To enter a response, click in the window, type the response, and click "Check." In some cases you must enter only two words, in others more—sometimes even two whole sentences. In all cases, however, the two elements on either side of the slash will be of the same type. Feedback will appear in a pop-up window, and your cumulative score will appear here.
Why Bother?
In order to apply the rules governing commas with joining words, you must consciously identify what sort of units are being joined. That is what this exercise is for.
Directions: In this exercise, the coordinate conjunctions "and," "but," and "or" sometimes join pairs of words and sometimes join pairs of sentences (independent clauses). For each sentence, first find the coordinate conjunction. Then copy the two units joined by the conjunction. Between them place a forward slash with a space on both sides of it.
Example: The stolen painting was not beautiful OR valuable.
Response: beautiful / valuable
Example: You can lead a horse to water, BUT you can't make it drink.
Response: You can lead a horse to water / you can't make it drink.
Buzzards and crows fought over the carcass.
(Be sure to read the lesson on the left and especially the instructions above.)
You can peel potatoes, and Fred can chop firewood.
By now you will have realized that the conjunction always stands precisely between the two units it joins. You begin the task of identifying these two units by finding the end of the first one (right before the conjunction) and the beginning of the second one (right after the conjunction). Then you look only just far enough leftward and only just far enough rightward to find a matched set of two units of the same kind. Do this below, replacing the conjunction with a slash.
Nelly sang and danced for the hungry miners.
"Mail carrier" is a non-sexist substitute for "mailman" and "postman."
Am I going insane, or are you starting to get the hang of this?
How many lies or impossibilities can you believe before breakfast?
Would you please not leznerize or flimflam the flattersnats?
Some oleus larps and wigglewarps have snurgled my struldbrugs.
Perhaps you'd like to read English again, or am I wrong?
Ferrets are peaceful creatures as a rule, but don't anger them.
Rising from its coils, the cobra swayed and struck.
The nude model looked beautiful but distant as she stood on the table.
Please try to randle your flocktrib, or we will be forced to snoble you.
Does reading nonsense amuse or disconcert you?
Seventeen grotius manks snubed and cranded behind the clickthorn.
You seem to be doing better and better.
Give me liberty, or give me death.
(Patrick Henry)
We must all hang together, or we shall assuredly all hang separately.
(Benjamin Franklin)
My cold has made me weak and peevish.
Mehitabel sang of love, and Archie dived onto the typewriter keys.
Now, looking back at the sentences and seeing what units are joined by the conjunctions, what punctuation pattern do you perceive? That is, how can a person tell whether to use a comma before "and" or "but" or "or"?
Express the "rule" by copying the following sentence into the answer window and then fillling in the missing words: "Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when it joins . . . ; otherwise omit the comma."
If your answer differs significantly from those provided in the key, check it with the teacher; it may very well be correct.