I still find myself having trouble with introductory words and phrases. Where might comma placement be for the following sentences? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Now long since the others have left he remains. Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that question. As you know standing in the shade all day will make you sleepy. Anytime day or night he could be seen standing on top of the hill. Today I saw a bird land on a flag pole. When I looked again he was gone. Regardless of the day or month he always wears the same shirt. The nachos tested negative but the cases continued and the park closed They say that despite the boycott and declining attendance they intend to keep the park open. Quickly grabbing the doll she yelled to her brother and they both ran inside the house.
No. It's not a homework assignment. I wish it was. I could just ask a teacher for help. I am in the midst of trying to write a book and simply have questions about comma usage.
Here is how I would punctuate these sentences- Now long since the others have left, he remains. Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to that question. As you know, standing in the shade all day will make you sleepy. Anytime day or night he could be seen standing on top of the hill. Today I saw a bird land on a flag pole. When I looked again, he was gone. Regardless of the day or month he always wears the same shirt. The nachos tested negative, but the cases continued, and the park closed They say that despite the boycott and declining attendance they intend to keep the park open. Quickly grabbing the doll she yelled to her brother, and they both ran inside the house.
Commas are actually one of the more easier punctuation, I believe any ways. Commas are basically where you breath or pause. Say it outloud how you read it - if there is no comma (or semi-colon or any of those pretty marks) then don't pause just read it all the way through. If it sounds weird then read it how you would normally *say* it, then add the commas where you would normally take a breathing pause. In addition to the basic rule, you would use a comma before any transition words (however, furthermore, therefore, etc) and you would also use them when listing three or more objects. I'm sure there are more additional rules are when to and when not to use commas, but these are good basics that will usually serve safe.
why don't you just consult a good punctuation guide and revisit the rules of comma usage? http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/
Quickly grabbing the doll, she yelled to her brother, and they both ran inside the house. I think there also should be a comma before and because what follows is an independent clause. Setting off introductory, words, phrases, and clauses with commas confused the hell out of me, and I know the reason why they did. It's because in older novels, or european novels, they didn't use commas like we do today. Look at the Great Gatsby for example. In that novel, commas are rarely even used to seperate indepedent clauses connected by small conjunctions, let alone introductory clauses. Study these rules: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/comma.html http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm
Purchase a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. You will find the rules for comma uaage, with examples, as well as a wealth of other important writing guidelines. Every writer should have a copy of this (small) book. There are many other good references that go into more depth, but Strunk and White is compact, easy to read, and will answer most of the easier questions. Getting all the example sentences punctuated for you will not help if you don't understand the reason for each comma added (or omitted).
