Commas 2 Separating Adjectives - PowerPoint Presentation

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Commas 2

Separating Adjectives

And

Compound Sentences

Rule #2 -- Use commas to separate two or more

adjectives

preceding a noun.

Example: Jack Russell terriers are small, energetic dogs

.

These intelligent, loyal, playful pets always enjoy a challenge.

Practice: Did you hear about Macomber's short happy life

?

The hot crackling smoky fire roared through the beautiful, old forests of Yosemite.

Hint: If you can put and between the adjectives and it makes sense, you can use a comma.

Example: Jack Russell terriers are small and energetic dogs

.

These intelligent and loyal and playful pets always enjoy a challenge.

Rule #2 -- Use commas to separate two or more adjectives

preceding a

noun.

When the final adjective in a series is thought of as part of the noun, do not use a comma before that adjective.

Example: A skillful, enthusiastic dog trainer can teach a Jack Russell terrier to perform many exciting tricks.

No comma is used between

enthusiastic

and

dog

because the words

dog

and

trainer

make up a compound noun.

A comma should never be used between an adjective and the

noun

immediately following it.

Incorrect: The cute, clever, terrier who starred in TV's

Wishbone

was really named Soccer.

Correct: The cute, clever terrier who starred in TV's

Wishbone

was really named Soccer.

Practice

Where is a comma needed

?

a. A squat dark wood-burning stove stood in one corner

.

b. This book describes the harsh isolated lives of pioneer women in Kansas

.

c. They made a clubhouse in the empty unused storage shed

.

d. What a lovely haunting melody that song has

!

e. Katie Couric's upbeat intelligent approach to interviewing makes her an effective television anchor

.

Independent Practice -- Exercise 3, page 362-363, 5-

10

Rewrite each sentence, inserting commas where needed.

5. The delicate colorful wings of the hummingbird vibrate as many as two hundred times each second

.

6. The hot unrelenting wind blew across the desert

.

7. The movie is about a bright active girl who is badly injured while riding a horse

.

8. Jade Snow Wong's strong focused determination led to her success as an author

.

9. What is the quickest easiest most scenic way to get to Juneau

?

10. Lupe like to read true stories about daring adventurous mountain climbers.

Rule

#3 -- Use a comma before a coordinating

conjunction

(

and, but, for, nor,

or, so,

or

yet)

when it joins independent

clauses in a compound sentence.

Examples: I enjoyed

The King and I,

but

Oklahoma!

is still my favorite musical

.

Oscar Hammerstein wrote the words, and Richard Rodgers wrote the music

.

The musical comedy began as an American musical form, yet its popularity has spread throughout the world

.

When the independent clauses are very short, the comma before

and, but,

or

or

is sometimes omitted

.

Examples: I am tired but I can't sleep

.

The cat can stay inside or it can go outside.

A comma is almost always used before

nor

,

for, so,

or

yet

when it joins independent clauses

.

Examples: We will not give up, nor will we fail

.

Everyone seemed excited, for it was time to begin

.

No one else was there, so we left

.

The water was cold, yet it looked inviting

.

Practice -- Add commas to the following sentences. Some sentences may be correct as written.

a. Have you read this article or do you want me to tell you about it

?

b. Human beings must study to become architects yet some animals build amazing structures by instinct

.

c. The male

gardener

bower bird builds a complex structure and carefully decorates it to attract a mate

.

d. This bird constructs a dome-shaped garden in a small tree and

underneath the

tree he lays a carpet of moss covered with brilliant tropical flowers.

e. Then he gathers twigs and arranges them in a three-foot-wide circle around

the

display.

Independent

Practice

Exercise 4, page 364, 5-10. Follow book instructions.

Independent Practice

5. Tailor ants might be called the ant world's high-rise workers for they gather leaves and sew them around tree twigs to make nests like the one shown on the left

.

6. These nests are built in tropical trees and the nests may be one hundred feet or more above the ground

.

7. Adult tailor ants don't secrete the silk used to weave the leaves together but they squeeze it from their larvae

.

8. The female European water spider builds a water-proof nest under water and she stocks the nest with air bubbles

.

9. This air supply is very important for it allows the spider to hunt underwater

.

10. The water spider lays her eggs in the waterproof nest and they hatch there.