Questions for Teachers and Grammar Experts
Show that there are separate units (phrases or clauses for you - students need only to recognize parts of thought) in the entire thought.
Show the distinct parts of the thought 1. intro tells "when" and 2. the rest tells "what". The introductory part doesn't make sense alone; it adds to the primary part of the thought. The second part of the thought is the primary part (it makes sense alone, and it could be its own sentence).
Show commas as "markers" separating the parts to assure clarity. Commas are not arbitrary. Many folks feel, "It's been a long time since I used a comma; so, I should put some in."
Concerning the list of states, if it makes sense to use a comma to separate NY and PA, continue the pattern putting a comma between PA and ME (PA, and ME). Using one comma fewer than the number of series items will always engender clarity.
Let me know if this helps.
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