United States
Hong KongThe comma rules that are actually tested
Skill 11 of Competency 3 is "Demonstrate command of standard punctuation", and commas carry most of it. Six rules cover almost every tested case: series, coordinating conjunction, introductory element, nonessential element, coordinate adjectives, and the splice you must not create.
English has more comma conventions than anyone can list. A 30-question subtest can test six of them, and it is fairly predictable which six.
The six
| Rule | Example | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Series of three or more | pens, paper, and folders | Florida uses the serial comma; keep it |
| Before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses | She read the report, and she signed it | Only when both sides could stand alone |
| After an introductory element | After the meeting, the team left | Required for clauses and long phrases |
| Around a nonessential element | Ms. Ruiz, who teaches sixth grade, agreed | Both commas or neither |
| Between coordinate adjectives | a long, difficult assessment | Only if and could replace the comma |
| Never between two independent clauses alone | not: She read the report, she signed it | That is a comma splice |
The two people miss
Essential versus nonessential
This is the rule that carries meaning rather than style, which is why it makes a good test item. Commas around a clause say the clause could be deleted without changing who or what you mean.
"The students who finished early left." No commas, so who finished early identifies which students. Only some of them left.
"The students, who finished early, left." Commas, so the clause is extra information. All of them finished early and all of them left.
Two sentences, same eight words, different facts. A question can hinge entirely on that.
Coordinate adjectives
Two adjectives get a comma between them only if they modify the noun independently. Test it two ways: can you put and between them, and can you swap their order. If both work, use a comma.
"A long, difficult assessment" passes both tests. "A red brick building" fails both, so no comma, because brick is doing something closer to naming the noun than describing it.
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- After reviewing the data the committee, agreed to revise the schedule.
- After reviewing the data, the committee agreed to revise the schedule.
- After reviewing the data, the committee, agreed to revise the schedule.
- After reviewing the data the committee agreed, to revise the schedule.
The rule that is really a prohibition
Do not put a single comma between a subject and its verb. "The teacher who ran the workshop, submitted the report" is wrong, and it reads plausibly because there is a pause there when you say it out loud. Punctuation follows grammar, not breathing.
The same goes for a comma before that introducing an essential clause, and for a comma between a verb and its direct object.
Where commas sit in the blueprint
Punctuation is one of the twelve skills under Knowledge of standard English conventions, which we estimate at about 19 of the 30 questions on this subtest. That makes commas perhaps one or two items, and the estimate is ours rather than the state's.
Here is the honest bit. If you spend an evening on commas and skip pronouns, you have optimized backwards, because pronouns get four skills in the rule and punctuation gets one. Commas feel important because they are visible. The rule does not agree.
Comma questions on the essay
The essay competency asks you to apply the conventions of standard English, and two raters score the response holistically. Punctuation matters there in aggregate rather than item by item. We teach the essay subtest in its own chapter and we do not mark essays, so nothing on our side will tell you whether your commas held up.
Common questions
Does the FTCE require the Oxford comma?
Use it. The serial comma before and in a list of three or more is the standard American convention this subtest tests, and an option that omits it against one that includes it is the weaker answer. It is also never wrong to include.
When do commas go around a clause?
When the clause could be removed without changing which person or thing you mean. "Ms. Ruiz, who teaches sixth grade, agreed" survives the deletion. "The students who finished early left" does not, because the clause identifies which students.
Can a comma join two sentences?
No. A comma alone between two independent clauses is a comma splice. You need a period, a semicolon, a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, or a subordinating word that makes one clause dependent on the other.
How much of subtest 826 is punctuation?
One of the twelve skills under standard English conventions. FLDOE publishes no per-skill count, so nobody can give you a number. What the rule does show is that pronouns get four skills and punctuation gets one, which is a guide to where the time goes.