Connecting Clauses 1
An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence. It contains both a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought.
Write an example of an independent clause.
She loves reading historical fiction.
The sun sets behind the mountains.
We will go to the beach tomorrow.
Each of these clauses has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined together with just a comma, without a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation.
Write out an example of a sentence containing a comma splice.
"It’s raining outside, I forgot my umbrella"
Select the verb option that agrees with the subject(s): "Peonies and dahlias ___ blooming our garden." [is / are]
"are"
Explanation: The subject "Peonies and dahlias" is a compound subject (two plural nouns joined by "and"), which requires the plural verb "are."
Select the option that best maintains verb tense consistency: "This is my favorite store! It ______ the cutest gifts." [sells / sold]
What is "sells"?
Select the pronoun that agrees with its antecedent(s): "Mariah and Vivian are running together for student council president and vice-president, and ____ campaign is off to a strong start." [her / their]
"their"
Place these homophones correctly in the following sentence: their, they're and there
________ playing with ________ dog over ______ in the park.
They’re playing with their dog over there in the park.
Which part of the sentence below contains the dependant clause?
"After she finished her exams, she slept for 12 hours."
What is,"After she finished her exams."
It is a dependent (or subordinate) clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence—it needs the main clause "she slept for 12 hours" to form a complete thought.
The boldfaced portion is a _____________ clause: "We went into the library for shelter while it stormed."
What is independent?
Select the verb option that agrees with the subject(s): "One of us ____ to go first." [has / have]
"has"
Explanation:The subject of the sentence is "one," which is singular. The phrase "of us" is a prepositional phrase and does not affect the number of the verb. Since "one" is singular, it takes the singular verb "has."
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "If the skies look clear tomorrow morning, they _______ the graduation ceremony outside." [hold, will hold, have held]
"will hold"
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "This shop is raising ____ prices." [its / their]
"its"
Correctly place the homophones where and wear in the following setence:
________ did you put the jacket you want to ________ today?
Where did you put the jacket you want to wear today?
A dependent and an independent clause can be joined by a ________.
Comma and/or conjunction
Two independent clauses can be joined by a comma followed by a _______________.
What is a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)?
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "A pod of dolphins ____ swimming across the bay." [is / are]
"is"
Explanation: "Pod" is a collective noun (referring to a group acting as a single unit)
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "I was swimming with my friends when the thunderstorm ______." [starts, started, had started]
"started"
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "Marisol wrote a list of the school supplies she needs, and she put ___ by the front door so that she won't forget to go shopping." [it / them]
"it"
Place your and you're correctly in the following sentence:
_______ late for ______ meeting, so hurry up!
You're late for your meeting, so hurry up!
FANBOYS is an acronym for the seven coordinating conjunctions in English. These words connect independent clauses, words, or phrases.
List the seven coordinating conjunctions.
What are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so?
The following sentence is a comma splice. To fix it, you could replace one of the commas with a semicolon. Where should that semicolon be placed?
On the whole, this review paints a negative picture of the film, however, the critic praises some performances."
On the whole, this review paints a negative picture of the film; however, the critic praises some performances.
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "Neither my teammates nor my coach _________ we need an extra practice before the game." [think / thinks]
"thinks"
Explanation: When using "neither...nor" as the subject, the verb should agree with the closest noun. In this case, "coach" is singular, so the verb should also be singular: "thinks."
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "Mariam is visiting her aunt tomorrow. They ____________ each other since Thanksgiving." [do not see, have not seen, had not seen]
"have not seen"
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "The team held _____ heads high despite a stinging defeat." [its / their]
"their"
This pair of homophones includes a word meaning "an empty space or opening" and another meaning "complete or entire."
What are hole and whole?
Fix this sentence using a conjunction: "Marina loves fashion, she dreams of designing her own label someday."
"Marina loves fashion, and she dreams of designing her own label someday."
"Marina loves fashion, so she dreams of designing her own label someday."
Fix this sentence, which contains a comma splice: "Ayesha and Mona are inseparable, they do everything together."
Two options for correcting the comma splice.
1.Using a FANBOYS conjunction:
"Ayesha and Mona are inseparable, so they do everything together."
2.Using a semicolon:
"Ayesha and Mona are inseparable; they do everything together."
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "Each of the stamps in her collection, which spans more than seventy years of American history, __________ a unique design." [feature / features]
"features"
Explanation: Since "Each" is singular, it requires a singular verb → "features."
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "By the time my sister called me, I _________ the good news already." [heard / have heard / had heard]
"had heard"
Select the option that best conforms to the conventions of standard English: "The chess club hosted _____ annual tournament this week." [its / their]
"its"
This pair of homophones includes a verb meaning "to influence" and a noun meaning "a result or outcome."
What are affect and effect?
Affect (verb) – means to influence or change something."The rainy weather can affect my mood."
Effect (noun) – refers to the result or outcome of an action. "The new law had a positive effect on the community."