Tag: SPAG

Commas : as brackets (parentheses) 



For more about commas see our Punctuation Overview page.

Commas can be used like brackets – to separate off a part of the sentence that is an ‘aside’ or comment and not really part of the main thrust of the sentence…

When in Spain, naturally, I enjoy the local cuisine.
Money, of course, does not grow on trees.

In these examples, the commas work in a similar way to those that are put round non-restrctive relative clauses (scary stuff!), which is simply to say that they separate off information that is not essential to the overall meaning of the sentences.


However there are occasions when the use of commas changes or clarifies what the writer intended, for example:

My brother, John, is a professional footballer.

The writer’s use of commas suggests that he only has one brother. The fact that this brother’s name is John is offered as an aside, a little extra,unnecessary information.

In the end the meaning of the sentence is not altered by the addition of the extra fact…

My brother is a professional footballer.

…conveys the same meaning.

However, if the sentence is written without the commas its meaning is somewhat different…

My brother John is a professional footballer.

The lack of commas suggests that the writer has more than one brother and that the one that is the professional footballer is John. Because ‘John’ is integral to the meaning, no commas are needed.

So, if you are unsure about whether or not you need these types of commas then try replacing them with a pair of brackets or just leaving out the information that is between them.

If the meaning of the sentence remains the same then the information inside the commas is an aside so you can keep the commas; if the meaning of the sentence changes then maybe no brackets or commas were needed…

Commas : in lists… 



For more about commas see our Punctuation Overview page.

When a sentence contains a list of items, it is usual to put a comma after each item in the list except for between the last two items – this place usually has the word ‘and’.

I went to the zoo yesterday where I saw lions, tigers, monkeys, zebras and snakes.
My favourite tea is sausage, egg, chips and beans.

Sometimes it is better to put a comma before the ‘and’ in a list of items. This is particularly true when there might be some confusion about the meaning.

For instance in this sentence:

My favourite sandwiches are cheese, ham, salad and bacon and egg.

It might be unclear whether the writer likes his bacon and egg in the same sandwich or in separate sandwiches. By putting in a comma after the penultimate item, it becomes dear that the writer intends ‘bacon and egg’ to be a single sandwich, thus:

My favourite sandwiches cheese, ham, salad, and bacon and egg.

The final comma in these lists, before the word ‘and’, is called the ‘serial comma’.

Not every writer uses a comma in this position; it is optional. It is also known as the ‘Oxford’ Comma because Oxford dictionaries always use it.

We can also, of course, use lists of adjectives to describe a noun; when we do this, the adjectives are separated by commas. The commas go between the adjectives. Note there is no comma between the last adjective in the list and the noun that follows it.

Red Riding Hood was afraid of the big, bad, ugly, snarling wolf.

More about adjectives here… Adjectives Overview

 

Commas : General usage…



Commas are used to insert a small break between different parts of a sentence. Commas help to make the meaning of a sentence clearer.

For more about commas see our Punctuation Overview page.

Many peope do not understand where and how to use commas and so Hey often crop up in the strangest places.

The main places where commas are used are as follows;

in lists
as parentheses (brackets)
in direct speech
to separate clauses

In the sections that follow on from here we shall look at each ot these in turn and give examples for each…

 

Adverbs : Adverbial Phrases 



An adverbial phrase usually consists of an adverb and one or more words either before it (premodification) or after it (postmodification) or, indeed, both.

The phrase performs exactly the same function in a sentence as it would if it were a single word. That is, it provides extra detail about how, why, when, where and in what manner the action of the verb occurs.

In the examples that follow, the adverbial phrases are in red; the words that modify the adverb are underlined.

We normally go to Spain in the summer.
Our holiday passes very quickly. 
The Sun shone brightly enough. 
The tapas were really good for the price.
Happily for us it did not rain.
We saved some of our  money secretly to spend in the airport.

In line with adverbs, adverbial phrases can be of manner, place, time, duration, frequency, degree, certainty, necessity, evaluative, viewpoint or linking.

 

Adverbs : Position



Adverbs are pretty flexible creatures and it is possible to place them in a variety of places in a sentence without sounding too strange. It is unlikely that students of primary school age will be asked to place adverbs in a sentence as part of an assessment. They may well be required to identify the adverb in a given sentence and will definitely be expected to use them in their writing.

There are three normal positions for adverbs in a sentence:

  • 1) initial position (before the subject)
  • 2) mid position (between the subject and the verb or immediately after be as a main verb)
  • 3) end position (at the end of the clause).

Adverb of Manner (e.g.: slowly, carefully, awfully)
These adverbs are put behind the direct object (or behind the verb if there’s no direct object).

Adverbs of Place (e.g.: here, there, behind, above)
Like adverbs of manner, these adverbs are put behind the direct object or the verb.

Adverbs of Time (e.g.: recently, now, then, yesterday)
Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence. If you don’t want to put emphasis on the time, you can also put the adverb of time at the beginning of the sentence.

Adverbs of Frequency (e.g.: always, never, seldom, usually)
Adverbs of frequency are put directly before the main verb. If ‘be’ is the main verb and there is no auxiliary verb, adverbs of frequency are put behind ‘be’. Is there an auxiliary verb, however, adverbs of frequency are put before ‘be’.

 

Adverbs : Less common types…



There is no requirement in the UK primary school English curriculum for pupils to be able to recognise different types of adverb. They may be required to identify an adverb in situe and will certainly be expected to use adverbs in their own writing. You can see details of the most commonly encountered adverbs here:

Adverbs : The 5 basic types of adverb…

The following are types of adverbs which are not quite as obvious but, nevertheless, worth knowing about..

Evaluative adverbs (surprisingly) and viewpoint adverbs (personally)
We put some adverbs outside the clause. They modify the whole sentence or utterance. Evaluative and viewpoint adverbs are good examples of this… Continue reading “Adverbs : Less common types…”

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