hello everyone welcome to Sparkle
English in this lesson I'm going to
teach you about eight basic comma rules
and these are English writing essentials
it is very important to have proper
punctuation and to use commas correctly
when you're writing in English so let's
get started
I recommend you grab a pen and paper or
something to take notes because we will
be doing a little bit of practice as we
go along for each rule so let's get
started
rule number one use commas to separate
items in a series of three or more
things remember that an item may refer
to a noun verb or adjective phrase and
note that the usage of a comma to
separate the second to last item is
optional we call this an Oxford comma I
like to use it but it's not necessary
so examples I bought cheese and bread as
you can see these are only two different
items so you don't need to put a comma
but if you had three items I bought ham
comma cheese comma and bread then you
would put commas after him and after
cheese again this one is optional
because it's the second last item if you
had another item in here I bought ham
comma cheese comma beef comma and bread
but you'd have to put the comma after
cheese but you wouldn't after beef
because it would be the second last item
more examples we went running comma
swiming comma and biking on the weekend
she wore a red hat comma green scarf
comma and black pants to the party again
this comma here which we call the Oxford
comma it is optional but I like to use
it and if you're going to use the Oxford
comma you should be consistent in your
writing that's the most important so if
you decide to use this comma then always
use it in your entire whatever you're
writing and that way you're concealing
consistency with your style so let's do
a bit of practice where do you need to
place commas in these sentences we drank
water beer and coffee at dinner with our
friends he went swimming wrote a bike
and play tennis at the sports camp
the man was handsome tall and strong so
I'll give you a second if you want to
pause this and now I want to go over the
answers with you so I'll grab my pen
here first these are all in a list so we
have to separate them
he drew we drank water comma B R comma
and coffee at dinner with our friends
remember this comma here is optional but
I like to use this comma the Oxford
comma he went swimming comma wrote a
bike comma and play tennis at the sports
camp finally the man was handsome comma
tall comma and strong okay so rule
number two use a comma to separate
independent clauses complete thoughts
when they are joined by the following
conjunctions for and nor but or yet and
so
so when these words are used as
conjunctions usually in the middle of
the sentence we have to use a comma to
separate independent clauses
now this fanboys is a way you can
remember it so F for a and and nor B but
o or Y yet s so fanboys okay the most
common ones you'll run into and but or
and so and note that the comma comes
before the conjunction so some examples
so this would be incorrect I want to
quit my job but I need the money correct
would be I want to quit my job comma but
I need the money in this example there
are two independent clauses I want to
quit my job that is a complete thought
an independent clause is a complete
thought it's a sentence that can stand
by itself I want to quit my job it's a
complete sentence and the second
independent clause the second complete
thought I need the
so these clauses are separated by a
comma before the conjunction but because
they are two independent clauses so more
examples we can go to a basketball game
on Saturday , or we can see that new
James Bond movie again this is a full
sentence of complete thought and this is
well we can see that new James Bond
movie it's also a complete thought so we
need to have a comma before the
conjunction
I'm really tired today so I'm not going
to go to the party tonight again this is
a complete thought it's an independent
clause and so is this I'm not going to
go to the party tonight the weather was
cold comma yet we had a great time ok so
again we'll do some practice where do
you need to place commas in these
sentences Jack had an argument with
Daniel and he got fired from his job I'm
good at writing short stories yet I
prefer reading novels
it was raining so I took an umbrella so
again let's get my little pen out Jack
had an argument with Daniel comma and he
got fired from his job again complete
thought and this also a complete thought
I'm good at writing short stories comma
yet I prefer reading novels it was
raining
comma so I took an umbrella ok let's go
on to the next one number three use a
comma to separate a dependent clause
which is an incomplete thought from an
independent clause which is a complete
thought so example when I move to Spain
comma you can come visit me so when I
moved to Spain is not an independent
clause it's you can't just have a
sentence that says when I move to Spain
you need to have this independent clause
when I move to Spain comma you can come
visit me because you can come visit me
is a complete thought if you
your reports by Thursday , I'll give you
Friday off again if you finish your
reports by Thursday is a dependent
clause it's an incomplete thought it
needs this part of the sentence the
second part to make sense so you have to
put a comma here to separate the
dependent clause and the independent
clause if you finish your reports by
Thursday
comma I'll give you Friday off so again
let's do some practice because he is
only 17 he can't buy beer at the store
if you keep procrastinating you'll never
finish your work on time when I grow up
I want to be a doctor so again we're
starting with the dependent clause
because he is only 17 comma he can't buy
beer at the store if you keep
procrastinating comma you'll never
finish your work on time when I grow up
comma I want to be a doctor okay now one
thing that's important to note is this
begins with the dependent clause okay
all of these begin with the dependent
clause I'll just put a D so we know
dependent dependent and all of these on
this side are the independent clauses
now if you switched these around if you
said I want to be a doctor when I grow
up you would not need to put a comma you
would not need to put a comma if it said
he can't buy beer at the store because
he is only 17 or you'll never finish
your work on time if you keep
procrastinating all of these sentences
we can switch around but if we switch
them around and start with the
independent clause we do not need to put
a comma as these words here because if
and when they make it so we don't need
to use that comma but when it begins
with a dependent clause we have to use
the comma okay rule number four use a
comma to separate any word or phrase
from the rest of the sentence that isn't
essential to this sentences meaning so
for example Jane my girl
friend is coming to the party tonight
this part here my girlfriend it doesn't
change the rest of the sentence it's not
important to the sentence so you could
you could say Jane is coming to the
party tonight but my girlfriend is just
a little bit of extra information so we
put Jane comma my girlfriend is coming
to the party tonight more examples my
great-aunt who is 80 walks three miles
every day
red wine my favorite drink is good for
heart health
so these two sentences as well if we
take out what's in between the commas
who is 80 the sentence still makes sense
and it still is this isn't it's just a
little bit of extra information it's not
imperative or very important to this
sentence so we're for adding extra
information maybe sometimes it's a word
or a phrase like this then you put
commas because it's not essential okay
so let's do some practice
dr. Jones my family doctor only works on
Tuesdays at her clinic fresh food items
especially fruits and vegetables are
good to eat on a daily basis so again
look at this and think okay what's the
meat of the sentence what's the most
important part of the sentence and then
what's just a little bit of extra
information that's not changing the
sentence are not extremely important to
the sentence okay so dr. Jones my fam
comma my family doctor only works on
Tuesdays at her clinic because dr. Jones
only works on Tuesdays at her clinic
that's the main part of the sentence
this is just extra information fresh
food items comma especially fruits and
vegetables comma are good to eat on a
daily basis okay rule 5 use a comma to
separate a quotation from the rest of a
sentence so in American English commas
always go before closing quotation marks
in British English usually it's after
words but we're gonna focus on American
English in this lesson so examples I am
exhausted
he said okay so because this is not if
this sentence ended and it was just I am
exhausted and this wasn't here that he
said this would end in a period but
because this is part of a sentence we
have to have a comma here before the
quotation and then put he said Jack's
boss yelled comma quotation get back to
work remember of course to have a space
in between as well again this is because
this quotation here is part of this
sentence so if you're beginning with a
quotation and then you have this little
tag at the end you'd have the comma
after the final word before the
quotation but if you're beginning with
this little tag here Jack's boss yelled
then you have comma get back to work
okay finally this one is a little bit
more difficult because we have a tag the
attributive tag in between so we have to
go when you leave the room
comma my mother yelled comma turn off
the lights so when you leave the room
turn off the lights is the full sentence
but because we have this little tag here
in the middle we that's all still one
sentence so we have to put a comma then
the quotation and this is not a part of
the quotation the mother didn't yell
this it's the mother who's yelling the
words that are in the quotation so then
we put another comma turn off the lights
okay very important if a quotation
before an attribute of tag ends in a
question mark or exclamation point don't
use a comma so we mean by these tags
were mean we mean this he said Jack's
boss yelled my mother yelled so for
example where are you he asked not where
are you question mark comma this one we
would not write okay we would not need a
comma here because this ends in a
question mark and if it also ended in
exclamation mark we would not put a
comma here because it already has a
punctuation so let's do some practice if
you don't go to sleep now she whispered
you'll be very tired tomorrow finish the
report by tomorrow morning the manager
ordered so the first one
a little bit more difficult if you don't
go to sleep now , she whispered and
remember the commas going after the
final letter before the quotation marks
she whispered , you'll be very tired
tomorrow because again if you don't go
to sleep now you'll be very tired
tomorrow is a false sentence so we have
to place the commas in between this tag
here finish the report by tomorrow
morning , the manager ordered ok so rule
number 6 use a comma to separate an
introductory element from the rest of a
sentence so this is quite easy examples
hey how are you today sorry you're not
invited to my party wait what time does
the meeting start and oftentimes you'll
know it's to put a comma because you
have a little pause when you say this
anyways you don't go hey how are you
today you go hey how are you today okay
so these are all introductory words that
we have to separate from the rest of the
sentence practice unfortunately I didn't
finish my work on time yes I am able to
come to the meeting tomorrow oh I'm not
sure I can make it on Tuesday
unfortunately comma I didn't finish my
work on time yes comma I am able to come
to the meeting tomorrow
oh I'm not sure I can make it on Tuesday
okay so rule number seven use a comma to
separate the name of a city from a
country or state so examples I lived in
Madrid comma Spain for nearly a decade
the conference will be in Paris France
next spring he is offering me a position
in Toronto Ontario again this is very
easy if you're separating a city from a
country or a city from a state you have
to put a comma so practice I think he
lives in Lisbon Portugal the business
conference will take place in Nashville
Tennessee I think he lives in Lisbon
comma Portugal separating the city and
the country the business conference will
take place
Nashville comma Tennessee separating the
city and the state and our last rule for
the basic eight basic comma rules is use
a comma to separate the day of the week
the day of the month and the year so for
example today is Wednesday comma March
11th comma 2020 Lauren was born on
Sunday comma June 16th comma 1985 please
join us on Saturday comma April 4th
comma 2020 comma for the wedding of
Sawyer and Jennifer as you can see in
this last one because the date is in the
middle of the sentence we have to put a
comma place a comma after 2020 as well
whereas these other ones end in the year
so we just put a period so let's do some
practice tomorrow will be March 12 2020
the annual award ceremony will take
place on Tuesday December 7 2021
so first one tomorrow will be March 12th
comma 2020 separating the date and the
year the annual award ceremony will take
place on Tuesday comma December 7th
comma 2021 okay so congratulations
you've just finished your first lesson
with Sparkle English on eight different
comma rules let me know in the comments
section how you did if the video is easy
for you if you it was difficult what
part you had the most trouble with and
how you did if you decided to test
yourself how many did you get correct
how many did you not get correct please
in the comments also let me know what is
most difficult for you when you're
learning English or writing English do
you have problems listening problems
writing problems with grammar with
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plan on releasing more videos regarding
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abbreviations etc so please subscribe to
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you in your
lesson thanks for watching