Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 124–125 · Part 3: Part III: Punctuation, and the Appendix
91. Punctuation and the comma
Goal: Your child knows the main punctuation marks and uses the comma by the book's rules.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and a pencil (or a slate)
What's in the book
Part III begins. Lesson 124 defines punctuation and names the principal marks. Lesson 125 defines the comma and gives twelve rules with examples.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Ask: What mark ends a question? An exclamation?
What punctuation is
Read:
Punctuation is the art of dividing written discourse into sentences and parts of sentences, by means of points and marks.
Name the principal marks the book lists: comma, semicolon, colon, period, interrogation point, exclamation point, dash, curves and brackets.
The comma
Read:
The Comma denotes the slightest degree of separation between the parts of a sentence.
Two or more nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs, in the same construction, should be separated by commas.
Example:
David was a brave, wise, and pious man.
More comma rules
Go through some of the other rules with their examples:
When a verb is omitted, its place is usually supplied by a comma.
A direct quotation should be set off by commas.
Indeed, you must wait a while.
The butterfly, child of the summer, flutters in the sun.
Practice
Dictate a few of the book's examples without telling where the commas go. Your child writes them, then compares with the book.
Use it today
Pick a paragraph from today's reading and give the reason for each comma.
Afterwards
The comma has many rules. Take two or three a day over a week, with dictation.
Answers to the book's problems
Check dictations against the book's examples.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.