Chapter 25: End Marks and Commas

End Marks
End marks---periods, question marks, and exclamation marks---indicate the
________________ of a sentence.
A statement (or ____________________ sentence) is followed by a ____________________.
A question (or ____________________ sentence) is followed by a ______________________
mark.
An exclamation is followed by an _____________________ point.
An imperative sentence is followed by either a _________________ or an
___________________ point.
Abbreviations
An abbreviation is usually followed by a ____________________.
TYPE OF ABBREVIATION

EXAMPLES
W.E.B. DuBois

Susan B.

Anthony
W.H. Auden

F. Scott

Fitzgerald
Assn.

Corp.

Ltd.

Co.
Mr.

Inc.
Ms.

Org.
Dr.

Mrs.
Jr.
Ph.D.
B.C. (written after the date)
A.D. (written before the date)
Ave.
St.
Pkwy.
Blvd.
Calif.

Rd.
Tex.

Ind.
A.M.

Fla.
P.M.

P.O. Box
Mass.
N.Y.

Note: Two-letter state codes are used only when the ZIP code is included. Two-letter

state codes are NOT followed by periods.

Note: Most abbreviations are capitalized only if the words they stand for are

capitalized.

Commas
Items in a Series
Use commas to ______________________ items in a series.
Examples:

The camp counselor distributed baseballs, bats, volleyballs, tennis rackets,

and bandages. [____________________________]

We have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

[_________________]
I know I will pass the test if I take good notes , if I study hard, and if I get a
good nights sleep. [_________________________]

When the last two items in as series are joined by and, you may omit the comma
before the and if the comma isnt needed to
______________________________________________________________.

NOT CLEAR WITHOUT COMMA: John, Sue and Mary went fishing.

CLEAR WITH COMMA: John, Sue, and Mary went fishing.

If all items in a series are joined by ___________, __________, or ____________, do

not use commas to separate them.
o Examples:
Neither poverty nor discrimination nor lack of encouragement
prevented Alice Walker from becoming an accomplished writer.

Independent clauses in a series are usually separated by___________________.

Short independent clauses, however, may be separated by commas.
o Examples:

Use a comma to separate two or more_____________________ preceding

a_____________________.
Examples:
-

Ive had a long, hectic, tiring day.

Independent Clauses
Use a __________ before and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet when they join
independent clauses.
NOTE: Always use a comma before ________, ________, or ___________ joining

independent clauses. The comma may be left out before and, but, or, and nor if the
independent clauses are very short or if the sentence cannot be misunderstood.
Example: I applied for a job and I got it.
NOTE: Dont confuse a compound sentence with a simple sentence that has a
compound verb.
Example:
SIMPLE SENTENCE:

Callie brought mashed potatoes but

forgot gravy. [one

independent clause with a compound verb]
COMPOUND SENTENCE:

Callie brought mashed potatoes, but

she forgot the

gravy. [two independent clauses]