<p> Commas and Quotations Test Study Guide</p><p>Week 1: Rule: Use a comma after every item in a series of three or more except for the last one. Examples: Charlotte, Captain Jaggery, and Zachariah are main characters. I love bananas, coconuts, and grapes. Serious students come to class prepared with writing instruments, homework, notebooks, and assignment notepads.</p><p>Week 2: Rule: Use a comma to set off nouns of direct address. Examples: Brad, are you hosting the Country Music Awards? Have you heard, Rachel, about the snake that can swallow a hippo? Reba, you have the best comedy program on television.</p><p>Week 3: Rule: In dates, use a comma between the day and the year. Use a comma after the year if the sentence continues. Do not use a coma between a month and a year or a season and a year. Examples: D-day occurred on June 6, 1994. On March 2, 1904, Dr. Seuss was born. September 2001, was a turning point for American people. </p><p>Week 4: Rule:  Comma between city or town and state or country.  Put a comma after the state or country if the sentence continues.  DO NOT put a comma between state and zip code. Examples: A famous groundhog lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C., is the home of the White House. Mail the package to AMS in Guilford, CT 06437.</p><p>Week 5: Rule: Use a comma after an introductory phrase or introductory words. Also use a comma to set off a word or phrase that interrupts the flow of thought in a sentence. Examples: After years of training, Michael Phelps won 14 Olympic gold medals. Shamrocks, considered good luck, were once a symbol of rebellion. Our field trip, weather permitting, will be on December 1st.</p><p>Week 6: Rule: Use a comma after the greeting of a casual letter and after the closing of a casual or business letter. Examples: (1) Dear Melissa, I hope you stay amazing. (2) Dear Morgan, Have you found your peppermint? (3) Sincerely, Brittany (4) I am so relieved. Your friend, Molly Week 7: Rule: An appositive is a word or phrase that identifies or renames a noun or pronoun that comes right before it. Use commas when the appositive adds extra information; do not use commas when the appositive is needed to make the meaning clear. Examples: Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, was published in 2003. Adams, a school in Guilford, has a raccoon mascot. Guilford physician Dr. Adams helped many school children. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was once and English teacher.</p><p>Week 8: Rule: Use quotation marks at the beginning and the ending of a direct quotation. Use commas to set off explanatory words used with direct quotations (whether they occur at the beginning, the middle, or at the end of the sentences). Examples: “Capitalize your name,” said the teacher. “Remember to capitalize,” said the teacher, “the first and last word in a title.” “Proper nouns must be capitalized,” said the teacher.</p><p>Week 9: Rule: Use a comma before a conjunction that joins independent clauses in a compound sentence. Examples: This dog bites adults a lot, but he loves children. I would like to stay up and watch the movie tonight, but I know I will be tired tomorrow. Julie likes to listen to classical music, but her parents find it annoying to listen to. </p>