29/10/2020
‼️ Lesson 4 - Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) continued....
In earlier posts I have spoken about the importance of SPAG. It is something that is ‘supposed’ to be ingrained in us and yet, rightly so, most students struggle with at least one aspect of it. It is a necessary skill in education especially, but also most career paths.
Today we will talk about commas.
When do I use a comma?
📕 Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
‘Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.’
📙 Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.
‘While I was eating, the dog scratched at the door.’
‘However, you may not be satisfied with the results.’
📗 Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause. This is also known as parenthesis and is tested in KS2.
Clause: ‘That Tuesday, which happens to be my birthday, is the only day when I am available to meet.’
Phrase: ‘This restaurant has an exciting atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, is rather bland.’
Word: ‘I appreciate your hard work. In this case, however, you seem to have over-exerted yourself.’
TIP: The sentence should still make sense on its own, if the information within the commas is removed.
📘 Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series. AKA a list.
‘The candidate promised to lower taxes, protect the environment, reduce crime, and end unemployment.’
📙 Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun.
‘He was a difficult, stubborn child.’
📒 Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.
‘He was merely ignorant, not stupid.’
📘 Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
‘Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England.’
📕 Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
‘“I was able," she answered, "to complete the assignment."’
📗 Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.
As exampled in the picture below...
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