![]() Wrong choice of connector: Learning all the connectors and their meanings can be confusing.If you simply go by “feel” or intuition, you can end up with sentences that will be considered intolerably ambiguous, distracting or unclear by an educated reader. Omitted commas with compound or complex sentences: Joining two or more clauses into a longer sentence is subject to several rules of comma use.Comma-splices and run-ons: At the other extreme from a fragment is the comma-splice or run-on sentence, in which two independent clauses that should be separated between periods have instead been improperly joined together.The solution is to learn how to locate clauses in your writing and to distinguish which strings of words should be considered a dependent clause or a phrase. To do so creates a type of error that writing experts call a fragment. Fragments: As we saw in some of the earlier examples, some types of clauses are not properly left alone between two periods.Some of the errors that come up for students include the following: English learners and multilingual writers probably have more difficulty than their monolingual counterparts, because of the many complexities and subtleties that have to be learned. Inexperienced writers often have problems with clauses. ![]() Study-abroad students may re-experience feelings of culture shock when visiting their hometown. Study-abroad students may re-experience feelings of culture shock when they visit their hometown. Let’s talk now about the evaporation of the water. (= noun phrase) ![]() Let’s talk now about how the water evaporated. Understanding the difference between phrases and clauses can help explain some of the choices writers make in choosing from among the different possible ways to express a single idea. Essentially, a clause is defined as having both a subject and a verb: Sometimes it can be important to distinguish between clauses and phrases. That teachers want their students to work harder.Ĭorrect: It’s always been true that teachers want their students to work harder. Who is attractive, charming, and intelligent.Ĭorrect: I’d like to meet som eone who is attractive, charming, and intelligent. If it seems difficult to understand why the first example in the pair above would be considered incorrect, then consider the following: Other types of dependent clauses are even more tightly joined to their independent clauses, such as those clauses that begin with a relative pronoun (a word like who, whom, whose, which, or that). The combination of an independent clause and a dependent clause is sometimes called a complex sentence. Whereas cats are merely decorative.Ĭorrect: Dogs make great companions, whereas cats are merely decorative. For example, if we depart from the coordinating conjunctions and choose instead from the list of subordinating conjunctions (words like while, whereas, because, or since), then to place such a clause between two periods would be considered unusual, imprecise, or unclear by an educated reader. A clause that follows a subordinating conjunction is one type of dependent clause. On the other hand, there are clauses that are more “tightly” joined. (two clauses joined to form a compound sentence)Īs can be seen above, independent clauses are “loosely” joined: you can punctuate them together, with a comma, or separately, with two periods, but the essential relationship between the two ideas is the same. (a conjunction added for clarity)ĭogs make great pets, and so do cats. (two independent clauses)ĭogs make great pets. And so do cats. (independent clause alone)ĭogs make great pets. And once you have a deeper understanding of how we use clauses and the various types of clause combining, you can begin to use them to achieve greater clarity and power in your writing.Īn independent clause is one that stands alone (i.e., between two periods) or is connected to another clause by means of a coordinating conjunction (a word like and, but, or, or so).ĭogs make great pets. In English, we use quite a variety of clauses, connectors, and punctuation, which makes this a rich area for grammar study. Understanding clauses is important to the understanding of compound and complex sentences, clause connectors, and connecting punctuation.
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