The Mighty Comma in the Written Message

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• Have you ever gotten a birthday card, an email, or maybe even a letter?

If you have, you probably noticed punctuation marks.

Commas are almost always used in two special places when writing a message on a card, a letter, or even an email.

One of those places is after the greeting in a written message, also called the salutation.

The greeting is always at the beginning of a written message.

• Can you find the greeting in the letter below?

The greeting in the letter above is "Dear Pen Pal."

Next, see if you can find the punctuation mark right after the greeting.

• What is that punctuation mark called?

If you said the comma, you are correct!

After you write the greeting and the name of the person you are writing to in a written message, you should add a comma.

Good work!

The next place you should always add a comma in a written message is at the very end. This part of a letter is called the closing.

• Can you find the closing in the letter below?
• What punctuation mark do you see right after it?

It is a comma, of course!

The comma is always added right after the closing part of a written message.

Some examples of closings in a letter include the following.

• From,
• Sincerely,
• Love,
• Your Friend,

Good work!

Now, listen to this fun song to review this important way to use the comma!

The mighty comma is an important punctuation mark.

Using commas when writing a written message like a letter, email, or greeting card is important!

Next, move on to the Got It? section to see what you remember!