Grades 5-6 - Commas
Grammar & Writing Activities »
- Grades K-2 - Articles
- Grades K-2 - Biography and Autobiography
- Grades K-2 - Colons
- Grades K-2 - More Colons
- Grades K-2 Conjunctions
- Grades K-2 - Identify Paragraph Features
- Grades K-2 - Nouns
- Grades K-2 - Noun Verb Agreement
- Grades K-2 - Verbs
- Grades K-2 - Prepositions
- Grades 3-4 - Active Voice and Passive Voice
- Grades 3-4 - Interjections
- Grades 3-4 - Multiple-Meaning Words
- Grades 3-4 - Paragraph Development
- Grades 3-4 - Parentheses
- Grades 3-4 - Participles
- Grades 3-4 - Prepositions
- Grades 3-4 - Troublesome Words
- Grades 5-6 - Acceptable Spelling
- Grades 5-6 - Colons
- Grades 5-6 - Commas
- Grades 5-6 - Developing a Paragraph
- Grades 5-6 - Interjections
- Grades 5-6 - Less Common Derivatives
- Grades 5-6 - Parentheses
- Grades 5-6 - Prepositions
- Grades 5-6 - Pronouns
- Grades 5-6 - Proper Adjectives
- Grades 5-6 - Speaking
- Grades 5-6 - Troublesome Word Pairs
- Grades 5-6 - Writing a Get Well Card
Name: ___________________________ Date: _________________
Other Uses for Commas
Write a dialogue in which three-four characters make introductions at a party or other event. With a small group, act out each other’s scenes, using the commas to cue pauses after each use of direct address.
Place commas where needed in the sentences below.
1. My neighbor next door Mr. Romaine is a really good car mechanic.
2. Whenever our car now ten years old won’t start, we call him.
3. Chuck Romaine Mr. Romaine’s son owns the garage his dad used to work for.
4. The garage a dependable place with good employees is very popular.
5. I have plans to study auto mechanics which is my best subject.
When using someone’s name directly in a sentence, place a comma after the name to indicate that the person named is being addressed directly by the speaker. Examples:
Holden, could you come over and help me?
Please hand me that work folder, Manuel.
Commas with Appositives
An appositive is a further description of a noun and is set off with commas. Examples:
My friend Jake, a runner, will be competing in the marathon on Saturday.
The main speaker tonight, Ms. Raye, will arrive shortly.
Appositives can also occur in phrases and subordinate clauses. Examples:
Karen, a really outstanding skater, will teach an advanced level class.
Chester A. Arthur, who is a less well-known American president, will also be on the test.
Below is an example of an appositive and a direct address.
Have you met my aunt, Carla Morelli? Aunt Carla, this is my friend Jean.
The comma is a very useful piece of punctuation. Commas are used primarily to provide pauses in thought and to make a long sentence more understandable. Commas are also used when addressing people directly and in appositive phrases. See the examples below to understand these uses of the comma.