Independent and Dependent Clauses

When you want to use commas and semicolons in sentences and when you are concerned about whether a sentence is or is not a fragment, a good way to start is to be able to recognize dependent and independent clauses. The definitions offered here will help you with this.



Definitions
Independent Clause (IC)
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence.

Example: Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz. (IC)

Dependent Clause (DC)
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker word.

Example: When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (DC)
(What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)

Dependent Marker Word (DM)
A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause.

Example: When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, it was very noisy. (DM)

Some common dependent markers are: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while.

Connecting dependent and independent clauses
There are two types of words that can be used as connectors at the beginning of an independent clause: coordinating conjunctions and independent marker words.

1. Coordinating Conjunction (CC)

The seven coordinating conjunctions used as connecting words at the beginning of an independent clause are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. When the second independent clause in a sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction, a comma is needed before the coordinating conjunction:
Example: Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, but it was hard to concentrate because of the noise. (CC)

2. Independent Marker Word (IM)

An independent marker word is a connecting word used at the beginning of an independent clause. These words can always begin a sentence that can stand alone. When the second independent clause in a sentence has an independent marker word, a semicolon is needed before the independent marker word.
Example: Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz; however, it was hard to concentrate because of the noise. (IM)

Some common independent markers are: also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, and therefore.


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Proper Punctuation Methods
This table gives some examples of ways to combine independent and dependent clauses and shows how to punctuate them properly.



IC. IC.
I went to the store. I didn't buy any bread.

IC; IC.
I went to the store; I didn't buy any bread.

IC, CC IC.
I went to the store, but I didn't buy any bread.

IC; IM, IC.
I went to the store; however, I didn't buy any bread.

DC, IC.
When I went to the store, I didn't buy any bread.

IC DC.
I didn't buy any bread when I went to the store.



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Some Common Errors to Avoid
Comma Splices

A comma splice is the use of a comma between two independent clauses. You can usually fix the error by changing the comma to a period and therefore making the two clauses into two separate sentences, by changing the comma to a semicolon, or by making one clause dependent by inserting a dependent marker word in front of it.

Incorrect: I like this class, it is very interesting.
Correct: I like this class. It is very interesting.

(or) I like this class; it is very interesting.

(or) I like this class, and it is very interesting.

(or) I like this class because it is very interesting.

(or) Because it is very interesting, I like this class.

Fused Sentences
Fused sentences happen when there are two independent clauses not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also known as a run-on sentence. The error can sometimes be corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate the two sentences.

Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I've learned a lot from her.
Correct: My professor is intelligent. I've learned a lot from her.

(or) My professor is intelligent; I've learned a lot from her.

(or) My professor is intelligent, and I've learned a lot from her.

(or) My professor is intelligent; moreover, I've learned a lot from her.

Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments happen by treating a dependent clause or other incomplete thought as a complete sentence. You can usually fix this error by combining it with another sentence to make a complete thought or by removing the dependent marker.

Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was today.
Correct: Because I forgot the exam was today, I didn't study.

(or) I forgot the exam was today

Modal Verbs

There are not many modal verbs: can, could, dare*, need*, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would. There are also modal constructions: be able to, ought to, be allowed to
They always come first in a verb formation, before other auxiliaries and the main verb:
{modal} + [auxiliary] + {main verb}
Note that modal verbs do not take a final -s for the third person singular. The verb which follows is always in the infinitive form:
He might be...
They should stay...
She could have...
We can use them with the -ing form to show continuous modality:
{modal} + {be} + {-ing}
He might be working late.
They should be coming soon.
He must be having a party.
We can use them with the past participle to show past modality:
{modal} + {have} + {past participle}
He might have been working late.
They should have seen him.
He must have gone away.
We can use be able to, be allowed to and have [got] to after modals:
{modal} + {phrase}
I will be able to...
She might not be allowed to...
They should have to...
Note that we do not use these in continuous form s.
We use mo dal verbs to show:
w hat we think or feel about a situation:
They should not have gone.
They might have been working hard.
ability to do something:
They can't speak fluently.
He could beat the record easily.
necessity:
He must stop.
They should stop.
possibility:
He could be there.
They might not win.

All About Verbs

Welcome to our latest roundup of facts, figures, and wild hunches in response to some of the questions we've received about the English language. (Previous installments appear in our Grammar & Composition Forum.) This month, we turn our attention to verbs.

What's the difference between a "weak verb" and a "strong verb"?

Weak verbs (also called "regular verbs") form the past tense by adding -ed, -d, or -t to the present tense (for example, call, called and walk, walked). Strong verbs (also called "irregular verbs") form the past tense or the past participle (or both) in various ways but most often by changing the vowel of the present tense form (for example, give, gave and stick, stuck).

In Garner's Modern American Usage (Oxford University Press, 2003), Bryan Garner offers this explanation for the modifiers "strong" and "weak": Irregular verbs are sometimes called "strong" verbs because they seem to form the past tense from their own resources, without calling an ending to their assistance. The regular verbs are sometimes called "weak" verbs because they cannot form the past tense without the aid of the ending (most often -ed).In fact, the term "strong" has been inherited from Old English grammars, and many of today's irregular forms are descendants of common Old English verbs. Although fewer than 200 modern English verbs are "strong," these irregulars (most of which are just one syllable in length) are among the most common in the language. For more information, see our page on Irregular Verbs.

Are there any examples of English verbs that are both regular (weak) and irregular (strong)?

One that comes to mind at this time of year is the verb "to fly." In most cases, "fly" is an irregular verb: fly, flew, flown. But in the jargon of baseball, "fly" is a regular verb: fly, flied, flied. So we say that "David Ortiz flied out to center to end the inning." If Ortiz ever "flew out to center," we'd have quite a different story.

What are the most common verbs in English?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, these are the 25 most commonly used verbs in English: 1. be; 2. have; 3. do; 4. say; 5. get; 6. make; 7. go; 8. know; 9. take; 10. see; 11. come; 12. think; 13. look; 14. want; 15. give; 16. use; 17. find; 18. tell; 19. ask; 20. work; 21. seem; 22. feel; 23. try; 24. leave; 25. call. The editors at the OED offer these observations: Strikingly, the 25 most frequent verbs are all one-syllable words; the first two-syllable verbs are become (26th) and include (27th). Furthermore, 20 of these 25 are Old English words, and three more, get, seem, and want, entered English from Old Norse in the early medieval period. Only try and use came from Old French. It seems that English prefers terse, ancient words to describe actions or occurrences.What is the difference between the present progressive and the present participle?

A present participle is a verb form with an "-ing" ending (for example, "tapping"). The present progressive tense is a form of the verb "to be" plus a present participle (for example, "is tapping").

Here is how each one is used: A present participle by itself can't stand as the main verb of a sentence. This word group, for instance, is incomplete: "Sadie, tapping her cane to the music." Here, "tapping" begins a present participial phrase that modifies the noun "Sadie." One way to make this word group into a sentence is by adding a subject and a predicate: "I remember Sadie, tapping her cane to the music."

In contrast, a verb in the present progressive tense may itself serve as the predicate of a sentence: "Sadie is tapping her cane to the music." The present progressive is used for ongoing actions--that is, for actions occurring at the moment of speaking and for actions that take place over a short period of time.So we could have a sentence that contains both a present participial phrase ("tapping her cane to the music") and a main verb in the present progressive tense ("is singing"): "Tapping her cane to the music, Sadie is singing loudly and out of key."In this sentence, "tapping" is a present participle (unaccompanied by a form of the verb "to be") and "is singing" (present participle plus a form of the verb "to be") is the main verb in the present progressive tense

go get it if you want

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psc English grammar

1.what --------- you do for a living ?
A) are b) have c) do d) had
2.I --------- him yesterday.
a)see b) saw c) have seen d)had seen

Answer 1) c 2) b

interrogative words in English

what,when,who,whose,whom,which,what kind of,why,where,how,how many,how much,how far,how long,how often.

words used as relative pronouns

who,whom,whose,which,thatand as

what is an adverb ?

An adverb is a word used to add something to a verb .to say how,when or where an action is performed.
eg: He is walking fast.
the word fast is used here as an adverb.

what is an adjective ?

An adjective is a word used to add something to a noun or to qualify it.
eg: He is an efficient teacher
the word 'efficient' is an adjective in the sentence.

beautiful,rich,neat,clear,easy,difficult etc are some of the adjectives in english

what is a pronoun ?

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun.
Eg: Mr Babu is a close friend of mine.
He is a clerk.
The first word in the second sentence is a pronoun used instead of the name 'Babu'

some commonly used pronouns.

I,you,we,they,he,she,it,myself,yourself,ourselves,themselves,itself,himself,herself,this,that,one,some,thing,something,someone.somebody,everybody,everything,anybody,anyone,anything,both,either,neither,none,no-one,nobody,these,those.

commonly used prepositions

At,above,about,after,along,for,from,before,because of,due to,in,to,on.onto.up,upon,in spite of,infront of,despite,behind,since,with,without,within,by,than,inside,outside,beside,next to.near,opposite,till,until

what is grammar ?

The rules that say how words change to show different meanings,and how they are combined into sentences.