CommasQuotation Marks

PronounsLC 1.4

7th Grade ELA Initiative Lesson

Let’s First ReviewCommas are used in a variety of ways in our

English language. To separate three or more words, phrases, or

clauses in a series Today I brought books, a laptop, a backpack,

and a sports bag. To separate the day from the year My birthday is July 25, 1998.In addresses The house at 1310 South Central Ave. Visalia,

CA, was sold today.

Let’s ReviewDirect address Reese, come with me.Mild Interjections (well, yes, no, why) No, she never returned the car.Between equal adjectives She bought a fuzzy, red coat.Before FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

between independent clauses in compound sentences The war lasted for two years, but very few people

supported it.

Let’s ReviewBefore and after an appositive (renames the

subject) Mary Jones, my history teacher, dismissed

the class early today.After long introductory elements In the solitude of that snowy December

night, we became good friends.

Now, on to the focus of today’s lesson.

Commas at the end of dependent clauses A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Some clauses

are used as sentences, and others are used as parts of sentences. An independent clause has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete

thought (This is also known as a ______).

example: I will play soccer on Saturday. (no comma needed)

A dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause, does not express a complete thought and must be joined to an independent clause to create a meaningful sentence.

example: Because I missed the bus, my mom drove me to school.

A comma is used to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause in a sentence.

CommasDependent clause in red. Independent clause

in black.

Read the following sentences to yourself.

Under most circumstances, my parents would allow me to spend the night with my friends.

Due to no electricity, the ice began to quickly melt.

After the game, we went with our team for pizza.

Quotation MarksUsed in a direct quote (a person’s exact words) “You’re out of your mind,” shouted Tommy.Used in a summary to show the words are not

your own The layers of rock in the earth are “arranged

like the layers of an onion.”Titles of short works: articles, essays, poems,

songs, chapters of books, short stories, episodes of TV/radio programs

We read “The Raven” by E.A. Poe.

Quotation Marks/Direct QuotesRemember with direct quotations to… 1.Start the quotation with a capital letter. Mr. Lyons said, “Open the door and come in.”

2.Place the commas and periods inside the quotation marks.

Mr. Lyons said, “Open the door and come in.” 3.Place semicolons and colons outside the quotation marks. Williams described the experiment as “ a definite step

forward”; others disagreed.

Quotation Marks/Direct quotes 4. Place question and exclamation marks inside the quotation

marks if the quote itself is a question or an exclamation. Did Alfred say, “Is the new president of the organization a

friend of mine?”

5. Place question marks and exclamation marks outside the quotation marks if the quote itself is not a question or exclamation.

Does Mr. Jager always say to the students, “You must work harder”?

Single Quotation MarksUse single quotation marks to enclose a

quotation inside another quotation.Examples “Please stop saying ‘I love you,’” he begged. (It looks strange, doesn’t it.) “I have just heard ‘Amazing Grace,’” she

said.

PronounsWhen you use pronouns, make sure the meanings of

your sentences are clear. The pronoun should refer clearly to one noun coming before the pronoun’s antecedent.

Use the KISS method for using pronouns… Keep It Simple, Students

avoid too many antecedents(pronouns) avoid hidden pronouns avoid no pronoun at all

Pronoun ProblemsToo many antecedents… Incorrect: Take the mirror out of the car and fix it. Fix what? The mirror or the car? Correct: Take the mirror out of the car and fix the

mirror.Hidden antecedent… Incorrect: The french fry bag was empty, but we

were tired of eating it anyway. Eating what? The bag? Correct: The french fry bag was empty, but we

were tired of eating fries anyway.

Pronoun ProblemsNo antecedent at all Incorrect: The student called the school, but

they didn’t answer. Who are they? There is no antecedent. Correct: The student called the school, but

the secretary didn’t answer.

Guided PracticeWith a partner, create your own examples on

the guided practice handout as we return to the power point for extra help and support

Be prepared to share out at the completion of the lesson

Show what you know!