RIC-20236 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 3 – Punctuation

Punctuation
Commas
Focus
Commas in a series of words, phrases and clauses
Definition
Commas are punctuation marks used to separate
words or phrases to clarify meaning.
Explanation
• In a series, the comma stands for an omitted
conjunction, such as ‘and’ or ‘or’.
Example:
‘I play the violin, cello and piano’ means ‘I play the
violin and cello and piano’.
The comma has replaced the omitted ‘and’.
• Commas can be used for:
– a series of nouns
Example:
The meal consisted of steak, peas and potatoes.
– a series of verbs
Example:
Jason ran, tripped, fell and fainted.
– a series of adjectives
Example:
She was young, beautiful, kind and naive.
– a series of phrases.
Example:
He doesn’t like washing dishes, ironing clothes or
mopping floors.
• A comma placed before the conjunction is called
a serial comma and is usually unnecessary. The
serial comma is necessary if omitting it may cause
confusion about the meaning of the sentence.
Example:
Jason spotted a man running, a girl eating an icecream
and a fox. (Incorrect)
Without a comma after ‘ice-cream’, it may seem like
the girl is eating an ice-cream and a fox!
Example:
Jason spotted a man running, a girl eating an icecream,
and a fox. (Correct)
Worksheet information
• Read the text with the class. Students identify the
sentences with lists of words and clauses. Students
then circle the commas and underline the ‘and’
words in the text.
• Read and discuss the comma rules with the class.
• Students determine if the sentences in Question
2 contain a series of words or a series of phrases
or clauses before they begin the task. Students
add commas where they are needed, following the
comma rule.
Ideas for further practice
• Finish this sentence, using commas where
necessary: ‘Four things found in the desert are …’
Repeat with ‘rainforest’, ‘ocean’ etc.
• Find a suitable newspaper article, copy it and
distribute to the class. Students identify sentences
which contain lists of words, phrases and clauses
separated by commas and highlight them.
• Write sentences containing lists of words and ask a
friend to punctuate them. Correct the work and give
feedback.
Answers
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1. Teacher check
2. (a) They visited Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.
(b) We played cricket, tennis, soccer and
badminton on camp.
(c) The puppy jumped free, sniffed his bed and
pounced on the cat.
(d) Dad switched on the radio, put on his apron,
lit the barbecue and started singing.
(e) The choices on the menu were soup, pizza,
toasted sandwiches or spaghetti.
3. Teacher check
Primary grammar and word study 62
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