GED Reasoning Through Language Arts
Commas & Sentence Punctuation
Commas are structural, not decorative — each legal comma does a nameable job. The test never asks you to sprinkle commas where you would pause; it asks whether a specific comma is doing one of the five legal jobs.
The words first
- introductory element
- an opener before the main sentence: "After the meeting, …"
- nonessential clause
- removable extra info, fenced by commas on both sides
- serial list
- three or more items separated by commas
- semicolon
- joins two complete sentences, or separates list items that contain commas
- colon
- introduces a list or explanation after a complete sentence
The method
THE FIVE LEGAL COMMA JOBS
1. After an opener: After the storm, crews cleared the roads.
2. List of 3+: red, white, and blue
3. Before FANBOYS join: It rained, so the game moved indoors.
4. Fencing extra info: My uncle, a retired pilot, tells stories.
(lift out the fenced part — sentence still works)
5. Between paired a long, tiring shift
adjectives
SEMICOLON vs COLON
semicolon = two full sentences: The vote failed; the room went quiet.
colon = drum-roll after a full She packed three things: rope,
sentence: a map, and matches.
THE CARDINAL SIN
Never split a subject from its verb with one comma:
✗ The manager of the store, refused the refund.
Worked all the way through
The problem
Punctuate this: "My sister who lives in Denver is visiting next week" — given that I have one sister.
- Step 1 — Ask whether "who lives in Denver" is essential.With only one sister, the clause does not pick her out from other sisters — it is extra info.
- Step 2 — Extra info gets fenced by commas on BOTH sides."My sister, who lives in Denver, is visiting next week."
- Step 3 — Verify with the lift-out test."My sister is visiting next week" still works. The fences are legal.
- Step 4 — Note the flip side.With THREE sisters, the clause identifies which one — essential — and takes NO commas.
On the board
one sister → clause is extra
fence it: comma both sides
lift-out test passes ✓
sentence survives without it
three sisters → no commas
the clause would be doing ID work
Answer
My sister, who lives in Denver, is visiting next week.
A second one, in a different form
Semicolon or colon? "The recipe needs one thing ___ patience."
first part is a full sentence
what follows explains "one thing"
a drum-roll
colon ✓
semicolons need a full sentence on BOTH sides
Answer
A colon — The recipe needs one thing: patience.
The usual mistake
Placing the comma after the conjunction instead of before it.
Check yourself
For every comma in the answer choices, name which of the five jobs it is doing. A comma you cannot assign a job to is wrong, no matter how natural the pause feels.
Practice it
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