Extra Credit Post!!!!

Comma Rules

1.)Use commas in compund sentences when clauses are seperated by a conjunction such as "and", "but", "for","nor", or "yet".

Example 1: Andy wanted to take the dog for a walk, but it was raining.
Example 2: Mikey studied very hard for the test, yet he failed.

2.)Use commas to seperate elements in a series.

Example 1: Allison wants to go to Paris, London, Portland and Venice.
Example 2: We went hiking, swimming, biking and running.

3.)Use commas when attributing from quoted material.

Example 1: "I want to go outside," said Steve.
Example 2: She said, "Hello".

4.)Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an inductory prepositional phrases. Also use a comma with a phrase that contains a verbal.

Example 1: In the summer of 1969, he was young and reckless.
Example 2: To get better, she drank water and went to bed.

5.)Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter and the complimentary close of any letter.

Example 1: Dear Sally,
Example 2: Sincerely, Little Richard

6.)Commas follow all items in a date or full address.

Example 1: ODB is from Brooklyn, NY.
Example 2: My father was born December 31, 1959.

7.)Commas surround nonessential words or phrases. They also set off appositives.

Example 1: Well, I guess we will just have to go with our second choice.
Example 2: The singer, Chan Marshall, has played here several times.

8.)Commas surround words of direct address.

Example 1: Tommy, don't be an idiot!!
Example 2: Chris, don't be silly!

9.)Commas indicate omitted verbs, usually expressed in another part of the sentence.

Example 1: Violence often has victims, hugs, almost never.
Example 2: The song occasionally made her cry, her father, never.

10.)Semicolons connect two complete sentences if sentences have a related thought.

Example 1: The dog got hit by a car; he had to be put down.
Example 2: On the rainy night in the middle of nowhere, the car wouldn't start; we had to sleep there.

11.)Semicolons are used in a list separating items that require significant internal punctuation.

Example 1: My favorite places that I have vistited have been San Francisco, California; Estes Park, Colorado; and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Example 2: He lived in Dublin for 2 years; London,England for 5 years; and now lives in Baltimore.

12.) Colons precede formal lines, illustrations, multisentence quotes, and enumerations.

Example 1: The winners are: Judy, Frank and Gramps.
Example 2: The family made a day plan: First, check into the hotel...(etc)