L.7.2: Commas Between Coordinate Adjectives and Correct Spelling
In plain English: L.7.2 is the Common Core grade 7 ELA standard that asks students to use standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when they write. Its two parts ask students to put a comma between coordinate adjectives, which describe a noun equally and could switch places, but not between cumulative ones, and to spell correctly with rules and a dictionary.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a.Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).
b.Spell correctly.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Language Standards · Cluster: Conventions of Standard English · Official standard
Students learn when two or more adjectives before a noun need a comma. Coordinate adjectives each describe the noun on their own, so they could switch places or be joined by and: a fascinating, enjoyable movie. Cumulative adjectives build on each other in a set order, so they take no comma: an old green shirt. These are the two official examples in the standard, and students learn two quick tests that tell the kinds apart.
The second part of the standard asks students to spell correctly. The lesson teaches four spelling patterns that grade 7 writing often needs: prefixes, doubling a final consonant in longer words, plurals, and commonly confused words, plus the habit of checking a dictionary. Students practice on the opening of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), where Dr. Watson describes a visitor's walking stick with pairs of adjectives, and on two invented student drafts that also need capital letters fixed.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Tell coordinate adjectives from cumulative adjectives with the switch test and the and test
Use a comma between coordinate adjectives and no comma between cumulative adjectives or before the noun
Spell words with prefixes, doubled final consonants and plural endings by rule
Choose the right spelling of commonly confused words and check a dictionary when no rule applies
Edit a draft for capitalization, commas between adjectives and spelling
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Putting adjectives in the usual order, such as a small red bag L.4.1
Commas between items in a series L.5.2
Capitalizing proper nouns, titles and first words L.4.2
Spelling rules for silent e, final y and one-syllable doubling L.6.2
"Read these two phrases aloud, then say each one with the adjectives in the other order. Which one still sounds right? (1) a cheerful, friendly neighbor (2) a small brick house"
Take a quick vote. Students usually hear that a friendly, cheerful neighbor still sounds natural, while a brick small house sounds wrong. Point out that the writer put a comma in the first phrase and none in the second. Tell students that the sound test they just used is one of two tests for commas between adjectives, and that today they will also practice spelling patterns that careful writers check.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Key words. An adjective describes a noun: it tells what kind, which one or how many. Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that each describe the noun separately and equally. Cumulative adjectives build on one another: the adjective closest to the noun joins with it, and the one before describes that whole group.
Part 1: The two tests (standard a). Use Diagram 1. Test 1: switch the adjectives. Test 2: put and between them. If the phrase still sounds natural both ways, the adjectives are coordinate, and a comma goes between them. If either test sounds wrong, they are cumulative, and no comma is used. Two more rules: never put a comma between the last adjective and the noun, and do not count numbers or words such as a, the, my and three as adjectives in a pair.
The official examples: a fascinating, enjoyable movie but an old green shirt
It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie. and He wore an old green shirt.
Result: Switch test: an enjoyable, fascinating movie sounds natural, but a green old shirt does not. And test: a fascinating and enjoyable movie works, while an old and green shirt sounds odd. So fascinating and enjoyable are coordinate and take a comma, and old green is cumulative: old describes the green shirt, so no comma.
Three coordinate adjectives
We rode a slow creaky crowded ferry across the bay.
Result: Revised: We rode a slow, creaky, crowded ferry across the bay. Each pair passes both tests (a crowded, creaky ferry; slow and creaky), so a comma goes between each pair of adjectives, and none goes before ferry.
Coordinate and cumulative in one phrase
The coach gave a short powerful pep talk.
Result: Revised: The coach gave a short, powerful pep talk.Short and powerful pass both tests, so they take a comma. Pep talk is a unit (a noun working as an adjective, plus its noun), so no comma goes between powerful and pep.
Diagram 2 shows why many pairs are cumulative: English puts adjectives in a usual order (opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose), and adjectives from different groups in that order build on each other. Two adjectives from the same group, such as two opinions, are usually coordinate. The tests still decide.
Part 2: Capitals and spelling (main standard and standard b). Capital letters go on the first word of a sentence, the word I, proper nouns (people, places, days, months, holidays, named events and brands) and titles before names, such as Dr. Rivera. Seasons such as spring stay lowercase. Then teach four spelling patterns and one habit. (1) A prefix (a word part added to the front, such as mis-, dis- or un-) never changes the spelling of the base word: mis + spell = misspell, dis + appear = disappear. (2) Doubling in longer words: when a word ends in one vowel and one consonant and the last syllable is stressed, double the consonant before a suffix (a word part added to the end) that starts with a vowel: begin becomes beginning, permit becomes permitted. When the stress is on an earlier syllable, do not double: open becomes opening, visit becomes visited. (3) Plurals: add -es after s, x, z, ch and sh (boxes); a consonant plus y becomes -ies (cities), but a vowel plus y just adds -s (keys); many words ending in f or fe change to -ves (knife, knives), but some just add -s (roofs, chiefs). (4) Commonly confused words such as their, there and they're, lose and loose, or than and then are real words, so a spell checker does not flag them. The habit: when no rule fits, check a dictionary. American and British spelling also differ (color and colour, traveled and travelled); American school writing uses the American forms.
Spelling with prefixes and doubled consonants
Build each word: un + natural, dis + satisfied, admit + ed, limit + ed
Result: unnatural and dissatisfied keep every letter of the prefix and the base, which is why each has a double letter. admitted doubles the t because the stress falls on the last syllable (ad-MIT). limited does not double, because the stress falls on the first syllable (LIM-it).
Plurals and commonly confused words
The calfs chased two fox's past the churchs, and there cries were louder then thunder.
Result: Revised: The calves chased two foxes past the churches, and their cries were louder than thunder.Calf changes f to -ves; fox and church add -es, and a plural never needs an apostrophe. Their shows ownership, and than compares, while then tells time.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Before reading. In this opening, Dr. Watson, who tells the story, picks up a walking stick left by a visitor, and the detective Sherlock Holmes asks what Watson can figure out about its owner. Words to know: hearth-rug (a rug in front of a fireplace), bulbous-headed (with a round knob on top), Penang lawyer (a kind of heavy walking stick, named for Penang, an island in Malaysia), M.R.C.S. (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, a doctor's title), practitioner (a doctor), occupation (here, what Watson was doing), errand (purpose for coming), esteemed (respected).
During reading. Read the excerpt aloud with volunteers as Holmes and Watson. Then pairs work on paragraph 1 with the organizer: for each phrase, they apply both tests from Diagram 1 or name the capitalization rule. Model the first row together. Save the rest of paragraph 1 and paragraphs 5, 6 and 8 for the quiz.
1Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a “Penang lawyer.” Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch across. “To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.,” was engraved upon it, with the date “1884.” It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry—dignified, solid, and reassuring.
2“Well, Watson, what do you make of it?”
3Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given him no sign of my occupation.
4“How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head.”
5“I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of me,” said he. “But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of our visitor’s stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it.”
6“I think,” said I, following as far as I could the methods of my companion, “that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medical man, well-esteemed since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation.”
7“Good!” said Holmes. “Excellent!”
8“I think also that the probability is in favour of his being a country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on foot.”
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles, chapter 1, "Mr. Sherlock Holmes" (opening) (1902). Public domain (published 1902). Source text.
Paragraph 1 organizer (teacher key in the last column)
Words from paragraph 1
Question
Teacher key
a fine, thick piece of wood
Why the comma?
Coordinate: a thick, fine piece and fine and thick both sound natural.
the old-fashioned family practitioner
Why no comma?
Cumulative: family practitioner (a family doctor) is a unit, and old-fashioned describes it; a family old-fashioned practitioner fails.
those not infrequent occasions
Is this an adjective pair?
No: not describes infrequent, not the noun. Not and infrequent cannot switch, so no comma.
the breakfast table
Is breakfast an adjective?
Breakfast is a noun working as an adjective (a purpose word); with one describing word, no comma is possible.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes; James Mortimer, M.R.C.S.
Why the capitals?
Titles before names, names and the letters of a title after a name are capitalized.
a "Penang lawyer"
Why is only one word capitalized?
Penang is a place name, a proper noun; lawyer is a common noun (here, a kind of stick).
Discuss: Doyle was an English writer, and the excerpt uses British spellings and older hyphenated forms. Ask students to find coffee-pot in paragraph 5 and look it up; current American dictionaries spell it as one word, coffeepot. Compound words often lose their hyphens over time, which is why a current dictionary is the final check.
Independent Practice10-15 minutes
Students edit the invented flyer below so it could be posted in the school hallway. They fix every capitalization error, every comma between adjectives that should or should not be there, and every misspelling, and they name the rule or test beside each change. Warn them that two adjective phrases are already correct and should stay as they are.
Come to the student council bake sale on friday! We will sell soft, chewy cookies, rich chocolate brownies and fresh, lemon bars. Every dollar helps pay for new, library books. Mr. Okafor's famous, cinnamon rolls will be there too. Bring a freind and your apetite. The sale begins at noon in the cafeteria, and the best treats usually dissapear in minutes. Last year a long noisy line formed before the doors opened, so dont be late.
Written for this page (an invented student draft), Draft for editing: Bake Sale Flyer. Original passage written for this page.
Teacher key. (1) friday: Friday (days are proper nouns). (2) fresh, lemon bars: fresh lemon bars (cumulative; lemon bars is a unit). (3) new, library books: new library books (cumulative). (4) famous, cinnamon rolls: famous cinnamon rolls (cumulative). (5) freind: friend (dictionary; a word to memorize). (6) apetite: appetite (dictionary). (7) dissapear: disappear (prefix dis + appear). (8) a long noisy line: a long, noisy line (coordinate; a noisy, long line works). (9) dont: don't (a contraction needs an apostrophe). Correct as written: soft, chewy cookies (coordinate) and rich chocolate brownies (cumulative).
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Punctuate and explain with a test: We found a smooth flat stone and a shiny silver coin. (Answer: a smooth, flat stone is coordinate; shiny silver coin is cumulative, so no comma.) (2) Spell the plural of shelf and the -ing form of upset. (Answer: shelves, upsetting.)
Teacher note on the text: Doyle's novel appeared as a book in 1902 in Britain, so it uses British spellings, hyphenated compounds such as hearth-rug, and the period's formal speech. These are not errors for his time and place. The excerpt is quoted exactly.
For homework: students edit the invented county fair draft below, which Problem 5 uses.
Last saturday my cousins and I went to the county fair in riverside. We rode a tall, wooden ferris wheel and ate warm sugary funnel cakes. My cousin Leo wanted to win a stuffed bear at the ring toss, but he kept missing, and he was embarased. Then we watched a loud cheerful band from nashville. The best part was the petting barn, where two tiny, white goats nibbled my sleeve. We definately want to go back next july, and we are already planing our trip.
Written for this page (an invented student draft), Draft for editing: A Day at the County Fair. Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give students a card with the two tests printed as questions and have them say both versions of each phrase aloud before deciding
Start with pairs of adjectives only, then move to three adjectives once students can test each pair
Keep a personal list of five words each student often misspells, with the rule or memory trick for each
For Advanced Students
Ask students to find five adjective pairs in a novel they are reading and explain the author's commas with the tests
Have students write a Holmes-style description of an object left in the classroom, using at least three coordinate and three cumulative pairs
Challenge students to find three American and British spelling pairs in older books and explain the pattern
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that students name a test for each comma they add or remove; a correct comma with no reason may be a guess. Look for no comma between the last adjective and the noun, and for numbers and words such as a or my left out of adjective pairs. For spelling, look for rules named in the student's own words, correct plurals without apostrophes, and dictionary checks on words no rule covers. For capitalization, look for proper nouns and titles fixed while seasons and common nouns stay lowercase.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Comma or No Comma? Test Cards
15 minPairs
Each pair gets 12 phrase cards with two adjectives and no commas. Partners run both tests aloud, sort each card into a Comma pile or a No Comma pile, and write the comma in where it belongs (standard a).
Phrase Cards
1. a quiet peaceful lake
2. a tall glass vase
3. a clever funny joke
4. a little brown mouse
5. a warm sunny afternoon
6. three yellow pencils
7. a sticky messy floor
8. an old leather jacket
9. a brave loyal dog
10. a new basketball court
11. a smooth shiny stone
12. a round wooden table
Procedure
Partner A reads the phrase with the adjectives switched; partner B reads it with and between them
If both versions sound natural, the card goes in the Comma pile and the pair writes the comma in; if either sounds wrong, it goes in the No Comma pile
For each No Comma card, the pair names the groups from Diagram 2 (for example, size and material) or notes a number or a noun used as an adjective
Teacher key: Comma: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 (a quiet, peaceful lake; a clever, funny joke; a warm, sunny afternoon; a sticky, messy floor; a brave, loyal dog; a smooth, shiny stone). No Comma: 2 (size, material), 4 (size, color), 6 (a number), 8 (age, material), 10 (basketball is a noun used as an adjective), 12 (shape, material). Each pile ends with six cards.
Discussion Questions
What do the adjectives in the Comma pile have in common?
Which card was hardest to decide, and which test settled it?
2
Describe It Like a Detective
15 minGroups of 3
Like Watson with the walking stick, groups study an object "left behind" by a visitor and write a short description that uses coordinate and cumulative adjectives, then trade with another group to check every comma (standard a and the main standard).
Object Cards
1. A backpack with a broken zipper and a patch from a summer camp
2. A sneaker with a worn heel and a knotted lace
3. A water bottle covered in stickers from national parks
4. A notebook with a bent cover and pages of sketches
Procedure
Each group draws one card (or uses a real classroom object) and writes four sentences about it and its owner, with at least two coordinate pairs and two cumulative pairs
At least one sentence names a proper noun, such as the camp, a park or a brand, so the group must capitalize it
Groups trade papers; the checking group runs both tests on every adjective pair, circles any comma that should change, and checks spelling with a dictionary
Sample for card 3: "This dented, scratched water bottle is covered in small round stickers. One sticker shows Yellowstone National Park. The owner is a curious, adventurous traveler. She probably carries a small leather wallet too." (Coordinate: dented, scratched; curious, adventurous. Cumulative: small round; small leather.)
Discussion Questions
Which of your adjectives describe how the object looks, and which tell what it is made of or for?
Did the checking group change any of your commas? Which test did they use?
Modification for Distance Learning
Students photograph an object at home, post the photo with their four sentences on a shared board, and check a classmate's commas in a comment.
3
Spelling Pattern Stations
15 minGroups of 4
Groups rotate through three stations with 6 cards each. At every station they build or choose the correct spelling, name the rule, and check two words in a dictionary (standard b).
Station Cards
Station 1, prefixes: mis + step; un + necessary; dis + agree; re + enter; un + known; mis + lead
Station 2, double or not: commit + ed; happen + ed; control + ing; travel + ing; forbid + en; enter + ing
Station 3, plurals: leaf; beach; monkey; party; roof; tax
Procedure
At each station, one student writes the word on a whiteboard, one names the rule, one checks a dictionary, and one records the answer; roles rotate at the next station
At Station 2, students clap the syllables and mark the stressed one before deciding whether to double
Teacher key: Station 1: misstep, unnecessary, disagree, reenter, unknown, mislead. Station 2: committed, happened, controlling, traveling, forbidden, entering (double only after a stressed last syllable: com-MIT, con-TROL, for-BID). Station 3: leaves, beaches, monkeys, parties, roofs, taxes.
Discussion Questions
Why do misstep and unnecessary have double letters?
Which Station 3 word breaks the f-to-ves pattern, and how would you know without a rule?
Challenge Variation
Groups add two new cards to each station for the next group, with a key on the back.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Two Tests for Coordinate Adjectives
Run both tests on each pair of adjectives before a noun. If the pair passes both, the adjectives are coordinate and take a comma; if it fails either one, they are cumulative and take no comma.
Diagram 2: The Usual Order of Adjectives
English speakers usually put adjectives in this order. Adjectives from different groups build on each other and take no comma; the two tests in Diagram 1 have the final say.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
L.7.2 Homework: Coordinate Adjectives, Capitals and Spelling
Directions: Complete all six problems. Use Diagrams 1 and 2 for Problems 1-3. Problem 5 uses the county fair draft at the end of the lesson plan, and Problem 6 uses a paragraph of your own writing.
Part 1: Commas Between Adjectives (Problems 1-3)
Decide whether each phrase needs a comma. Write the phrase correctly and show both tests: (a) a cold dark night (b) a large brick building (c) an honest hardworking student (d) two tiny puppies (e) a bright sunny kitchen (f) my favorite blue sweater
Add commas where they belong. If a sentence needs none, write "no commas" and explain: (a) We walked along a narrow winding dirt road. (b) The chef made a rich creamy tomato soup. (c) Grandma gave me a small round wooden box. (d) It was a long tiring hot day at the beach.
Write a paragraph of five or six sentences that describes a place you know well. Use at least three pairs of coordinate adjectives with commas and two pairs of cumulative adjectives without commas. Underline each pair and label it coordinate or cumulative.
Part 2: Spelling and Capitals (Problems 4-6)
Build or spell each word and name the rule: (a) mis + spent (b) un + named (c) dis + approve (d) excel + ing (e) prefer + ed (f) garden + ing (g) the plural of half (h) the plural of wish (i) the plural of chimney (j) the plural of berry
Edit the county fair draft. Find and fix five capitalization errors, four comma errors between adjectives (some commas are missing and some should be removed) and three misspelled words. List each change and the rule or test behind it.
Choose a paragraph of at least five sentences that you wrote this year. Circle every pair of adjectives before a noun and check each with both tests. Then check every word you are unsure of in a dictionary, fix any capitalization errors, and list each change and its reason. If your paragraph has no adjective pairs, add two, one coordinate and one cumulative.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Coordinate Adjectives
Every comma added or left out correctly, with both tests shown
Most correct, or tests missing
Commas placed by guess or between the adjective and the noun
Original Description
Three coordinate and two cumulative pairs, all punctuated and labeled correctly
Most pairs correct
Few pairs, or labels mostly wrong
Spelling
All ten words correct with rules named; all three draft misspellings fixed
Seven to nine words correct, or rules missing
Fewer than seven correct
Editing
All twelve draft errors fixed with reasons; own paragraph checked and changes listed
Eight to eleven fixed, or reasons missing
Fewer than eight fixed
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 12-16 use the Hound of the Baskervilles excerpt in Guided Practice; paragraph numbers are shown beside the passage. The other questions use new sentences. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses a comma between coordinate adjectives correctly?
Answer: A
Steep and rocky pass both tests (a rocky, steep trail; steep and rocky), so one comma goes between them. B and C put a comma between the last adjective and the noun, which is never correct. D adds a comma after the article a, which is not part of the adjective pair.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer: D
A blue small backpack sounds wrong, so small blue is cumulative (size, then color) and takes no comma. A (age, then material) and C (size, then origin) are also cumulative, so their commas are wrong. B puts a comma after a number, which is never part of a coordinate pair.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In which phrase is the comma used correctly?
Answer: C
A rainy, cold morning and a cold and rainy morning both sound natural, so the comma is correct. A fails the switch test (a plastic thin straw). B separates a number from an adjective. D fails because soccer ball is a unit; soccer is a noun working as an adjective.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student is not sure whether to write a cheerful friendly waiter with a comma. What should the student do?
Answer: C
The two tests decide: a friendly, cheerful waiter and a cheerful and friendly waiter both sound natural, so the adjectives are coordinate and take a comma. A and D look at word length or endings, which do not decide commas. B looks at the noun, but the rule is about how the adjectives relate to each other.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence punctuates three coordinate adjectives correctly?
Answer: B
Each pair passes both tests, so a comma goes after long and after hot, and none goes before the noun. A adds a comma before afternoon. C leaves out the first comma, and D leaves out the second, so each treats one coordinate pair as cumulative.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which phrase is punctuated correctly?
Answer: D
Noisy and crowded are coordinate (a crowded, noisy bus), so they take a comma. City bus is a unit (city is a noun working as an adjective), so no comma goes before city. B adds that comma. A puts the only comma in the wrong place. C puts a comma before the noun.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which phrase should be written without a comma, like the standard's example an old green shirt?
Answer: A
Young gray follows the same pattern as old green: an age word, then a color word. A gray young cat sounds wrong, so the adjectives are cumulative and take no comma. B, C and D pair two qualities of the same kind; each passes both tests (a patient, gentle tutor; funny and clever), so each is coordinate, like a fascinating, enjoyable movie, and needs a comma.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which word is spelled correctly?
Answer: B
A prefix never changes the base word: un + noticed = unnoticed, with the n that ends the prefix and the n that starts the base. A and D drop the n of the prefix. C and D add a second t, but noticed has only one.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which word is spelled correctly?
Answer: D
Omit is stressed on its last syllable (o-MIT), so the t doubles before -ed. A and B skip the doubling that re-GRET and oc-CUR need (regretting, occurred). C doubles the t in budget, which is stressed on its first syllable (BUD-get), so the correct form is budgeted.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence spells every plural correctly?
Answer: C
Thief changes f to -ves (thieves), and bench adds -es after ch (benches). A adds a plain -s to thief. B adds a plain -s to bench, but words that end in ch add -es. D adds an apostrophe, but a plural never needs one; thieves' shows ownership.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence uses the correct spelling of each word?
Answer: B
They're means "they are," their shows ownership, and lose means to misplace. A mixes up their and they're and uses there for ownership. C and D use loose (not tight), and each also misuses there. A spell checker would miss all of these, because every word is a real word.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 1 of the Hound of the Baskervilles excerpt, Doyle writes a broad silver band with no comma. Why is that correct?
Answer: B
The switch test fails (a silver broad band), so the adjectives are cumulative: broad describes the silver band (size, then material). A points to syllables, which do not decide commas. C treats a correct choice as a mistake. D invents a rule about the verb.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 5, Holmes has a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of him. Which test shows that Doyle's comma is correct?
Answer: D
The switch test passes, and well-polished and silver-plated also works, so the adjectives are coordinate. A and B point to hyphens, which do not decide commas. C is backward: a material word usually sits right next to the noun in a cumulative phrase, as in a thick cotton towel.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 6, Watson calls Dr. Mortimer a successful, elderly medical man. Why is there a comma after successful but not after elderly?
Answer: C
An elderly, successful medical man sounds natural, so the first two adjectives are coordinate. Medical man (a doctor) is a unit, and an elderly and medical man sounds wrong, so no comma goes there. A is wrong because elderly ends in -ly but is an adjective. B is wrong because three coordinate adjectives take two commas. D is wrong because medical is an adjective.
Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 8, Watson says the probability is in favour of his idea. Which is the standard American spelling of the word?
Answer: A
American spelling drops the u in words such as favor, color and honor. B is the British spelling Doyle used, which is correct in British English but not in American school writing. C and D are not standard spellings anywhere; a dictionary check would catch them.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
In paragraph 1, Watson says the stick is the kind a doctor used to carry, "dignified, solid, and reassuring." Are these coordinate adjectives before a noun? Explain what the commas do here. Then write your own sentence that puts two of these adjectives before a noun, punctuated correctly, and prove it with a test.
Model answer: No. The three adjectives come after the dash, not before a noun, so they are items in a series, and the commas separate the items (Doyle also uses a comma before and). Sample sentence: "The principal gave a dignified, reassuring speech." A reassuring, dignified speech and a dignified and reassuring speech both sound natural, so the comma belongs. Rubric line: 2 points for explaining the series and writing a correct coordinate pair with a test; 1 point for one of the two.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Write two sentences about your school's lunchroom: one with a pair of coordinate adjectives and one with a pair of cumulative adjectives. Punctuate each correctly and show both tests for each pair.
Model answer: "We sat at a long, sticky table." (a sticky, long table and long and sticky both work: coordinate, comma.) "The cook served a big green salad." (a green big salad and big and green salad both sound wrong: cumulative, no comma.) Rubric line: 2 points for both pairs punctuated correctly with both tests shown; 1 point for one correct pair.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Explain why a writer puts no commas in a shiny new red bicycle but a comma in a loud, excited crowd. Use both tests and Diagram 2 in your answer.
Model answer: In a shiny new red bicycle, the adjectives come from different groups in the usual order (opinion, age, color), and switching them fails (a red new shiny bicycle), so they are cumulative and take no commas. In a loud, excited crowd, the switch works (an excited, loud crowd) and so does loud and excited, so the adjectives are coordinate and take a comma. Rubric line: 2 points for applying the tests to both phrases with a correct conclusion; 1 point for one phrase.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Find and fix the six misspelled words in this journal entry, and name the rule or strategy for each: Last week our class took an unforgetable trip to the science museum. The guide refered us to a room full of fossils, and we saw the wierd skeletons of two huge wolfs. My cousin Ana was dissapointed that the gift shop was closed, but she bought two peachs at the snack bar.
Model answer:unforgettable (for-GET is stressed on the last syllable, so the t doubles before -able); referred (re-FER is stressed on the last syllable, so the r doubles); wolves (f changes to -ves); weird (it breaks the i-before-e pattern, so memorize it and check a dictionary); disappointed (dis + appointed; the prefix adds one s); peaches (add -es after ch). Rubric line: 2 points for all six fixes with rules; 1 point for four or five.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Edit this paragraph for capitalization, commas between adjectives and spelling. Name the reason for each change: on saturday my family drove to lake tahoe in our old, blue van. it was a long bumpy ride, and my brother got carsick twise. we stayed in a cozy, wooden cabin near the water, and the next morning was a clear, calm day.
Model answer: "On Saturday my family drove to Lake Tahoe in our old blue van. It was a long, bumpy ride, and my brother got carsick twice. We stayed in a cozy wooden cabin near the water, and the next morning was a clear, calm day." Capitals: the first word of each sentence (On, It, We), a day (Saturday) and a place name (Lake Tahoe). Commas: remove the comma in old blue (age, color: cumulative) and in cozy wooden (opinion, material: cumulative); add one in long, bumpy (coordinate); keep clear, calm (coordinate). Spelling: twice. Rubric line: 2 points for all capital, comma and spelling fixes with reasons; 1 point for most of them.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does L.7.2 mean?
L.7.2 means that seventh graders use standard capitalization, punctuation and spelling in their writing, with two focus skills.
Part a asks for a comma between coordinate adjectives, as in a fascinating, enjoyable movie, and part b asks students to spell correctly.
What are coordinate adjectives?
Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives that describe the same noun separately and equally.
You can switch their order or put and between them and the phrase still sounds natural: a cozy, quiet room can also be a quiet, cozy room or a cozy and quiet room.
What is the difference between coordinate and cumulative adjectives?
Coordinate adjectives each describe the noun and take a comma, while cumulative adjectives build on each other and take no comma.
In a heavy wool coat, heavy describes the wool coat, and a wool heavy coat sounds wrong, so the adjectives are cumulative.
Why is there no comma in "an old green shirt"?
There is no comma because old and green are cumulative: old describes the green shirt.
The standard uses this phrase as its example of what not to do. Switching the words (a green old shirt) or adding and (an old and green shirt) sounds wrong, so no comma belongs.
Does a comma go between the last adjective and the noun?
No: a comma never goes between the last adjective and the noun it describes.
Write a warm, sunny day, not a warm, sunny, day. The commas separate adjectives from each other, not from the noun.
What about three or more adjectives before a noun?
Test each pair of neighbors separately, and put a comma only between the pairs that pass.
A bright, crisp, breezy morning has two commas because every pair is coordinate. A friendly, patient piano teacher has one, because piano teacher is a unit.
Is it "traveled" or "travelled"?
In American English it is traveled; travelled is the British spelling.
Travel is stressed on its first syllable (TRAV-el), so American spelling does not double the l. British spelling doubles it. American school writing uses the American form, and older British books, such as Doyle's, use the British one.
How can my student get better at spelling in grade 7?
Learning a few reliable patterns and checking a dictionary for the rest helps many students.
Useful patterns at this level are prefixes, doubling in longer words and plural endings. A personal list of words the student often misses, reviewed each week, also helps. A spell checker is a start, but it misses real words used wrongly, such as loose for lose.
How is L.7.2 tested?
L.7.2 is usually tested with editing questions that ask students to choose the correctly punctuated or spelled version of a phrase or sentence.
Many state tests use this format. Classroom tests often add short editing passages in which students fix commas, capitals and spelling and explain one change.
What comes after L.7.2?
In grade 8, L.8.2 adds commas, ellipses and dashes that show a pause, a break or an omission.
Spelling stays part of the standard in grade 8 and in high school, and the comma rule for coordinate adjectives remains part of standard edited English.
07
Related Standards
6 standards
These standards connect to L.7.2: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
L.4.1Prerequisite
Order adjectives conventionally; use relative pronouns and prepositional phrases
Lesson coming soon
L.5.2Prerequisite
Use commas in a series and after introductory elements; spell correctly
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
L.7.1Parallel
Explain phrases and clauses, choose sentence types and fix misplaced modifiers
