Commas

• What is the purpose of commas in a list?

  To separate items in a list
• How should commas be used in a list?

  Put a comma after each item except the last two
• What should be placed between the last two items in a list?

  'And' or 'or'
• How would you punctuate this sentence correctly? "Sam and Adeela took sandwiches, apples, bananas and cakes on their picnic."


  Sam and Adeela took sandwiches, apples, bananas, and cakes.
• What is the role of commas in adding extra information?

  They help clarify the sentence structure
• What are fronted adverbials?

  Adverbials that appear at the beginning of a sentence
• What punctuation is needed after a fronted adverbial?

  A comma
• How would you punctuate this sentence? "After lunch Sharlene played cricket."

  After lunch, Sharlene played cricket.
• How can commas help avoid ambiguity in sentences?

  By clarifying the meaning of the sentence
• What does ambiguity in a sentence mean?

  It means the sentence is unclear
• How does adding a comma change the meaning of "After meeting Umair, Stacy and the policeman had lunch."?

  It clarifies who met whom
• What does the sentence "After meeting, Umair, Stacy and the policeman had lunch." suggest?

  Umair, Stacy, and the policeman met together
• What are the three main uses of commas mentioned?

  To separate items in lists, after adverbials, and clarify sentences
• What are the rules for using commas in lists?

  • Put a comma after each item except the last two
  • Use 'and' or 'or' between the last two items
• How do commas help in sentence clarity?

  • They avoid ambiguity
  • They clarify the meaning of sentences
• What is the significance of fronted adverbials in sentences?

  • They provide context at the beginning
  • They require a comma after them
• How does the placement of commas affect sentence meaning?

  • Commas can change who is involved in actions
  • They clarify relationships between sentence elements