Sentence Patterns
1. I use a coma to surround material that can be omitted.
Ex. Mark Twain, who lived in Hannibal, wrote stories about Tom Sawyer and Huck
Finn.
Ex. I have wanted to visit Venice, Italy, for as long as I can remember.
2. I use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Ex. I like to write sentences, but I do not like to grade them.
Ex. I like to write and read, and I like to relax and sleep.
3. I use a comma after an introductory phrase.
Ex. After I sign this paper, I will no longer misuse commas in my papers.
Ex. Before this class started, I did not know how to use a comma.
4. I use a comma in a series.
Ex. I like to relax, to sleep, to read, and to write.
Ex. I enjoy writing, reading, and playing volleyball.
Ex. I can read, I can jump, and I can write.
5. I use a comma to set up a quote.
Ex. Miss Finegan said, “No more comma errors!”
Ex. The writer wrote, “There is a man in the room with a green hat.”
6. I use a semicolon to divide two sentences that go together.
Ex. A powerful sentence is wonderful; a powerful word is priceless.
Ex. When I went to school, I learned a lot; when I went to college, I understood.
7. I use a colon to set up a list or when the next sentence describes the first (to show a closer relationship than a semicolon).
Ex. I have lived in the following cities: Elgin, Illinois; Normal, Illinois, and Galesburg,
Illinois.
Ex. The following quote by The Fray is a mantra for high school: “Sometimes the
hardest thing and the right thing are the same.”
8. I use a semicolon and a comma when I see a transition word like however or therefore.
Ex. In times of need, we should stand together; therefore, we are united as one.