ Non-essential information in a sentence offers extra info, but it is not
essential to the meaning of the sentence. In other words, you can still
convey the main point of the sentence if you delete the non-essential
phrase. Always set apart nonessential information with commas.

For example:

a) Cheesecake Factory , which Jumana recommended , is a fantastic restaurant.

The clause “which Jumana recommended” is non-essential because the main point of the sentence
(Cheesecake Factory is fantastic) is clear, even if we delete the clause about Jumana’s recommendation.

, ,
b) My father whom I love dearly is a brilliant doctor.
The clause “whom I love dearly” is non-essential because if we delete it the main point of the sentence
still makes sense—that the father is brilliant. The other info is just a side note.
 Let’s try this together
, ,
1- Those boys who have been friends for years are all going to the same college.

, ,
2- Jinru who is my best friend is on the Dean’s List again.

, ,
3- Lisette still recovering from the flu will not be at the reunion.

, ,
4- Zhe who earned an A in English last term hasn’t done any homework this
term.
 Careful!
Do not use a comma if the following information is necessary to the
meaning of the sentence.

Incorrect: Gestures, such as rolling your eyes and clenching your

teeth, are offensive to listeners.
Correct: Gestures such as rolling your eyes and clenching your teeth
are offensive to listeners.
 Funniest Side-Note Award
Create an original sentence, or start with a sentence below, and come up with a funny, interesting, or exciting
side-note, using commas to separate it as nonessential information. Write your sentence on the board and
we will take a class vote for Funniest Side-Note!

Example:

Target had everything a person could ever need.

Target, where Mo and Zhe always tested nail polish colors, had everything a person could ever need.

Sample Sentences:

Jinru left her apartment to go buy bubble tea. Carlsbad is only a train ride away.

Lisette admired the dog playing in the park. The movie theater is a place I love.
 Rule 3:
Use Commas before
Coordinating Conjunctions
Hold on, what’s a coordinating conjunction??
FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)

Coordinating conjunction: Commonly listed as FOR Shows a cause and effect

SO relationship
the FANBOYS, coordinating conjunctions
connect independent thoughts into one AND Joins similar ideas; continues a
thought
compound sentence.
BUT Shows a contrast
Compound sentence: A sentence containing two YET
more more independent/complete clauses and no
NOR Continues a contrasting
dependent/incomplete clauses. thought

Independent/complete clause: An idea that can OR Shows a choice between

things/ideas
be its own sentence, and has a subject and verb.
 3- Place Commas Before Joining Words Called “Coordinating
Conjunctions”
▪ A joining word links two independent thoughts together into one
sentence. When you use one of these FANBOYS words to join two
ideas, always place a comma before the joining word.

For example:
a) I like football , and I like hockey.

b) The directions are complicated, but I am starting to understand them.

For example
1- It is raining.
We will stay inside.

It is raining, so we will stay inside.

Mix and match! Pair any two ideas and put a
coordinating conjunction between them.
Jinru took a flight to Seattle. Mo stayed home.

The restaurant was closed. The time was five o’clock pm.

Kenia ordered a book online. Yingxin took the train.

It was raining all day. It was really hard to find.

Jaelyn called her parents. We waited in the car.

The city was under attack. The class wasn’t over.

 Careful!
Do not use a comma before a conjunction unless a complete sentence
follows.

Incorrect: I will bring the hot dogs, and the punch.

Correct: I will bring the hot dogs, and Julie will bring the punch.

Do not use a comma after a coordinating conjunction.

Incorrect: Interest rates are low so, more people are buying homes.
Correct: Interest rates are low, so more people are buying homes.
Join the independent clauses

#1 #2
Get into groups of Complete Ex.3 in
three the worksheet:
join two independent clauses
using a comma and
coordinating conjunction

Each group must reach an agreement on which coordinating conjunction to use for every
problem! Discuss with your partners if you don’t agree on something!
Kahoot!
1. Open www.Kahoot.it
2. Press Play!
3. Enter the Game PIN as shown on the screen.
4. Create a Nickname and enter the game.
5. Get ready to apply your newfound comma knowledge!
Recap Our Lesson
Let’s review what we did in class!

“Today, we…”

“I learned about…”
Write down a three-item list sentence of what we achieved in class today, and be ready to
share with the class! Feel free to use the sentence starters!
Things you might have come up with...
● Used commas to separate items in a list
● Used commas to separate nonessential information
● Used commas with coordinating conjunctions
● Created weekend recap stories
● Competed for funniest side note sentences/Won funniest side note in class
● Helped Jonathan remember his weekend
● Mix and matched ideas and coordinating conjunctions
● Learned about FANBOYS
● Completed a worksheet
● Read a love letter and a break up letter
● Played a Kahoot game
 Wh
a
aga t did w
in? e writ
e

How this
helps:
Use these rules for commas to
note changes you need to make
in your essay drafts. If you can’t
find a place to use commas, try
seeing if you can create
compound sentences with
coordinating conjunctions.