AccelePrep for the ACT Test 2nd Edition Student Text

C HAPTER 2 | H YPER P REP E NGLISH • 47

Many items on the English test include commas used incorrectly. Watch out for three major errors in comma use. Do NOT use a comma to separate a subject from its verb. Students who plan to graduate with joint majors, must declare their intention and identify the two areas of study by the end of their junior year. 8 Students who plan to graduate with joint majors must declare their intention and identify the two areas of study by the end of their junior year. 9 There is no good reason to put a comma into this sentence. The comma •‡’ƒ”ƒ–‡• –Š‡ •—„Œ‡…– ˆ”‘ ‹–• ˜‡”„ ƒ† †‹•”—’–• –Š‡ Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽ ϐŽ‘™ ‘ˆ –Š‡ sentence. Do NOT use commas to set off a restrictive or necessary clause or phrase. That dog was barking, for attention. Do NOT use a comma in place of a conjunction. We went to the store, picked up a gallon of milk. 1. Use commas between independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions. 2. Use commas for clarity. 3. Use commas to separate words in a series. 4. Use commas after introductory dependent phrases. 5. Use pairs of commas to set off “interruptions” in a sentence. SUM IT UP - COMMAS You need to know two key colon usage rules: 1. …‘Ž‘ ƒ› „‡ —•‡† –‘ ’”‡…‡†‡ ƒ Ž‹•– ‘ˆ –Š”‡‡ ‘” ‘”‡ ‹–‡• or a long quotation. 2. …‘Ž‘ ƒ› „‡ —•‡† –‘…ƒŽŽ ƒ––‡–‹‘ –‘ ƒ ‡Žƒ„‘”ƒ–‹‘ ‘” explanation.

WHEN COMMAS SHOULD NOT BE USED

Example:

STRATEGY ALERT Trust your ear to tell you if commas should be used to set off a parenthetical expression. Read the sentence. If you pause before and after the parenthetical expression, use commas to set it off.

Example:

Example:

TEST SPECS We’ve covered the highest value topics in this Punctuation review. Less frequently tested topics include: • Semicolons • Dashes • Quotation Marks

COLONS

POWER TIP DO NOT use colons after expressions such as “like,” “for example,” “such as,” and “that is.”

In the United States there are three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative. 9

Examples: