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Kellys Guide to Commas, Clauses, and Modifiers

(And informal guide! **Not distributed to students, for my notes only)

[COMMA OVERVIEW TALK HERE. 5 basic comma rules: Quotes, lists, clauses, modifiers,
introductory words ]

WHAT IS A CLAUSE?
Two kinds
Independent/Dependent

WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE?


[An independent clause dont need no man. It can sit by itself. It does not have codependency
issues]

A complete thought (it makes sense as a sentence, and the audience is not waiting for
more information)
Illustrative principle: If someone sat down and said it to you, you would understand that
person to be finished speaking/hear the message as whole.
Counter-example: Man sits down. Because I have a cat. >Not finished/whole
Two parts:
Subject/Predicate
Subject: is a person/place/thing that does something. Or it is a person/place/thing that
simply exists.
Predicate: is what the subject does/is.
OR everything, except the subject
Examples:
Pneumonic: Always ask: What does the fox say? FOX=subject, DOES=Pred.
I [subj] am [pred].
The boy [subj] likes chocolate [pred].

[COMMA + CONJUNCTION/SEMICOLON/PERIOD TALK HERE]

WHAT IS A DEPENDENT CLAUSE?


[A dependent clause is a clingy clause. It must sit with its more secure friend because it is
never alone.]
A complete thought PLUS
Pneumonic: the plus package is always a scam!
Illustrative principle: Dependent Clause=Independent Clause+Extra Word
WORD EXAMPLES (that indicate a dependent clause may be incoming) As,
When, Where, Because, If, Since, Although, Though, Whether, While
Remember the Counter-example? Man sits down. Because I have a cat.
????? Not Whole/Complete even though it has a subject/predicate

[COMMAUNLESS IT COMES SECOND (I like donuts because donuts are good) TALK
HERE]

WHAT IS A MODIFIER?
[A modifier describes. Modify=give information about X.]

NOT a complete thought. (Fragment/phrase)


Ex: The purple one
Adjectives
Modifier=adjective with more words. the purple one/purple
SAME PURPOSE: Answer the question> Which one? Whose is it? How many?
What kind of?
Commas
Can separate modifiers from the rest of the sentence
Extra information>Pull it out; does the sentence make sense?
Examples
The ball, which is bouncy, is mine.
The Constitution is an important document, which is very old.
Armed with information, Rachel stormed in.
SUPER IMPORTANT RULE: A modifier must: sit next to the person/place/thing it describes

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