Commas 5 & 6

Rule 5: Use a comma to set off an appositive that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. An appositive is a word or group of words placed next to a noun to rename, identify, or add information about the noun.

Examples:

  1. The Titanic, a luxury liner, sank on its first voyage. (a luxury liner is an appositive phrase adding information about the Titanic.)
  2. The principal, Mr. Winicki, has many different ties.

Rule 6: Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, or for) that connects the two parts of a compound sentence.

Examples:

  1. Steve opened the door, and the dog ran out.
  2. Mari called her best friend, but no one answered.
  3. They will raise money, or they will donate their time.

Add commas to the following sentences:

  1. Jim Smith our best pitcher has injured his arm and can’t play.
  1. The principal entered the room and the students became silent.
  2. Will your dad drive us to the museum or shall we take a bus?
  1. The dog a little poodle was barking at us through the fence.
  1. We went with Mary my best friend’s mom to the mall and she bought us lunch.

Write a hook and thesis for the following writing prompt:

Cole has been banished to an island to spend a year all alone there. If this were you, what one person, object or idea would you miss the most.

Commas 7 & 8

Rule 7: In a date, use a comma to set off the year when it’s used with both the month and the day. Don’t use a comma if only the month and the year are given.

Examples:

  1. The ship struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, and sank early the next morning.
  2. The ship sank in April 1912 on its first voyage.

Rule 8: Set off the name of a state or a country when it’s used after the name of a city. Set off the name of a city when it’s used after a street address. Don’t use a comma after the state if it’s followed by a ZIP Code.

Examples:

  1. The ship was sailing from Southampton, England, to New York City.
  2. You can write to Leeza at 15 College Court, Stanford, CA94305.

Add commas to the following sentences:

  1. The Carters left Los AngelesCalifornia on Thursday and arrived in OrlandoFlorida a week later.
  1. Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9 1865 to Ulysses S. Grant.
  2. The address on the envelope was 1234 Oak StreetHoustonTX77032.
  1. My sister was born in May 1992 in San DiegoCalifornia.
  1. Please send the letter on December 20 2011 to 5555 Smith StreetHumbleTX77338.

Write a hook and thesis for the following writing prompt:

Cole acts out of rage and sets his shelter on fire. Tell about a time when you reacted out of anger or rage and did something that you wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Commas 9 & 10

Rule 9: Use a comma to set off a direct quotation.

Examples:

  1. Mom asked, “Have you finished your homework?”
  2. “I did it,” I repled, “in study hall.”
  3. “Tell me what you learned,” said mom.

Rule 10: Use a comma to prevent misreading.

Examples:

  1. Instead of two, five teachers made the trip.
  2. In the field below, the brook gurgled merrily.

Add commas to the following sentences:

  1. “Mrs. Roberts” I told Mom “is moving to AtlantaGeorgia in June.”
  1. “GettysburgPennsylvania was the scene of a major battle of the Civil War” said Serena.
  1. On the shelf above the vase was cracked and dusty.
  1. The teacher said “Yes you can go and get your homework out of your locker.”
  1. Soon after they migrated to the United States and she got a job.

Write a hook and thesis for the following writing prompt:

Cole chose Circle Justice and being banished to an island for a year over prison. Which would you choose and why?