Commas – Free Exercise

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Exercises

Comma or no comma? Decide if the sentences are correct or not.

  1. Weißt du wo ich mein Handy hingelegt habe?incorrect|correct: Weißt du, wo ich mein Handy …|Use a comma between main clauses and subordinate clauses (signal word: wo)Do you know where I left my phone?
  2. Ich freue mich, dass ihr uns besuchen kommt.correct|Use a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause (signal word: dass)I’m happy that you’re coming to visit us.

Choose the correct version of the sentence.

  1. Infinitive with zuUse a comma before um zuHe spent a month in Berlin to learn German.
  2. Direct speechThe comma comes after the closing speech marks in German“We can meet up tomorrow,” she said.

Click on the words in the text that take a comma.

  1. Gestern, es, war, schon, spät, am, Abend, fing, es, plötzlich, an, zu, schneien.Commas 1 & 2: Commas are obligatory when we insert a subordinate clause in the middle of the sentence|Comma 3: Optional comma before the infinitive with zuYesterday, it was already late in the evening, it suddenly started snowing.
  2. Im, Nu, waren, alle, Autos, die, auf, der, Straße, standen, zugeschneit.Commas 1 & 2: Relative clauses are framed by commasIn no time at all the cars on the street were snowed in. Oh, das, war, ein, Spaß!Optional comma after an interjection (oh)Oh, it was so fun!
  3. Als, ich, am, nächsten, Morgen, auf, die, Straße, kam, wusste, ich, nicht, mehr, welches, mein, Auto, war.Comma 1: als + subordinate clause takes a comma|Comma 2: separates the main clause (wusste ich nicht mehr …) from the subordinate clause (welches …)When I got to the road the next morning, I didn’t know which car was mine.