COMMAS AND CLAUSES

 Where have all the [commas] gone long time passing

(Peter, Paul and Mary, "Where have all the flowers gone?)

The comma in question in this BLOG is the comma that separates clauses in sentences.

‘While the teacher is discussing and analysing a particular text structure, s/he needs also to focus on language structures peculiar to the text structure’.

Early writing, children are writing free verse. They can learn about a clause but comma discovery does not begin immediately.

As children move into the Transitional stage of writing poetry, Chapter 1, page 23 in Write as an Expert they can begin to learn about clauses and commas. Remembering that your children will determine when you begin to teach these language structures.

The metalanguage when learning about commas is main and independent clause, subordinate or dependent clause, sentence structure and of course comma.

Sentences are made up of clauses. A main clause expresses a complete thought; it makes sense written on its own. Children beginning school learn to write a simple sentence (contains one main clause - a subject (participant) and one verb (process), I can run.

This knowledge is built upon and to include the subordinate clause. A subordinate clause does not make sense on its own, for example, 'had great fun'.

The children travelled on the bus and had great fun.

Main clause Subordinate clause

A subordinate clause, as its name suggests, is subordinate to the main clause in a sentence. If a subordinate clause is removed from the sentence, the sentence would make perfect sense; the subordinate clause simply provides additional information, description.

Knowing about main clauses and subordinate (sub) clauses is essential learning before examining the placement of commas. Building cognizance about clauses, sub clauses and commas happens when reading and teaching through models in literature and other texts (for example, non-fiction and children's writing), where children see how clauses, sub clauses and commas work within continuous print. Read as widely as possible and implement follow-up activities to reinforce new learning.

A subordinate clause is also called a dependent clause (dependent on having a main clause, a subject (participant) and a verb in the sentence). A subordinate clause does not form a complete sentence. It will cause the reader to state, "That does not make sense", a reader will want additional information to finish the thought.

A subordinate (dependent) clause can link to the main clause through the use of conjunctions e.g. and, but, although, since, so, that, when or relative pronouns e.g. that, who, which.

A subordinate clause written before the main clause, necessitates a comma to be inserted between the sub clause and main clause.

After Amy sneezed all over my chicken salad, she threw the salad in the bin.

"So, what happened?" The main clause will tell what happened. It is a complete thought.

Your students can test whether a subordinate clause is placed first in the sentence by asking themselves, "Is this a fragment or a complete thought on its own?"

The comma is part of the structure of a sentence. Its function is to make meaning clearer.

Examples of the subordinate clause (an incomplete thought) being placed first in the sentence with a comma following and the main clause being the last part of the sentence structure:

On the foothills, the soil in places was thin and yellow and the trees were only twenty or thirty feet high. Ash Road. (Southall, 1966, p.11).

Until he has his first cup of coffee, Grandpa is grumpy. (Amelia, year 4, 2006).

Though winter was nearly over, there were patches of snow and ice everywhere.

(MacLachlan, 1998, p. 3).

Centuries after his death, Shakespeare is still considered to be England's foremost playwright. (Frederick, year 8, 2006).

While highlighting commas when reading poems, put into play some physical actions to bring the comma to the fore. For example, a pop noise and zip noise with the forefinger making the shape of the comma.

                                                                            *

Clauses and commas are continued to be reinforced and built upon when learning about more elaborate texts (genres) and language structures.

Generally, a comma is not placed after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it:

Writing Reports:

Snakes are scary although they are not always poisonous.

Main clause

Writing Narratives:

Smoke swirled through the trees at the edge of the forest.

Main clause

                                                                               *

NEW, more complex learning USING A COMMA IN AN EMBEDDED CLAUSE:

An embedded clause is similar to a subordinate clause, they do not make sense of their own; they add extra information. It is inserted in the middle of a sentence.

If the sub clause or phrase 'for example' or word 'however' is embedded in the middle of the main clause, the comma is placed either side of these sub clauses. Commas set off clauses

that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Examples of commas being placed before and after the embedded sub clause:

Despite his broken arm and obvious pain, he was in, Quen was not allowed to rest throughout the remainder of the day. Forbidden parts of Thual. (Kelleher, 1983, p. 60).

Listening to voices, even one's own, was sort of nice in the dark. Ash Road. (Southall, 1966, p. 16).

At first their parents had said no, firmly no, but the boys had nagged and nagged. Ash Road. (Southall. 1966, p. 9).

They caught a morning train to the hills, got out at Barkley station, hitched up their packs and started walking. Ash Road (Southall. 1966, p. 10).

Graham, who had a flair for that sort of thing, made up a poem about it. Ash Road. (Southall. 1966, p. 10).

She lay on her side, a garbled, barely distinct sound coming from her. Red. (Gleeson, 2012. p.1).

Charred paper, frail as butterflies, fluttered in the wind. Hannah and the tomorrow room. (Gleeson, 1999, p.20).

Note: two sub clauses The storm came suddenly, clouds with green underbellies sneaking across the ridges, then descending swiftly, carrying a curtain of hail. Charlie's Gold. (French, 1999. p. 5).

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

CUT UP SENTENCE

Put the sentence(s) in order, with the subordinate clause FIRST and the main clause LAST. Place the comma in the correct spot.

Until he has his first cup of tea Grandpa is grumpy ,

COMPARE

Draw a wriggly line under the sub clause. Draw a straight line under the main clause.

After fishing for an hour, the boy rested on the deck.

ADD COMMAS

Rewrite each sentence and insert a comma or commas in each sentence.

When she was five years old Justine rode a horse.

Sweet lollies which taste fantastic are not good for your teeth.

My watch which has to be wound up works almost as well as one with a battery.

The cat which was a beautiful ginger colour sat on the mat.

ADD A SUB CLAUSE

Begin by reading the sentences aloud. Do the two parts make a complete thought?

The child continued crying.

The workers felt hungry waited for home time.

Next, in the middle add a sub clause – fragment that does not make a complete thought or sentence. You can begin the sub clause with a sub conjunction. Choose although, but.

The child ________________________________, continued crying.

The workers felt hungry__________, waited for home time.

REWRITE THE SENTENCES

Insert a comma where the full stop is placed.

Discuss with a partner, "Does it work?"

At first Helen was not a good student. She did not obey Annie.

Right away, Annie saw that Helen was a tall, pretty girl. But she also saw that Helen was not happy.

Helen Keller, Courage in the Dark. (Hurwitz, 1997. p. 14).

REFERENCE LIST French, J. & Nycroft, N. 1999. Charlie’s Gold. Koala Books. N.S.W. Aust. Gleeson, Libby. 1999. Hannah and the tomorrow Room. Puffin Books, Penguin. Australia.

Gleeson, Libby. 2012. Red. Allen and Unwin. Crows Nest. NSW. Hurwitz, J & Vocington, N. Helen Keller Courage in the Dark. Random House Children's Books. N.Y. USA Kelleher, V. 1983. Forbidden paths of Thual. Puffin Books. Hamondsworth. UK. MacLachlan, P. 1998. Sarah plain and tall. Puffin Books. London.UK. Southall, Ivan. 1966. Ash Road. Puffin Books. Penguin Books. Middlesex. UK.