Intro to Commas II

1
Intro to Commas II

• Examples images adapted from The Deluxe
  Transitive Vampire

2
Non-Essential Modifiers

• Enclose N-E Modifiers in commas
• The crawdads, reduced to a scene of wanton
  destruction, once creaked about a peaceable
  kingdom by the bayou.
• The crawdads that remain in their plates could
  mean curtains for the cat.
• The frogs that emerged from the samovar are more
  winsome than most frogs.
• That versus Which
• That is used with essential modifiersi.e., those
  that do NOT need commas.
• The oak tree that I love is the third one from
  the left.
• Which is used with non-essential modifiers and
  therefore DOES require a comma
• My Occitan-English dictionary, which is 50 years
  old, does not list the translation for internet.

3
Appositives

• Non-essential appositive phrases need commas
• The famous courtesan Mog Cinders was an
  accomplished lepidopterist, too.
• Mucho Trabajo, my Mediterranean donkey, is losing
  all joy in life.

4
Commas and other Punctuation

• Concluding commas (and periods, too, for that
  matter) always go inside of quotation marks.
• She served him the hamburger, and he said,
  Mmmsmells good.
• Oi! Now I twig your lay, exclaimed the street
  urchin.
• Concluding commas go outside of parentheses
  (periods are more temperamental).
• Although we brought lots of gear (a machete, duct
  tape, and 6 cans of mosquito repellent), we never
  located the source of the Amazon.

5
Essential/Non-Essential Modifiers Exercise

• Mr. Peabody whose son attends the University of
  Mizuna is our minister.
• The Victorian poets Tennyson and Browning were
  outstanding literary spokesmen of their day.
• The cabbage that I bought yesterday is missing.
• The lake that we visited last year is now choked
  with water hyacinths.
• The teacher who wrote the textbook is Ms.
  Oliphant.
• My new Mini Cooper which I bought yesterday is
  missing.
• Snowflake Lake which we visited last year is now
  choked with jet skis.

6
Linking Commas

• Use them in lists of 3 items
• The tabloid failed to explain who had seen the
  aliens, where exactly they had landed, or why
  they had decided to visit New Orleans.

7
Coordinate Adjective v. Adjectivals

• Coordinate Adjectives (use a comma where an and
  can be inserted between the adjectives)
• Drew is a hapless, flustered, underappreciated
  manager.
• Mimi is a vindictive, sarcastic, and slightly
  frazzled secretary.
• The team members all wore lime green jackets.
• Adjectivals (the adjective and noun form a single
  idea-unit) dont take commas
• The best supporting actor
• His customary good humor
• A long fly ball
• A large cardboard box

8
Coordinate Adjectives Exercise

• The tall muscular discus-thrower
• Thick maple syrup
• The lost frightened child
• Melissa proved to be a kind cooperative employee.
• A fat juicy Christmas turkey
• Her own special place

9
DONT USE COMMAS

• To separate a subject and a verb
• What happened to the team since last season,
  isnt clear
• To separate compound subjects, verbs, or objects
• Joe, and Fred went to the zoo.
• Joe jumped, and ran.
• Joe threw the ball, and the bat.
• To introduce a series
• States rich in natural beauty include, New York,
  Louisiana, California, and Oregon.