Commas unit 03

Commas (Concluded),
Dashes, and Hyphens
Unit 3

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Unit 3 Commas (Concluded),
Dashes, and Hyphens
• Coordinate Adjectives
• Nonrestrictive Clauses
• Afterthoughts and Sentence Interruptions
• Hyphens: Compound Adjectives
Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Coordinate Adjectives
Two or more adjectives that describe the same
noun are called coordinate adjectives, and
they are separated by commas.
– The old, worn book is falling apart.
– We walked up the steep, unpaved path.

Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Tryout Sentences
1. All we could see before us was green rocky
terrain.
2. Leah’s handmade embroidered shawl belonged to
her grandmother.
3. My dizzy light-headed feeling resulted from the
high altitude.
4. I enjoy visiting the sophisticated fashionable city
of Rome.
5. My adventuresome daring cousin is taking flying
lessons.
Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Nonrestrictive Clauses
A nonrestrictive descriptive clause is not essential to
the meaning or grammatical correctness of a
sentence, and it is set off by a comma or commas.
Conversely, a restrictive descriptive clause is
essential to the meaning of the sentence; it is not set
off by commas.
– I recently visited the Eiffel Tower, which is in
France.

– The passenger who became ill on the airplane was
taken off at the first stop.
Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Tryout Sentences
1. Johansen & Company which is an expensive
jeweler has a reputation for quality.
2. Aunt Ella who is 90 years old is my father’s sister.
3. The person who won the jackpot prize is a shy
individual.
4. Tourists often visit the Lincoln Memorial which is
in Washington, D.C.
5. Today I met the author who wrote the best seller
about the Supreme Court.
Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Afterthoughts and
Sentence Interruptions
An afterthought is a word, phrase, or clause that is
loosely added to the end of a sentence. An afterthought

is set off by a comma to indicate the natural pause that
occurs in the thought process. A dash can be used to
indicate an emphatic break or interruption in thought
within a sentence.
– You are all wonderful people, I must say.
– I have one day available for a meeting—May 15.
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Tryout Sentences
1. One person is always the last to make payment
Janine.
2. We asked the architect to change the
specifications much to his dismay.
3. I am never late to my favorite subject math.
4. This restaurant has a famous specialty corned
beef and cabbage.
5. Make sure my name is on the waiting list for
tickets please.
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Hyphens: Compound Adjectives
A compound adjective precedes a noun and is
hyphenated. It is formed by combining two or more
words into one descriptive unit or thought. Each
word in the unit may or may not be an adjective.
– We ate in an out-of-the-way picnic area.
– The price is too high for the cost-conscious
buyer.

Unit 3 Commas (Concluded), Dashes, and Hy

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Tryout Sentences
1. The day to day operations of our agency are
complicated.
2. This over the counter drug should relieve your
headache.
3. Don’t you think a blue and white tablecloth
would match the curtains?
4. Sir, your almost empty gas tank should be filled
immediately.
5. Use no more than a 40 watt bulb in this lamp.
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