Review: Using Commas, Dashes, and Ellipses

Front

What is the purpose of using commas in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, separate items in a list, and clarify meaning.

Front

Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: 'Huh I guess I was wrong after all'?

Back

A comma should be placed after 'Huh': 'Huh, I guess I was wrong after all.'

Front

What is direct address in writing?

Back

Direct address is when a speaker directly addresses someone by name or title within a sentence.

Front

Provide an example of correct comma usage for direct address.

Back

Example: 'I asked you, Patrick, to feed my pet while I was gone.'

Front

What is a dash used for in writing?

Back

A dash is used to create emphasis, indicate a break in thought, or set off additional information.

Front

How is a dash correctly used in the sentence: 'I decided to make shoofly pie-- a molasses pie that is a tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch'?

Back

The dash is used to introduce additional information about shoofly pie.

Front

What are coordinate adjectives?

Back

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that equally modify a noun and can be separated by a comma.

Front

Provide an example of a sentence that correctly uses commas to separate coordinate adjectives.

Back

Example: 'It would definitely be somewhere in a beautiful, beachfront location.'

Front

What is the rule for using commas in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list, typically before the conjunction (e.g., 'and' or 'or').

Front

What is the significance of the Oxford comma?

Back

The Oxford comma is the final comma in a list of items, used before 'and' or 'or' to clarify meaning.