Grammar- Comma - JSS2 English language Lesson Note

TOPIC: Understanding Punctuation Marks

SUB-TOPIC: The Comma

The comma serves a dual purpose in written English, providing both a visual pause for the reader and organizational clarity within a sentence. One primary function is to separate items in a list, ensuring each element is distinct and identifiable. For instance, "During the picnic, we enjoyed sandwiches, fruit salad, potato chips, and soda."

Furthermore, commas are utilized to set off introductory phrases or clauses from the main part of the sentence. For example, "After finishing his homework, Mark went outside to play."

Additionally, commas play a crucial role in separating coordinate adjectives, which modify the same noun. In the phrase "a tall, slender tree," the comma indicates that both "tall" and "slender" independently describe the tree.

Moreover, commas are employed before conjunctions to join independent clauses in compound sentences. For instance, "She wanted to go to the concert, but she couldn't find her ticket."

Understanding these various applications of the comma enables writers to enhance the clarity and flow of their writing while adhering to grammatical conventions.