Commas to Specify Meaning

Which sentence reads more clearly?

• I went to the movies with Frank and Robert went home.

• I went to the movies with Frank, and Robert went home.

Identify the correct placement of a comma in the following sentence: She loves cooking her family and her dog.

• She loves cooking, her family, and her dog.

• She loves cooking her family, and her dog.

• She loves cooking her family and, her dog.

• She loves, cooking her family and her dog.

Always use a comma when it will prevent confusion

• I just talked to Alain, and Judy got angry

• I just talked with Alain and Judy got angry.

• If Jaclyn, had known, everything would have been different.

• If Jaclyn had known, everything would have been differnet.

Unwilling to let her daughter walk to school alone; Emily accompanied her every day.

• No change

• Walk to school alone. Emily

• Walk to school alone, Emily

• Walk to school alone: Emily

• Walk to school alone Emily

What does a comma do?

• ends a sentence

• separates major sentence elements

• They are used to make a pause in a sentence and to seperate a list.

• finds the literary property 

Which sentence is correct?

• The dogs, and cats ate bowls of pet food at the shelter.

• The dogs and, cats, ate bowls of pet, food at the shelter.

• The dogs and cats ate bowls of pet food at the shelter.

• The, dogs, and, cats, ate, bowls of, pet food at, the shelter.

Brittney would like a skateboard, or a lasso for her birthday. What change needs to be made to this sentence?

• Remove a comma after skateboard

• Add a comma after or

• Add a comma after lasso

• No change needed

Which sentence uses the comma correctly?

• You heard me the first time didn't you?

• You heard me the first time, didn't you?

• You heard me the first time didn't, you?

• You, heard me the first time didn't you?

Let's eat grandma! 

• Correct

• Let's eat, grandma!

• Let's, eat grandma! 

Where do the commas belong in the following sentence?

Marcus my sister's hamster likes to run in a wheel.

• , my sister's hamster,

• , Marcus my sister's,

• , hamster likes to run,