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Literacy Progress Unit
Aiming for Level 4
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Objectives:
• To secure the use of the comma:
– in lists
– in compound sentences
– with connectives that link across sentences – in punctuating clauses within a sentence
– to go round additional information that could be removed from the sentence.
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He wanted to go out, but it was
raining.
Her heart pounded as she
ran.
As she ran, her heart
pounded.
Furthermore, if the audience did not like Shakespeare’s play, they would throw rotten eggs.
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We use commas:
• before ‘but’ in a compound sentence
• to separate the subordinate
clause from the main clause when the subordinate clause comes first • after a connective that links
across or between sentences.
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As soon as he was given the bone Patch buried it. He always did this
because he was frightened that next door’s dog who’s a bit of a bruiser
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuade
him to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap the bare patch by the
shed or the edge of the path but he would have none of it.
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As soon as he was given the bone
,
Patch buried it. He always did thisbecause he was frightened that next door’s dog who’s a bit of a bruiser
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuade
him to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap the bare patch by the
shed or the edge of the path but he would have none of it.
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As soon as he was given the bone, Patch buried it. He always did this
because he was frightened that next door’s dog
,
who’s a bit of a bruiser,
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuade
him to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap the bare patch by the
shed or the edge of the path but he would have none of it.
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As soon as he was given the bone, Patch buried it. He always did this
because he was frightened that next door’s dog, who’s a bit of a bruiser,
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him
,
he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuadehim to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap the bare patch by the
shed or the edge of the path but he would have none of it.
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As soon as he was given the bone, Patch buried it. He always did this
because he was frightened that next door’s dog, who’s a bit of a bruiser,
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him, he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuade
him to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap
,
the bare patch by the shed or the edge of the path but he would have none of it.© 2006
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As soon as he was given the bone, Patch buried it. He always did this
because he was frightened that next door’s dog, who’s a bit of a bruiser,
would steal it. However much we tried to stop him, he always buried bones in the flowerbed. We tried to persuade
him to use the bit of ground behind the compost heap, the bare patch by the
shed or the edge of the path
,
but he would have none of it.© 2006
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Commas are also used:
- to separate items in a list
- to go round extra information that could be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning.
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For some reason Patch also liked silver paper bags and bits of string. However he didn’t bury these but preferred to pile them up in his bed. When Mum
removed them he sulked for days. He was never put off though. He just went round the house and garden looking
for more.
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When our neighbour’s dog called Charlie came into our house he lay
down on our dog’s bed and ate a paper bag and two bits of string. Our dog
went mad growled at his enemy
barked loudly but the neighbour’s dog just growled back. Mum chased Charlie out of the house in the end with the
sweeping brush.
