Writing Strategies and Grammar

An independent clause has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. Because the clause is independent, it can stand on its own without the support of additional clauses.

• Example: Percy passed his Calculus exam.

A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but lacks a complete thought, making them dependent on independent clauses. Dependent clauses modify the independent ones by establishing when, where, how, or why something happened in the main clause.

• Example: Because Linda and Beth were talking…

Fragments are essentially incomplete sentences or dependent clauses standing by themselves. If you know how to identify subject nouns and predicate verbs, then you can more easily identify what needs to be done to make an fragment into a complete sentence.

Dependent Marker Words

Dependent clauses begin with dependent marker words. Adding a marker to the beginning of an independent clause turns it dependent. If a sentence starts with one of these words, it cannot stand on its own:

Complex Sentences

When a dependent clause and an independent clause join together, they form a complex sentence. If the dependent clause comes first, a comma must separate the two clauses.

• Example: He couldn’t play video games because he had to study.
• Example: Because he had to study, he couldn’t play video games.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence has two independent clauses divided by a comma and one of the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS).

• Example: She considered ordering pizza, but she went out for tacos instead.

Complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence contains a compound and a complex sentence. That means it has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. 

• Example: Joe’s dorm was a mess, and he needed to clean it before his study group arrived. Joe needed to clean his dorm before his study group arrived, for it was a mess.
• Example: Before his study group arrived, Joe needed to clean his dorm, for it was a mess.

Comma Splices

A comma splice occurs when a comma is placed between two independent clauses. If you place a comma anywhere you would end a sentence with a period, question mark, or exclamation point, then you have created a comma splice:

• Example of comma splice: I will outline my essay today, it is due next week.
  • Replace: A comma splice can be corrected by replacing the splicing comma with a period or semicolon or by adding a conjunction or dependent marker word:
    • I will outline my essay today. It is due next week.
    • I will outline my essay today; it is due next week.
    • I will outline my essay today, for it is due next week.
    • I will outline my essay today because it is due next week.
    • Because it is due next week, I will outline my essay today.

Run-on Sentences

A run-on sentence has two independent clauses that lack proper punctuation between them.

• Example of run-on: I must stay confident it is the key to growing as a writer.
  • ​Replace: A run-on sentence can be corrected by adding a period, a semicolon, or a comma-conjunction combination between the two independent clauses.
    • ​I must stay confident. It is the key to growing as a writer.
    • I must stay confident; it is the key to growing as a writer.
    • I must stay confident, for it is the key to growing as a writer.

Sentence Fragments

A sentence fragment is a dependent clause or an incomplete thought trying to stand on its own as a complete sentence. Remember, only independent clauses can stand on their own, and they must contain a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.

• Example of fragment: Whenever I need help with writing…
  • ​Replace: A sentence fragment can be fixed by attaching it to an independent clause or by removing the dependent marker word.
    • Whenever I need help writing, I look for resources online.
    • I look for resources online whenever I need help writing.
    • I need help with writing.