Grammar Lessons
Negatives, Abbreviations, and Commas
Excerpts and illustrations from three online grammar lessons. These lessons were designed to help adult learners avoid common grammar mistakes and feel more confident about their writing.
Writing and illustration: Bronwen Nemaric
Photographs: Julianna Villarosa and Micah Moore
Concept: Elizabeth Szypulski
What are negatives?
A negative is a word or phrase that shows you reject or disagree with something. We use negatives all the time in regular conversation, so a lot of these words should be familiar to you.
Can't, don't, and won't are all common negatives (as well as isn't, doesn't, and not). Words like never and nobody are negatives too--they just express disagreement in a different way.
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What is an abbreviation?
Abbreviations are all around us, from common titles like Dr. and Prof. to the abbreviations you see on street signs. Specifically, abbreviations are shorter spellings of words and expressions we use every day.
What is a comma?
A comma is a punctuation mark that can be used in many different ways. Mainly, it's used to separate things—for instance, two thoughts in a sentence, multiple adjectives, or items in a list.
There are many rules that tell us how commas should be used, but don't let it scare you. With a little practice, it'll start to feel like second nature. Some rules are set in stone. They work the same way every time, so you don't have to think about them too much. Other rules are more complicated. In these cases, you have to understand the meaning of the sentence to know when and where to use the comma.
