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Conquering Commas University of South Florida-Ian Rylott ENC 1102 Spring 2009

Conquering Commas

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Presentation on the use of the comma.

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Page 1: Conquering Commas

Conquering Commas

University of South Florida-Ian RylottENC 1102 Spring 2009

Page 2: Conquering Commas

Proofreading

• While proofreading you will want to also consider all commas in your document. Here are some things to look for which I will also go into more detail about in slides to come. Compound sentences. Comma splices. Introductory commas. Disruptive commas. Run-on sentences or fused sentence.

Page 3: Conquering Commas

FANBOYS

• A valuable mnemonic tool to help remember coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS. For And Nor But Or Yet So

Page 4: Conquering Commas

Compound Sentences• Skim your paper, looking only for the seven

coordinating conjunctions:

• Stop at each of these words to see whether there is an independent clause (a complete sentence), on both sides of it.

• If so, place a comma before the coordinating conjunction. Examples: She wanted to buy a new car, but she didn't have enough

money to do so. The wind blew fiercely, and the rain poured down. Alaska was not the last state admitted into the US, nor does it

have the lowest total population.

(Purdue)

Page 5: Conquering Commas

Comma Splices• Stop at every comma.

• See whether you have an independent clause (a sentence) on both sides of the comma.

• If so, change the sentence in one of the following ways: reword the sentence to change one clause into a

subordinate (or dependent) clause add a coordinating conjunction after the comma replace the comma with a semicolon replace the comma with a period, question mark, or

exclamation point, and capitalize the first word of the second clause comma splice:

incorrect: Americans speak too rapidly, this is a common complaint by foreign visitors.correct: Americans speak too rapidly; this is a common complaint by foreign visitors.correct: Foreign visitors commonly complain that Americans speak too rapidly. (Purdue)

Page 6: Conquering Commas

Introductory Commas

• Skim your paper, looking only at the first word or two of each sentence.

• Stop if the word or phrase . . . ends in -ing is an infinitive (to + verb) is an introductory word (well, yes, moreover, etc.)

• Place a comma at the end of the introductory phrase. Examples: To get a good grade, you must turn in all your homework

problems. Walking to work, Jim stopped for coffee at the diner. Yes, I agree that the exam was difficult.

Page 7: Conquering Commas

Introductory Commas

• If the sentence begins with a prepositional phrase (a phrase beginning with in, at, on, between, with, etc.), place a comma after the prepositional phrase if it is longer than three words or suggests a distinct pause before the main clause.Examples: On his way to work, Jim stopped for coffee at the diner.

In those days we wrote with a pen and paper.Across the street from the library, an old man waited for a bus.(Purdue)

Page 8: Conquering Commas

Introductory Commas after Dependent Clauses• Skim your paper, looking only at the first two or

three words of each sentence.

• Stop if one of these words is a dependent marker such as while, because, when, if, after, when, etc.

• If necessary, place a comma at the end of the introductory dependent clause. Examples: While I was writing, the phone rang. Because the weather was bad, we decided to

cancel our planned picnic. After the last guests left the party, we had to

begin cleaning the house. (Purdue)

Page 9: Conquering Commas

Disruptive Commas

• Between compound verbs or objects disruptive comma:

They bought two pizzas, but ate only one.

correct: They bought two pizzas but ate only one.

• Between subjects and verbs disruptive comma:

That man sitting in the train station, is the person I'm supposed to meet.

correct: That man sitting in the train station is the person I'm supposed to meet.

• If you don’t need the comma then don’t use it.

(Purdue)

Page 10: Conquering Commas

Run-on Sentences

• A RUN-ON SENTENCE (sometimes called a "fused sentence") has at least two parts, either one of which can stand by itself (in other words, two independent clauses), but the two parts have been smooshed together instead of being properly connected. Example: Please be in your seat when the bell rings, as class

begins at that time. (ccc)

Page 11: Conquering Commas

Run-on Sentences

• These are inappropriate ways to join sentences together because readers need a signal that one main clause is ending and another is beginning.

• If the correct signal is not present, a reader can become momentarily confused, and the sequence of ideas will become difficult to follow. In essence, the sentences will crash.

(SCS)

Page 12: Conquering Commas

Online Resources

• Hopefully this short presentation was helpful to you. However, there are millions of online resources to help you if further questions arise. A few of these are my references on the next slide.

• Here are a few just to save you time. http://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/fanboys.htm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/692/01 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/566/02 http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/commas.html#4 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commapro

of.html http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/avcsfsro.html http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-comma-splice.htm

Page 13: Conquering Commas

References

The Writing Lab, The OWL at Purdue, & Purdue University. (2004). Proofreading for commas. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commaproof.html.

S.E. Smith, Wisegeek. What is a comma splice? Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-comma-splice.htm

The Guide To Grammar & Writing, Capital Community College Foundation. Run-on Sentences, Comma Splices. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm

LEO: Literacy Education Online, St. Cloud State University. (2004). Avoiding Comma Splices, Fused Sentences, and Run-Ons. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/avcsfsro.html