Question 4
•The dog appeared. It’s tail was wagging furiously!
•Wrong!
•No apostrophe in ‘its’. This does not mean ‘it is’ in this sentence.
•Correct
•The dog appeared. Its tail was wagging furiously!
Commas
Commas
•The use of commas is a combination of common sense, style and rules.
•Use a comma where you would normally pause if you were speaking or reading aloud.
•Commas can make a huge difference to the meaning.
Commas are important!!!
Commas
•Let’s eat, Grandma.
•Let’s eat Grandma.
•"Verily I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
"Verily I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise."
Commas
Comma splices / run on sentences
•I got up late this morning, I missed the lecture. (Wrong)
Clause |
Clause |
I got up late this morning, |
I missed the lecture. |
Commas
Comma splices / run on sentences
•I got up late this morning. I missed the lecture.
•I got up late this morning so I missed the lecture.
•I got up late this morning; I missed the lecture.
Question 5
Commas
•I went to the police station, it was closed.
•Wrong!
•This is a ‘run on sentence’.
•Different possible ways to correct it:
•I went to the police station but it was closed.
•I went to the police station. It was closed.
•I went to the police station; it was closed.
Commas
Commas after adverbials
•A decade ago there were very few mobile phones. In addition there was little mobile reception. However this has changed now. In recent years mobile phones have become a necessity.
Commas
Commas after adverbials
•A decade ago, there were very few mobile phones. In addition, there was little mobile reception. However, this has changed now. In recent years, mobile phones have become a necessity.
Question 6
Commas
•In 2007 an investigation reported that there were several problems regarding the accommodation. However the most serious issue concerned the air conditioning.
•Wrong!
•Commas needed as these are adverbial expressions.
Question 6 – Correct
Version
•In 2007, an investigation reported that there were several problems regarding the accommodation. However, the most serious issue concerned the air conditioning.