Comma Rules

Comma Rules

Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, nor, yet, for, so) that separates two independent clauses.

State censorship boards flourished, but the pressure groups wanted a more comprehensive ban on objectionable material.

Traditional classroom methods are under fire from educators nationwide, and many are advocating that methods for individualizing instruction be incorporated into K-12 curricula.

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Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause that comes before a main clause.

words		Strangely, no one has suggested that Watergate gave us a "new Nixon."
		Nevertheless, many critics of the new administration point to its inability to develop a coherent strategy for decreasing the budget deficit.
phrases		In addition to television's influence, some parents and teachers ascribe children's diminished drive to play to recent changes in the elementary school curriculum.
		Despite immigrant's high hopes, their illusions were often shattered.
clauses		Since the new system was implemented, payroll has been processed 25% faster than it had been using the prior system.
		As they move through the twilight world of big-time narcotics, Crockett and Tubbs constantly break the law to do their jobs.

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Use commas around words, phrases, and clauses in the middle of a sentence when they aren't essential to the meaning of the sentence.

words		By "imagination," then, I mean the free intellectual and sensory play of the mind.
		Numerous studies, however, have shown that negative reinforcment affects self-image more extensively than does positive reinforcement.
phrases		This was not, in other words, an invisible 56 percent of the population.
		Karl Marx, an important nineteenth-century sociologist, believed in his role as a social thinker to change the world.
clauses		Senator McGilvery, who is a Democrat from Rhode Island, dealt fully and responsibly with the controversy his new child care bill sparked.
		Newspeak, which greatly reduced people's vocabularies, lessened their ability to understand scientific words.

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Use commas between items in a series.

words		The frigid, snowy, windy day was typical of Minnesota in January.
		Bald eagles, ospreys, herons, mergansers, and kingfishers are native to this area.
phrases		As more and more anti-smoking laws are passed, we see droves of would-be non-smokers chomping on Nicorettes, gnawing peppermints, chewing pencils, knitting sweaters, or practicing self-hypnosis.
		Three reasons for the closing were insufficient enrollment, poor instructional materials, and inadequate funds.
clauses		Though dogs are messy and hard to train, though they chew up my shoes and give me the blues, though they howl like wolves but jump at their own shadows, though they eat me out of house and home, I still find them a necessary part of my existence.
		If the procedure is carefully planned, if that plan is followed with skill and precision, and if the results are carefully analyzed and professionally presented, we might receive the research award.

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Use commas before and after a quotation within a sentence.

"Cooperation between government and industry," the president said, "must exist if the country is to prosper."

The band leader said, "Once the simple marching drill is learned, we will work on more maneuvers."

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Use a comma before an afterthought or contrasting element.

afterthought		For Canada, the War of 1812 was vitally important, far more important than it was for Britain.
contrasting element		To understand a particular culture, we must consider the society as a whole, not its individual parts.

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Use commas to set off geographical names, items in date, and professional titles.

geographical names		The speaker that day was from Atlanta, Georgia; she discussed the discrimination against blacks which still exist there.
items in dates		Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky.
professional titles		Stephanie Glenn, Ph.D., will be the main speaker at the banquet.

accustomed

ac·cus·tomed /əˈkʌstəmd/ adjective

[more accustomed; most ] 1 : familiar with something so that it seems normal or usual — + to ▪ She is accustomed to [=used to] life/living on the farm. ▪ We have become/grown/gotten more accustomed to their traditions and routines. ▪ He is accustomed to doing what he wants to do. [=he usually does what he wants to do]

2 always used before a noun, formal : usual or regular 
▪ at her accustomed [=customary] lunch hour ▪ She arrived early enough to get her accustomed seat in the front row.

PRONUNCIATION

PRONUNCIATION

Short   “  A “ --- ------ ESTA  “ A “ TIENE UN SONIDO INTERMEDIO ENTRE  “ A   y la E “  EN ESPAÑOL   bat                      can                    am                  at                    man                  rat    cat                      bad                   bag                  sat                  hand                  than had                     cap                   ham                back               stand                  sand hat                     fan                   map                 glad                  lamp                  damp Nota : Cuando la “ a “ va seguida de “ S , F o th “; o cuando la “ a “ está sola o no va seguida de consonantes. El sonido “ a “ se asemeja más a la “ a” en española. Ask          mass       staff          ability          among             idea Ass          grass       path        abound           amount           sofa

verb ends in y

However, when a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not changed before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the vowel immediately preceding the final y is underlined. Bare Infinitive Third Person Singular say says enjoy enjoys buy buys

VERB : TO BE ( MEANING : STATE )

GRAMMAR

VERB : TO BE    ( MEANING :  STATE ) e.g  ,  CONJUGATION :     to be VERB: to be in 1º the persons singular  I       am  HERE In 3º person singular SHE   is THERE  HE is  IN THE SCHOOL   IT   IS  OVER THERE in all the persons  YOU are  AT HOME WE are STUDYING  THEY  are HAPPY      This is called INDICATIVE MOOD IN PRESENT TENSES.

account

account verb accounts; account·ed; account·ing

[+ obj] formal : to think of (someone or something) in a specified way — usually used as (be) accounted ▪ Their first project was accounted [=considered] a success.

 

account for [phrasal verb]

1 account for (something) a : to give a reason or explanation for (something)
▪ Eventually, you will need to account for your actions/behavior. ▪ How do you account for [=explain] your success? ◊The informal saying there's no accounting for taste means that there is no way to understand why some people like something while other people do not.
▪ I don't see why they liked the movie, but there's no accounting for taste.
b : to be the cause of (something)
▪ The disease accounted for over 10,000 deaths last year. ▪ These new features account for the computer's higher price. ▪ The disease cannot be accounted for [=explained] by genetics alone. There must be other causes as well.
c : to make up or form (a part of something)
▪ Women account for [=constitute, compose] only 25 percent of our employees.
d US : to think about (something) before doing something : to take (something) into consideration
▪ The researchers failed to account for the fact that most of the students were poor.

 

2 account for (someone or something) a : to show what happened to (someone or something)
▪ We have to account for the time [=to say how much time] we spend on each activity. ▪ I'll have to account for the money I spent. : to know the location of (someone or something) ▪ The government couldn't account for millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money. ▪ Is everyone accounted for? [=do we know where everyone is?] ▪ All present and accounted for. [=everyone who is supposed to be here is here]
b : to destroy or kill (someone or something)
▪ Enemy fighters have accounted for most of our bombers, Sir. ; also chiefly Brit : to defeat or beat (someone or something)
▪ We accounted for [=dispatched] the challengers 3–2.

dream

²dream verb

dreams; dreamed /ˈdrɛmt, ˈdri:md/ or dreamt /ˈdrɛmt/; dream·ing

1 : to have visions and thoughts in your sleep : to have a dream while you are sleeping [no obj] — often + of or about ▪ He dreamed of drowning and woke up trembling. ▪ I have trouble remembering the things I dream about. [+ obj] ▪ Last night I dreamed (that) you were here talking to me. ▪ Did it really happen or did I just dream it?

2 : to think about something that you wish would happen or something that you want to do or be [no obj] ▪ He tends to dream big but he never really does the things he dreams of doing. ▪ She stared out the window dreaming. [=daydreaming] ▪ You're dreaming [=you're completely wrong] if you think being a parent is going to be easy. — often + of ▪ She spent hours reading love stories and dreaming of romance. ▪ They dreamed of success. ▪ He dreamed of becoming a teacher. [+ obj] ▪ As a child, I always dreamed (that) I would be an astronaut when I grew up. ▪ I sat on the porch and dreamed away the day. [=I spent the whole day thinking and dreaming] ▪ I never dreamt that it would be so difficult. [=it was much more difficult than I expected it to be]

dream on

informal — used to say that you do not think something that another person wants or expects will ever happen ▪ “I think my band will be famous one day.” “Dream on.”

dream up [phrasal verb]

dream up (something) also dream (something) up : to think of or invent (something) in your mind
▪ He dreams up all sorts of fantastic adventures. ▪ She tries a lot of new recipes that she dreams up herself. ▪ They dreamed up a plan to get the information.

never/not dream of

— used to say that you would never do something or think of doing something ▪ I would never dream of asking for more money. ▪ “Did you ever do anything to hurt her?” “I wouldn't dream of it!”