Summary
The Punctuation Pros are here to school you on all the rules of correct comma usage, so you can communicate clearly and effectively! In general, commas separate out different parts of a sentence. They set off nonrestrictive clauses, they’re used before the coordinating conjunction in a sentence with two independent clauses, and they sometimes appear before the second-to-last item in a last—that’s called a serial, or Oxford, comma. There are other comma rules, but usually, you can read sentences aloud, listen for the pauses, and know where the commas go. Press “play” to learn how to avoid a slew of classic comma calamities, and to punctuate like a pro!
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Commas:
- What is one new thing you learned about commas?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining commas.
- Draw or give one example of your own.