Commas around extra information

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari has four cousins, and one of them is named Pia. Sentence: Ari's cousin [Pia] won the spelling bee. Esme proofreads a class newsletter. The facts tell how many there are. Which sentence is punctuated to match?

   • Ari's cousin Pia won the spelling bee.
   • Ari's cousin, Pia won the spelling bee.
   • Ari's cousin, Pia, won the spelling bee.
   • Ari's cousin Pia, won the spelling bee.
2. 2.

   Kira has one cousin, and the cousin is named Jun. Sentence: Kira's cousin [Jun] lives in Ohio. Bo proofreads a class newsletter. The facts tell how many there are. Which sentence is punctuated to match?

   • Kira's cousin Jun, lives in Ohio.
   • Kira's cousin, Jun lives in Ohio.
   • Kira's cousin, Jun, lives in Ohio.
   • Kira's cousin Jun lives in Ohio.
3. 3.

   The school has one founder, Mr. Hale. Sentence: The founder [Mr. Hale] cut the ribbon. Kira proofreads a class newsletter. The facts tell how many there are. Which sentence is punctuated to match?

   • The founder, Mr. Hale cut the ribbon.
   • The founder Mr. Hale, cut the ribbon.
   • The founder, Mr. Hale, cut the ribbon.
   • The founder Mr. Hale cut the ribbon.
4. 4.

   The students who finished early went outside. Milo reads a line in a school report. What does the lack of commas tell the reader?

   • The part about finishing early shows the writer is unsure which students went.
   • The part about finishing early tells which students went outside.
   • The part about finishing early explains why the students went outside.
   • The part about finishing early adds a detail about the whole group of students.
5. 5.

   The cat, sitting on the fence, watched the birds. Noah reads a line in a school report. What do the commas tell the reader?

   • The phrase about the fence shows the writer is unsure where the cat sat.
   • The phrase about the fence picks out one cat from several cats in the yard.
   • The phrase about the fence explains why the cat watched the birds closely.
   • The phrase about the fence adds a detail about a cat the reader can already identify.
6. 6.

   The dancers standing near the door cheered first. Pia reads a line in a school report. What does the lack of commas tell the reader?

   • The phrase about the door adds a detail about the whole group of dancers.
   • The phrase about the door shows the writer is unsure where the dancers stood.
   • The phrase about the door tells which dancers cheered first.
   • The phrase about the door explains why the dancers cheered first.
7. 7.

   The harbor has one lighthouse. Draft: The lighthouse standing on the rocks guides the boats home. Ren proofreads a draft against the facts. Which statement names the slip in the sentence?

   • A comma is missing after “guides”, because the verb needs a pause after it.
   • The phrase about the rocks is extra, so it needs a comma on each side.
   • The period at the end should be a comma, because the sentence is not finished.
   • No slip: the sentence is punctuated correctly, so nothing needs to change.
8. 8.

   The town has one pond. Draft: The pond, that freezes first, is near the school. Tala proofreads a draft against the facts. Which statement names the slip in the sentence?

   • A comma is missing after “school”, because the sentence ends with a place.
   • No slip: the sentence is punctuated correctly, so nothing needs to change.
   • The commas should come off, because the clause tells which pond the writer means.
   • A clause set off by commas cannot begin with “that”, so it needs “which”.
9. 9.

   The town has one bridge over the creek. Draft: The bridge, which crosses the creek is closed. Zee proofreads a draft against the facts. Which statement names the slip in the sentence?

   • “Which” should be “that”, because the clause tells which bridge the writer means.
   • A comma is missing after “is”, because the verb needs a pause after it.
   • The extra clause is missing its closing comma, which belongs after “creek”.
   • No slip: the sentence is punctuated correctly, so nothing needs to change.
10. 10.

    Pia has three aunts, and one lives in Maine. Draft: Pia's aunt, who lives in Maine, sent a card. Ari proofreads a draft against the facts. Which statement names the slip in the sentence?

    • “Who” should be “which”, because the clause tells where the aunt lives.
    • No slip: the sentence is punctuated correctly, so nothing needs to change.
    • The commas set off “who lives in Maine” as extra, but it tells which aunt.
    • A comma is missing after “card”, because the sentence needs a pause at the end.