Compound Sentences Complex Sentences ApostrophesQuotation MarksItalics What Every

Compound Sentences Complex Sentences Apostrophes-Quotation Marks-Italics What Every Clean Cut Freshman Needs to Know

Clauses: The Gifts That Keep on Giving • An independent clause has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. • In other words, it’s a sentence. Santa Claus prefers letters filled with independent clauses. • A dependent clause has a subject and a verb also, but it’s like an invitation to a party that just never happens. • It always begins with an introductory word. After Santa got the ungrammatical letter from the freshman girl

Adjective Clauses or Adverb Clauses: White Castle or Mc. Donalds • Adjective clauses help to further describe one of the nouns or pronouns in the sentence. • They usually begin with one of the relative pronouns: who, whom, that, which, or whose. The boy who wrote the best letter got everything that he asked for, including a new Maserati and a lifetime pass to White Castle. • Adverb clauses help to further describe a verb, adjective, or adverb. • They usually begin with one of the subordinating conjunctions: after, although, as long as, as though, because, before, even though, if, since, so that, than, though, unless, whenever, wherever, whether, while. Whew! The boy got everything that he wanted after he wrote a letter to Santa and promised to leave him a Big Mac.

Sentence Personalities A sentence that includes an adverb and/or an adjective clause (or other clause) is called a COMPLEX SENTENCE. When I’m tired, I get cranky. A sentence that includes at least two independent clauses is called a COMPOUND SENTENCE. I sometimes get tired, and then I get cranky. One that includes two independent clauses and a dependent clause is called a COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCE. When I’m tired, I get cranky, and then I know I need a nap.

After I decide to use one, how should I punctuate an adverb clause? • If the adverb clause begins the sentence, use a comma to separate it from the independent clause. When I order a cheeseburger, I always ask for extra pickles. • You don’t need a comma if the adverb clause ends the sentence. I always ask for extra pickles when I order a cheeseburger.

The comma rules for adjective clauses vary, depending on whether or not the adjective clause is needed to help identify the noun. • Sometimes you need the adjective clause. In this case, don’t use commas. • Sometimes you don’t need the clause to clearly identify the noun. The boy who is wearing the red hat is my brother. (There a lot of boys. I need to make sure you know which one is my brother. ) My brother, who is wearing a red hat, likes extra pickles on his cheeseburger. (You already know this sentence is about the brother, so the clause is just random information. )

Conjunctive Adverbs: Not a Disease! • • Conjunctive adverbs and serve as transitions between independent clauses. This list includes the following, among others: accordingly, also, besides, consequently, furthermore, however, indeed, nevertheless, then, and therefore. Some transitions fall into the same category: as a result, for example, for instance, in fact, in other words, on the other hand • Always punctuate these with a semi-colon and a comma. My brother prefers Mac. Donald’s cheeseburgers; however, my sister insists that White Castle cheeseburgers are the better choice.

How can I fix a run-on sentence/comma splice? I love ketchup on my fries and my sister loves mustard. I love ketchup on my fries, my sister loves mustard. Add end punctuation and a capital letter. I love ketchup on my fries. My sister loves mustard. Remove the conjunction and insert a semicolon. I love ketchup on my fries; my sister loves mustard. Add a comma before a conjunction. I love ketchup on my fries, but my sister loves mustard. Add a conjunctive adverb. I love ketchup on my fries; however, my sister loves mustard. Turn one independent clause into a dependent clause. Although I love ketchup on my fries, my sister loves mustard.

How can I fix the most common type of fragment – the adverb clause? • Attach the fragment to the sentence before it or after it. I like peanut butter. When it’s mixed with chocolate. It forms a taste explosion. I like peanut butter. When it’s mixed with chocolate, it forms a taste explosion. • Drop the subordinating conjunction. I like peanut butter. It’s mixed with chocolate to form a taste explosion.

When should I use italics? (or when to underline if writing by hand) • • • Books Magazines Newspapers Plays Movies TV/Radio Shows Works of Art Ships/Planes Spacecraft Foreign Words as Words Letters • Numbers • • • • Iran Awakening Sports Illustrated The New York Times Romeo and Juliet Precious Thirty Rock The Starry Night Spirit of St. Louis Apollo 13 E pluribus unum Is advice the right word to use? How many m’s are in your name? What’s the next number after 9?

How Should I Use Quotations Marks? Periods and Commas go on the inside of quotations marks. Semi-colons and Colons go on the outside. Question Marks and Exclamation Points are placed according to the content. • Use quotation marks for the titles of • Short stories “The Lady or the Tiger” • Poems “The Road Less Traveled” • Songs “ Candle in the Wind” • Articles “ An Interview with Maya Angelou” • Single TV Episodes “Home” (from The X Files) • Parts of Books Chapter 3, “A New Nation” • Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a direct quotation. My mother always said, “Do as I say, and not as I do. ” Once I asked my mother about the times she would tell me to “do as I do. ”

How Should I Use Apostrophes? These possessive personal pronouns don’t need apostrophes: hers, its, his, ours, yours, theirs Use apostrophes to show • When a letter, word, or number has been omitted -you’re, it’s, class of ’ 13 • To show singular possession – dog’s, hour’s wait, bus’s ignition • To show plural possession of words ending in s – students’ reports, two dollars’ worth • To show plural possession in a plural word that doesn’t end in s – women’s wages, geese’s feathers, men’s shoes • To show possessive of indefinite pronouns – everyone’s, anybody’s, another’s • To show plurals of letters, numbers, and words used as words – that word has two s’s, that number has five 7’s, she uses too many and’s

So, why do you need to know all this? • You need to know how to punctuate your own writing. • You need to know how to incorporate simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences into your writing. This is called sentence variety.