Phrases and Clauses
What is the main difference between a phrase and a clause?
A clause has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not contain both.
Independent or dependent: “The dog barked loudly.”
Independent clause. It expresses a complete thought.
Fragment or sentence: “My little brother plays soccer.”
Complete sentence.
What is a run-on sentence?
A run-on occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined incorrectly.
What is a comma splice?
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined with only a comma.
Is “under the old wooden bridge” a phrase or a clause?
Phrase. It does not have both a subject and a verb.
Independent or dependent: “because I forgot my homework”
Dependent clause. It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Fragment or sentence: “After school on Tuesday.”
Fragment
Is this a run-on? “I finished my homework I watched TV.” If so, explain why.
Yes. There are two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction separating them.
Comma splice or correct? “The movie was long, but I enjoyed it.”
Correct. The coordinating conjunction but correctly joins the independent clauses.
Is “when the bell rings” a phrase or a clause? Explain.
Clause. Bell is the subject and rings is the verb.
Independent or dependent: “although the test was difficult”
Dependent clause. The word although makes the thought incomplete.
Fragment or sentence: “Because the bus arrived late.”
Fragment. It is a dependent clause standing alone.
Fix: “The game ended we went home.”
Possible answers:
“The game ended, so we went home.”
“The game ended. We went home.”
“The game ended; we went home.”
Find the problem: “I wanted pizza, my friend wanted tacos.”
Comma splice. Both sides of the comma can stand alone as sentences.
Identify the phrase: “The students in the back row finished first.”
“in the back row”
Identify and label BOTH clauses: “When the rain stopped, we went outside.”
Dependent: “When the rain stopped”
Independent: “we went outside”
Fix: “While we waited for the teacher.”
Answers vary. Example: “While we waited for the teacher, we talked quietly.”
Fix WITHOUT using a period: “Jordan loves science he wants to become a doctor.”
Possible answers:
“Jordan loves science, and he wants to become a doctor.”
“Jordan loves science; he wants to become a doctor.”
Correct TWO ways: “The test was difficult, I finished every question.”
Possible answers:
“The test was difficult, but I finished every question.”
“The test was difficult; I finished every question.”
“The test was difficult. I finished every question.”
Turn this phrase into a clause: “after the long movie”
Answers vary. Example: “after the long movie ended” — movie is the subject and ended is the verb.
Turn this dependent clause into a complete sentence: “Even though Marcus was tired…”
Answers vary. Example: “Even though Marcus was tired, he finished his homework.”
Explain why this is a fragment, then fix it: “Running through the crowded hallway.”
It does not contain a complete subject-verb thought. Example correction: “The student was running through the crowded hallway.”
Give THREE correct ways to join: “The alarm rang. I did not wake up.”
Possible answers:
“The alarm rang, but I did not wake up.”
“The alarm rang; I did not wake up.”
“Although the alarm rang, I did not wake up.”
Explain why this is NOT a comma splice: “Although I was nervous, I gave my presentation.”
“Although I was nervous” is a dependent clause, so the comma is correctly separating an introductory dependent clause from the independent clause.