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Comma Rules and Practice

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Comma Rules and Practice

Comma punctuation illustration

📚 Part 1: Comma Rules

Rule 1: Items in a List
Use commas to separate three or more items in a list.
Example: I bought apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes.

Rule 2: After Introductory Words/Phrases
Use a comma after introductory words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: After the rain stopped, we went outside to play.

Rule 3: Between Independent Clauses
Use a comma before joining words (and, but, or, so) when connecting two complete sentences.
Example: The weather was cold, but we still had our picnic.

1. Which sentence uses commas correctly?

Sarah likes swimming, cycling and tennis.

Sarah likes swimming, cycling, and tennis.

Sarah likes, swimming cycling and tennis.

2. Where should the comma go in this sentence? "Before the concert started the musicians tuned their instruments."

After "Before"

After "started"

After "concert"

✏️ Part 2: Add the Missing Commas

3. Insert commas where needed in these sentences:

a) During the school holidays Emma visited her grandmother baked cookies and read three books.

b) The rugby team trained hard all season but they still lost the final match.

c) For breakfast I had toast jam and orange juice.

4. Write your own sentence using commas in a list of at least four items:
5. Write a sentence that begins with an introductory phrase and uses a comma correctly:

🌟 Part 3: Reading Passage - Women Who Changed the World

Throughout history, remarkable women have left lasting legacies that continue to inspire us today. These extraordinary individuals used innovation, courage, and determination to create positive change in our world.

Marie Curie, born in Poland in 1867, revolutionised science through her groundbreaking research on radioactivity. Despite facing discrimination as a woman in science, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and later became the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Her legacy includes not only her scientific discoveries but also the path she paved for future female scientists. During World War I, she developed mobile X-ray units, saving countless lives on the battlefield.

Rosa Parks, an African American woman from Alabama, changed the course of history with a simple act of defiance. On 1st December 1955, she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her quiet courage and activism became a catalyst for the American Civil Rights Movement. Parks showed the world that ordinary people could create extraordinary change through peaceful resistance.

Wangari Maathai from Kenya demonstrated how environmental activism could transform communities. She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which encouraged women to plant trees to combat deforestation and poverty. Her innovation connected environmental conservation with women's rights and economic empowerment. Through her work, over 30 million trees were planted across Kenya, and she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Malala Yousafzai, from Pakistan, has shown that age is no barrier to creating change. After surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban for advocating girls' education, she continued her activism with even greater determination. At just 17 years old, she became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Her legacy includes the Malala Fund, which works to ensure 12 years of free, safe, quality education for every girl.

These women prove that innovation, persistence, and courage can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. Their legacies remind us that each person has the power to make a positive difference in the world.

6. Find and correct any comma errors in this sentence about the passage:

"Marie Curie Rosa Parks Wangari Maathai and Malala Yousafzai all showed incredible courage but they each fought for different causes."

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