Slide 1

COMMA
CONVENTIONS
& NOUNS

START
Click START to begin.

Slide 2 Comma Conventions & Nouns 2

Narration: Record audio of the main text below Introduction.
Graphics: Include a stock photo of a person who looks confused as a
INTRODUCTION decorative image for the analogy in the text.
Have you ever been talking to a friend and they had to
Animation: Make paragraphs appear one at a time with the narration.
ask, ‘What do you mean?’
It can sometimes be difficult to express our thoughts
clearly in words, but when the other person is with us, it’s
easy enough for them to ask. When we’re writing, though,
we can’t always be there to explain what we mean.
That’s where knowing our language’s conventions–how
to punctuate our sentences–can help us convey exactly
what we mean. Punctuation can help to communicate
tone and how ideas are related.

BACK NEXT

Slide 3 Narration: This lesson focuses on writing situations that feature nouns and
the need for commas. By the end of this lesson, you will learn what commas
signify, how to recognize common situations where commas are needed with
COURSE OBJECTIVES nouns, and to correctly place commas in common situations with nouns.
Animation: Make paragraphs appear one at a time with the narration.
In this lesson, you will learn
• what commas signify
• how to recognize common
situations where commas are
needed with nouns
• to correctly place commas in
common situation with nouns
BACK NEXT
Slide 4 Narration: You can move through the course by clicking the next and back
buttons at the bottom or by using the table of contents on the left (or right;
COURSE NAVIGATION arrow appears to highlight buttons). You can pause the audio or adjust
settings in the top right of the course player (arrows appear). The screens
have narration. If you would like to read the transcript for a screen, click [TBD
in Storyline] to open the transcript. At the end of each mini lesson, you will
answer a few practice questions to check your understanding.
Graphics: A screenshot of the course player to use for highlighting
navigation.
Animation: Have arrows appear to point to a screenshot of the RLO player or
toward the areas of the screen where the buttons and links will be found.

BACK NEXT

Slide 5 Narration: Identifying nouns. Click next to get started.

IDENTIFYING NOUNS
by definition, sentence patterns,
and suffixes

BACK NEXT

Slide 6 Narration: You may remember from elementary school that

Comma Conventions & Nouns 6

a noun is a word that represents is a person, place or

NOUN DEFINITION thing. Look at this example: Jane lives in Pennsylvania on
a farm. Can you spot the three nouns in this sentence?
A noun is a person, place or thing.
Names represent people, so Jane is a noun. Pennsylvania
Jane lives in Pennsylvania on a farm.
is a place, so it is a noun. And a farm is a thing, so it is the
third noun. Often we are taught to identify nouns by
remembering the definition “a person, place or thing.”
Graphics: Include an image to represent each of the
BACK NEXT
nouns—a female for Jane, a Pennsylvania map, and a
farm.
Animation: The example sentence appears when the
narration says, “Look at this example sentence.” During
the explanation, underline the three nouns and have
pictures appear to represent each.
Slide 7 Comma Conventions & Nouns
USING SENTENCE PATTERNS
Nouns are found in particular places in sentences and
often with certain parts of speech.
The dog naps under the big tree during the day.
A thunderstorm could affect the plansfor a weekend trip.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
BACK
Slide 8 Comma Conventions & Nouns
USING SENTENCE PATTERNS
What other clue words do you notice?
My dog naps under my neighbor’s tree.
Her plansfor your party are elaborate.
Our new employeesstart after their training.
BACK
Slide 9 Comma Conventions & Nouns
USING SENTENCE PATTERNS
Where do nouns seem to show up in the sentence?
Jane lives in Pennsylvania on a farm.
Our new employeesstart after their training.
The tradition at the costume party is to give prizes.
BACK
7
Narration: Remembering the definition is not the only way to identify the
nouns in a sentence. Our language provides clues to which words are nouns
through sentence structure and the kinds of words, or parts of speech, that
commonly work with nouns. Let’s take a look: Here are three sentences
where the nouns are in bold. What do you notice about the types of words
that seems to work with the nouns. [pause] You may have noticed that the
article the is used before many of the nouns. Similarly, several nouns follow a
and an. A, an, and the are articles. Articles are words whose purpose is to
introduce nouns, so if you can remember that a, an, and the always come
before nouns, you can use them as clues for finding nouns. Sometimes the
noun comes immediately after the article as in the first sentence with “The
dog” or “the day.” Sometimes an adjective or two are between the article
and the noun as in “the big tree” or “a weekend trip.”
NEXT
Animation: The example sentences appear when the narration says “Let’s
take a look.” As the narrator points out specific examples, highlight those
words by darkening the rest of the screen or circling that part of the text.
8
Narration: Articles are not the only words that signify that a noun is coming.
Look at these sentences to see if you notice other words like articles. [pause]
Did you notice the words my, her, your, our, and their? These are possessive
pronouns, which means that the subject of the sentence, which is who the
sentence is about, owns or has something. Now think back to the definition
of a noun—a person, place or thing. If you are in possession of someTHING
(emphasize thing), the word that follows has to be a noun. Just like with
articles, sometimes an adjective or two is between the pronoun and the
noun, but know that the noun will follow shortly.
Animation: The example sentences appear when the narration says, “Look at
these sentences.” As the narrator points out specific examples, highlight
those words by darkening the rest of the screen or circling that part of the
NEXT
text.
9
Narration: We’ve looked at the definition and some clue words. You may
have also noticed that nouns seem to show up in certain parts of the
sentence too. In English we like our sentences to follow the subject-verb-
object structure, which means that the topic of the sentence is first. Because
the topic is a person, place or thing, that means nouns will often—but not
always—be one of the first words in a sentence. The exception is for
pronouns. In order to add variety to our sentences, we use pronouns like she,
he, they, we, and it so that we don’t have to start every sentence with a
name like Jane or a phrase like my dog. If we did that, our writing would
sound like a children’s book. Still, nouns appear at the beginning of sentences
often enough that it’s a place you should check when you’re looking for
nouns. The other place that nouns show up in our example sentences is at
the end. These nouns are object—either for the verb or the preposition. We
NEXT
don’t need to get into the grammar of that here, but keep in mind that the
end of a sentence is a good place to look for nouns.
Animation: The example sentences appear when the narration says “Let’s
take a look.” As the narrator points out specific examples, highlight those
words by darkening the rest of the screen or circling that part of the text.
Slide 10
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Two nouns are in bold in the example sentence.
Click on one clue word for one of the bold nouns.
10
Narration: Two nouns are in bold in the example sentence below. Click on
one clue word for one of the bold nouns.
Assessment: Use a hotspot around the article and pronoun (shown by
dashed box). Clicking either is correct.

The new book by my favorite author comes out

next week.
BACK

Slide 11 11
Navigation: Learners will see this screen if they answer the noun clues
question correctly. The next button will take them to the noun identification
question.

YOU GOT IT! Narration: That’s right! Articles and possessive pronouns are parts of speech
that come before nouns. The articles are a, an, and the. The possessive
Articles and possessive pronouns are parts pronouns are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. Recognizing these words
of speech that come before nouns. can help identify nouns.
a my its
an your our
the his or her their

NEXT

Slide 12 12
Navigation: Learners will see this screen if they answer the noun clues
question incorrectly. When clicking next, the learner will go to the nouns
reteaching screen.
INCORRECT
Articles and possessive pronouns precede Narration: The correct answer was to click on either “The”
nouns. or “my.” “The” is a direct article that comes before the
The new book by my favorite author comes
noun book. “My” is a possessive pronoun that precedes
out next week. the noun author. Click next to see another example.

Animation: Put a box around the and my as the narrator

NEXT
discusses them.
Slide 13 Comma Conventions & Nouns 13
Narration: Two clues we can use to find nouns are to pay attention to when
we see articles and possessive pronouns in a sentence.
ARTICLES AND POSSESSIVE Graphics:
PRONOUNS
Animation: The last sentence will appear when the narrator talks about that
There are only three articles in English—a, an, and the. part.
There are a few more possessive pronouns:
my our
your their
his, her or its

BACK NEXT

Slide 14 Comma Conventions & Nouns 14

Narration: Once you find the article or possessive pronouns, you can find the
noun by answering the question “what” with the clue word. In the example
sentence, asking “The what?” will lead to the answer “President.” President
ARTICLES AND POSSESSIVE is a word that represents a person, making it a noun. If you ask what with the
PRONOUNS possessive pronoun, you will see that “his what?” leads to speech. The word
Why do articles and possessive pronouns connect to nouns? charismatic is an adjective but it cannot complete the question “his what?”
The same is true for the last noun. The article is “a” and asking “a what?”
The President gave his charismatic speech at a big new factory. leads to the answer factory. Adjectives like charismatic, big and new helpful
If you ask yourself “what” after the article or pronoun, the answer in adding detail, but they are not required. If they were removed from the
will be the noun. sentence, the idea of the sentence would still make sense: The President
gave his speech at a factory. Because articles and possessive pronouns can be
helpful in identifying nouns, memorizing them is useful.
BACK NEXT
Animation: The last sentence will appear when the narrator talks about that
part.

Slide 15 15
Narration: Two nouns are in bold in the example sentence below. Check two
boxes by the clue words for the two bold nouns.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Assessment: Check the boxes by your and the.
Identify the two clue words in the sentence
below:

Steph carried your bag to the car.

Steph bag the

carried to car
your
BACK SUBMIT
Slide 16 16
Navigation: Learners will see this screen if they answer the noun clues
question correctly. The next button will take them to the noun identification
question.

YOU GOT IT! Narration: That’s right! Articles and possessive pronouns are parts of speech
that come before nouns. The articles are a, an, and the. The possessive
Articles and possessive pronouns are parts pronouns are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. Recognizing these words
of speech that come before nouns. can help identify nouns.
a my its
an your our
the his or her their

NEXT

Slide 17 17
Navigation: Learners will see this screen if they answer the noun clues
question incorrectly. When clicking next, the learner will go to the nouns
identification question.
INCORRECT
Narration: You missed one or two of the correct answers. Your is a possessive
Articles and possessive pronouns precede nouns.
pronoun for the noun bag. To use the word your, means that the writer must
add the object that the person owns or has. The is an article that refers to a
Steph carried your bag to the car.
specific car. If you’d like to review and try these questions again, use the
table of contents to return to the noun identification lessons.

NEXT

Slide 18 18
Narration: Identify the three nouns in the sentence.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING Assessment: Use a hotspot around the nouns.

The sentence below has three nouns. Using what

you know about nouns and clues for identifying
them, click on all three nouns.

My cat has a tick on its ear.

BACK
Slide 19 Narration: Whether you use the definition of a noun,
look at
19

the beginning and end of the sentence, or use articles and

possessive pronouns, you’re on your way to using
YOU GOT IT!
commas with nouns effectively.
You identified cat, tick and ear.

Whether you use the definition of a noun,

look at the beginning and end of the sentence,
or use articles and possessive pronouns, you’re
on your way to using commas with nouns
effectively.
NEXT

Slide 20 20
Narration: You missed one or more of the nouns. The correct answer was cat,
tick and ear. All three words represent things, which make them nouns. In
addition, cat and ear are at the beginning and end of the sentence. Finally,
INCORRECT the clue words my, a, and its all suggest that a noun will follow. Click next to
see another example and then try a new question.
You missed one or more of the nouns.
Animation: When the narrator talks about the clue words, surround them
My cat has a tick on its ear. with boxes.

NEXT

Slide 21 Comma Conventions & Nouns 21

Narration: You can identify nouns by looking at each word in the sentence
and asking “Does this word represent a person, place or thing”? If so, it’s a
noun.
IDENTIFYING NOUNS REVIEW
Words that represent people, places and things are nouns.
People: learners, instructors, Jason, girl, boy,
Places: USA, office, McDonald’s, beach
Things: piano, car, tree, window, pencil

BACK NEXT
Slide 22 Comma Conventions & Nouns 22
Narration: In English we often start and end sentences with nouns. It’s not a
guarantee, but there’s a good chance that you will find nouns near the
beginning and end of sentences like in these simple examples.
IDENTIFYING NOUNS REVIEW
Nouns are often used at the beginning and ends of
sentences.

The deadline is next week.

Emma plays the flute.

BACK NEXT

Slide 23 Comma Conventions & Nouns 23

Narration: Articles and possessive pronouns are followed by nouns. It is
helpful to know these 10 words because they help you scan a sentence faster
IDENTIFYING NOUNS REVIEW to look for nouns instead of looking at each word in the sentence to see if it
matches the definition of a noun. If you see one of these 10 words and
Articles and possessive pronouns are followed by nouns, you’re unsure where the noun is, add the word “what.” The answer is the
so if you see one of these words, you know that a noun noun. Look at the example sentence: There are two nouns—one at the
beginning of the sentence and one at the end. If you ask “our what?” the
will be used within a few words. answer is house. If you ask “a what?” The answer is road. Click next to try
a my its identifying the nouns in a sentence.
an your our
the his or her their Animation: The example sentence will appear when the narrator discusses
how to add what to identify the noun.
Our house is down a dirt road.
Our what?House. A what?A road. BACK NEXT

Slide 24 24
Narration: Identify the three nouns in the sentence.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING Assessment: Use a hotspot around the nouns.

The sentence below has three nouns. Using what

you know about nouns and clues for identifying
them, click on all three nouns.

Dave swims the backstroke toward my boat.

BACK
Slide 25 Narration: Whether you use the definition of a noun,
look at
25

the beginning and end of the sentence, or use articles and

possessive pronouns, you’re on your way to using
YOU GOT IT!
commas with nouns effectively.
You identified Dave, backstroke and boat.

Whether you use the definition of a noun,

look at the beginning and end of the sentence,
or use articles and possessive pronouns, you’re
on your way to using commas with nouns
effectively.
NEXT

Slide 26 26
Narration: You missed one or more of the nouns. The correct answer was
Dave, backstroke and boat. Dave is a person and backstroke and boat are
things, which make them nouns. In addition, Dave and boat are at the
INCORRECT beginning and end of the sentence, respectively. Finally, the clue words the
and my suggest that a noun will follow. If you would like to review these
You missed one or more of the nouns. ideas, use the table of contents to navigate to a noun lesson.

Dave swims the backstroke toward my boat. Animation: When the narrator talks about the clue words, surround them
with boxes.

Navigation: When the learner clicks next, she will move on to the Adding
Commas section.
NEXT

Slide 27 Narration: Adding commas. Click next to get started.

ADDING COMMAS
the basics, dates & states, direct
address, and appositives

BACK NEXT
Slide 28 Narration: Putting it all together. Click next to get started.

PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER
an editing scenario

BACK NEXT

Slide 29 Narration: Congratulations! By knowing how to find nouns and how to chunk
sentences, you can use commas to communicate more effectively.

CONGRATULATIONS!
By knowing how to find nouns and
how to chunk sentences, you can use
commas to communicate more
effectively.

BACK