Business Writing · Lesson Plan

Business Writing: Commas

Business writing is often the only way you communicate with clients, the public, and executives — so punctuation errors cost credibility. Part 1 of a three-lesson punctuation series, this lesson covers the comma: the handful of rules that fix the most common mistakes (series, joining sentences, introductory phrases, and non-essential information), with business examples and a practice worksheet.

Grades 9–12 Lesson Plan 45–60 minutes Free Lesson Plan Lesson & Worksheet: Full Membership

Business writing commas lesson illustration

For Teachers

Lesson at a glance

Topic: Business Writing
Grade Level: Grades 9–12
Resource Type: Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
Format: Lesson + worksheet
Materials: Printable lesson, worksheet, pencils

What Students Learn

Learning objectives

Use commas correctly in a series
Join two sentences with a comma and conjunction (and avoid comma splices)
Set off introductory words and phrases
Use commas around non-essential information
Proofread business writing for comma errors

Materials

What you’ll need

Printed lesson and worksheet (one per student)
Pencils

Key Terms

Vocabulary

Comma: A punctuation mark that separates parts of a sentence.
Series: A list of three or more items.
Comma splice: Joining two sentences with only a comma.
Conjunction: A joining word such as and, but, or or.
Introductory phrase: Words that open a sentence before the main clause.
Non-essential information: Detail that can be removed without changing meaning.

For Teachers

Lesson plan

Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.

Lesson sequence

Why punctuation matters (8 min). How errors cost credibility in business writing.
Comma rules (17 min). Series, joining sentences, introductory phrases, non-essential info.
Comma splices (10 min). Spot and fix the most common comma error.
Worksheet (15 min). Students punctuate business sentences correctly.

Assessment

Assess the worksheet for correct comma use and corrected comma splices.

Discussion

Discussion questions

Why does punctuation matter in business writing?
How do you punctuate a series of three or more items?
What is a comma splice, and how do you fix it?
When do you put a comma after an introductory phrase?
How do commas set off non-essential information?

Printable Lesson & Worksheet