Punctuation Exercise (317)

Insert commas where necessary.

Answers and Explanations

1.
Original: The main street flooded while we were in the theatre watching Laura.
Correct : The main street flooded while we were in the theatre watching Laura.

No comma needed. Don’t put a comma after the main clause when a subordinate clause follows it.

2.
Original: The woman was merely homeless not dangerous.
Correct : The woman was merely homeless, not dangerous.

Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted elements.

3.
Original: Plymouth Massachusetts is named for Plymouth England.
Correct : Plymouth, Massachusetts, is named for Plymouth, England.

Use commas to set off geographical names.

4.
Original: The villainess in the soap opera and the medical examiner in the detective drama are sisters.
Correct : The villainess in the soap opera and the medical examiner in the detective drama are sisters.

No comma needed. Don’t put a comma between two noun phrases in a compound subject.

5.
Original: Sunday which happens to be the day Willie Nelson is in town is the only day I can try out for the team.
Correct : Sunday, which happens to be the day Willie Nelson is in town, is the only day I can try out for the team.

Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off a clause that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

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