Commas, Commas, Commas

What is the rule for commas in dates?

• Use a comma to separate the day from the year in a full date, e.g., 'July 4, 1776, was a significant day.'

• Always place a comma after the month in any date format.

• Never use commas in dates, regardless of the format.

• Use a comma only when the year is mentioned in a date.

How do you punctuate a sentence with a quote?

• Use commas to introduce or close a quote, e.g., 'He said, "I will be there soon."'

• Use periods before and after the quote, e.g., 'He said. "I will be there soon."'

• Use semicolons to separate the quote from the rest of the sentence, e.g., 'He said; "I will be there soon."'

• Use dashes to introduce a quote, e.g., 'He said - "I will be there soon."'

How do you punctuate a sentence with a direct address?

• Use commas to set off the name of the person being addressed, e.g., 'Can you help me, Sarah?'.

• Use a semicolon before the name of the person being addressed.

• Do not use any punctuation when addressing someone directly.

• Use a period after the name of the person being addressed.

When do you use a comma after an introductory phrase?

• A comma is used after an introductory phrase to separate it from the main clause, e.g., 'After dinner, we went for a walk.'

• A comma is used before an introductory phrase to indicate a pause in the sentence.

• A comma is used after an introductory phrase only if it is longer than five words.

• A comma is never used after an introductory phrase, regardless of its length.

What is a compound sentence?

• A sentence that contains only one independent clause.

• A sentence that contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, e.g., 'I wanted to go, but I was too tired.'

• A sentence that contains a dependent clause and an independent clause.

• A sentence that is a question and ends with a question mark.

Provide an example of a correctly punctuated sentence with a conjunction.

• I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.

• I wanted to go for a walk and it started to rain.

• I wanted to go for a walk; it started to rain.

• I wanted to go for a walk it started to rain.

What is a list comma?

• A punctuation mark used to separate items in a series, such as in 'apples, oranges, and bananas'.

• A type of comma used only in academic writing.

• A comma that indicates a pause in a sentence.

• A special symbol used in programming languages.

When should you not use a comma?

• To separate a subject from its verb

• To separate two items that are closely related

• To separate items in a list

• To introduce a quotation

What is a non-essential clause?

• A clause that is necessary for the meaning of the sentence.

• A clause that adds extra information and can be removed without changing the sentence's meaning, e.g., 'My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting.'

• A clause that is always at the beginning of a sentence.

• A clause that provides essential details about the subject.

What is the rule for commas in addresses?

• Use commas to separate elements of an address, e.g., 'I live at 123 Main St, Springfield, IL 62704.'

• Commas are used only before the state in an address.

• Commas should not be used in addresses at all.

• Use commas to separate the street number from the street name only.