Questions tagged [independent-clauses]
The independent-clauses tag has no usage guidance.
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Is it natural to end a sentence with “I think/believe”?
It is normal to say:
I believe/think that X is more important than Y.
But is it normal and more importantly correct to phrase the sentence like this:
X is more important than Y I believe/think....
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1answer
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Independent Clause or not [closed]
Would this be an independent clause:
"This had little noticeable effect on our demographic".
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Dependent clause and when to know
He was running with one hand up, on the floor.
Or
He was running on the floor with one hand up.
Which is correct and also how do we know the dependent clause
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4answers
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Difference between dependent and independent clauses
In the sentence "It's raining, but I'm happy," "but" is a coordinating conjunction. Both of the clauses are independent, right?
However, doesn't "I'm happy even though it's raining" mean the same ...
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1answer
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Limitations of Subordination and Nested Clauses
I'm an English teacher who often has to grapple with explaining to students the complexity of clause structure in English, and after reading an article about various 'longest sentences' in fiction, I ...
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1answer
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Is there a hard rule for where commas go when there seems to be two independent clauses but there's only one subject?
Actually, my question is a perfect example -
"Is there a hard rule for where commas go when there SEEMS to be two independent clauses but there's only one subject?"
This one seems easy to me, in ...
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1answer
59 views
Is this example correct? (omitting subject in compound sentence)
Had an argument with my colleague regarding the example from "Advanced Grammar in Use" by Martin Hewings:
In two years time Morneau will have been acting for 50 years, and
shows no signs of ...
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2answers
75 views
Independent clauses
Textbooks tell you that an independent clause must have a subject, verb and express a complete thought (or stand alone). However, I'm confused why the following examples below are considered to be ...
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3answers
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Is this an independent or dependent clause?
Look at the following example
'But she was so tired, she did not finish painting.'
Is the first clause an independent or dependent clause?
If it is an independent clause, should I remove the comma ...
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1answer
38 views
Are these clauses independent?
I work as an editor for a technical firm, and I'm struggling with figuring out if this sentence and others like it need a comma:
"Very limited grading is necessary to achieve the proposed grades ...
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1answer
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Question Regarding Comma vs Colon
Consider the following sentence:
In 2013 Tallinn, Estonia, instituted fare-free rides for city residents (becoming the largest city in the world to do so), but car use in Tallinn has only slightly ...
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1answer
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Dependent clause w/list *comma or semicolon* followed by independent clause
Should we use a semicolon or comma when an adverbial dependent clause containing a list is followed by an independent clause?
While not everyone is a Newton, Einstein, or Hawking, every one of them ...
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Why isn’t this instance of “so” preceded by a comma even though it’s beginning a new independent clause?
William Strunk writes in the 1914 edition of his Elements of Style:
Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause.
...
Two-part sentences of which the second member ...
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2answers
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That we know of yet
The movie 'Lady Bird' has this conversation:
(Please click on it and listen to the clip starting at 2:16)
Christine McPherson: What I'd really like is to be on Math Olympiad.
Teacher: But math ...
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2answers
574 views
Comma before a coordinating conjunction in compound-complex sentences?
As far as I know, it’s a rule that a comma is needed before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. But the use of a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two ...
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2answers
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Joining two independent clauses that contain relevant information
It's been a few years since I took grammar writing, so I'm kinda rusty with my comma skills. I know that one of the comma rules is that two independent clauses must be joined with a comma, however, it ...
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Does this paragraph contain a comma error?
Should there be a comma before the coordinating conjunction 'and' in this paragraph?
"The High court determined that no contract
existed between the two parties because under an objective
standard, a ...
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0answers
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Should I put a comma after “is” if it's followed by a prepositional phrase?
My thought is, if we are going to bring people to the table, that there will also be an opportunity for them.
I can't rearrange the sentence because I'm doing verbatim transcription.
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1answer
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Is there a comma before “and why?” at the end of a question?
If so, would I also put commas if a question ended with "why or why not?"
Ex: Are you going to bake cookies, and why, or why not?
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1answer
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What makes the two clauses in this sentence independent clauses?
As I understand it, an independent clause can make sense without depending on another clause or sentence.
However, in the example I'm looking at, they've stated that these are independent clauses, ...
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0answers
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Semi-colon list where the semi-colons serve different functions
Is something like this acceptable?
"I am responsible for Fido, his food and walking; Mittens, her petting and grooming; and I'm in charge of a two-year-old toddler."
The first two items are ...
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1answer
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Is this an independent or a dependent clause?
Is this an independent or a dependent clause?
You will have to fly from Copenhagen.
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2answers
216 views
Can a verb then preposition then noun make an independent clause? [closed]
Can a verb then preposition then noun make an independent clause?
e.g.
he ignored how much it hurt, and the fear of death.
or
he prayed for miracles, and the love of god.
I've tried to make ...
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1answer
320 views
Commas to separate two phrases separated by conjunctions
So I was studying for the grammar (English) section of the ACT, and I discovered what seems to be a serious gap in my knowledge. In one particular section, there were 4 questions that I got wrong - ...
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2answers
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Can we use “this is” as a main clause? And can an independent clause start with the word “then”?
This is because they have already gone home.
In this sentence "because they have already gone home" is an dependent clause of independent clause "this is". Here my doubt is "this is" a main ...
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Do you always need a comma before 'and' when there are two independent clauses? [duplicate]
I thought the answer was yes. Threads on this site in indicate the answer is yes....but then I frequently see constructions like this on news sites from writers I'd assume would be implementing ...
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4answers
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What is the conceptual distinction between coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions?
While it is easy enough to identify coordinating and subordinating conjunctions by memorizing lists of them, the actual distinction seems arbitrary. Coordinating conjunctions are said to join (among ...
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1answer
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The comma in the phrase “all day, every day” and more
Whenever I read anything, I often notice these commas in between dependent clauses. Are they correct? The answer I'm not looking for is along the lines of, "That's just where you pause."
Here are a ...
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0answers
59 views
Do I include or omit a comma before a conjunction that come after an independent clause and before a dependent clause and another independent clause?
For example:
John Smith works at Google, and when he is not working, he likes to travel down to Santa Monica to take long walks on the beach.
John Smith works at Google and when he is not working, ...
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1answer
562 views
Are all independent clauses sentences?
She went to the doctor; she felt sick.
I understand that independent clauses can stand alone as sentences. But, would it be incorrect to say that an independent clause is not a sentence because it's ...
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2answers
468 views
Can a compound sentence have an implied second subject?
I've been learning about compound sentences recently while writing a web serial and came across this sentence in one of my chapters (for context, Ralphie is a superhero who has just been told the ...
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0answers
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Semi-colon versus Coordinating conjunction
When is it more appropriate to use a semi-colon(;) instead of a coordinating conjunction and a comma(,) to connect two independent clauses?
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0answers
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Can colons and semicolons be interchangeable in joining independent clauses?
I understand that colons can join two independent clauses if the second independent clause expands on or explains the first. I understand that semicolons can join two independent clauses if they are ...
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1answer
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Does putting a how before an independent clause make it dependent?
I'm wondering if putting a "how" before an independent clause somehow makes it dependent.
Example: John questioned societal norms, and how those norms affected the students.
or
Example: John ...
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Is “the phenomenon that a conductor experiences a force in a magnetic field” grammatically correct?
The full sentence is:
[The Motor Effect is:] The phenomenon that a current-carrying
conductor experiences a force in an external magnetic field.
My Physics teacher says that it sounds clunky.
...
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1answer
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Is a comma required between two independent clauses?
I read an article online, and the article has the following sentence.
I love the city and I have a special fondness for the people of Lafayette
How come the writer did not separate the two ...
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1answer
191 views
Adverbial conjunction with two independent clauses (U.S English)
Edit: This question is for U.S English as I know that coordinating conjunctions in British English don't need a comma.
After reading an article about adverbial conjunctions, I've noticed a peculiar ...
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2answers
297 views
Does this sentence contain two independent clauses?
I am trying to determine how to write the following sentence correctly:
"We all have goals we would like to accomplish and dreams we would like to fulfill."
I am not sure if I should add a comma ...
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1answer
320 views
Dependent clause *comma* independent clause *comma?* *coordinating conjunction* independent clause
I have a sentence that starts with a dependent clause, followed by an independent clause and another independent clause, but I'm not sure if a comma would be required before the coordinating ...
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3answers
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how does this sentence need a comma?
I do not like biology nor do I like chemistry.
"do I like chemistry," being the independent clause doesn't make sense to me on its own.
If my grammar/punctuation in this question is incorrect, ...
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How do you identify independent and dependent clauses? (with example)
Consider these four examples:
(1) I come bearing soup, and Kate is sick.
(2) I come bearing soup, for Kate is sick.
(3) I come bearing soup because Kate is sick.
(4) Kate is sick, so ...
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1answer
277 views
Punctuation of successive imperative sentences [closed]
I was wondering whether the following sentences are punctuated properly:
To show this, multiply the ODE by x; integrate over x, and perform repeated integration by parts, it then follows that: f=0.
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1answer
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Where is the line drawn with comma splices?
I was going to ask: where is the line drawn between parentheticals and comma splices?
I've been trying to think of examples, and all the ones I've thought of seem okay, but probably work in a third ...
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1answer
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What's this syntax called: “Him being the nice person he is, helped her.”?
Or "He, being the nice person that he is, helped her."
Which one is correct and what's the construction called?
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Would I need a gerund to make this sentence correct?
I have lived my entire life in the United States, and to learn more
about the life my parents had lived as children was an incredible experience.
However, I then asked, "What was an incredible ...
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2answers
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Comma usage with one subject, multiple verbs, and multiple objects
Just got a writing job, part of which involves editing. There's a pretty specific type of sentence that's coming up a lot, and I'm not sure if a comma is required or not.
The sentences look like this:...
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3answers
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'Implied subject' independent sentences and commas
I've been reading Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, in which this rule is outlined:
Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause.
Examples: The early records of the city ...
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1answer
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Which independent clause should a sentence immediately following a coordination of the two independent clauses be interpreted to refer to?
Consider the following coordination of two independent clauses (joined by "but"):
Homework is due in my office hour on Tuesday, but (emphasis added) you may hand it to me earlier, e.g., in lecture ...
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Can a comma be put before but if it starts a dependent clause?
If the dependent clause is nonessential, of course. For example:
There were other conspicuously terrifying moments during the ride but not any more terrifying than that one.
or
There were other ...
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3answers
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How do you punctuate items in a series after a colon when the items are independent clauses?
A sometimes online sparring partner of mine recently wrote:
Men (as opposed to women) have had a purpose that should serve us well should this new transhuman world ever actually materialize: We ...
