Basic Grammar Tips and Cues

Independent Clauses / Complete Sentences

An independent clause is a complete sentence. Think about it as being independent, not requiring anything else to complete it. An independent clause has both a subject and a predicate.

Ex:	The meeting began at 4:00 a.m.
Subject:	The meeting	(the doer of the action—who/what is doing the action)
Predicate:	began	(the action)

Run-on Sentences

A run-on is two or more complete sentences (independent clauses) strung together without punctuation or with the incorrect punctuation (i.e., commas → comma splices)

Ex:	So I went to the store then bought some bread I also got some cheese.
	Most of us were taking the same classes, if someone had a question, we would all help out.

Colons

Use a colon to join an independent clause (complete sentence) and a list.

Correct:	He bought three posters to decorate his apartment: an old concert poster, a view of the city, and a mural of San Diego.
Incorrect:	Volunteers aid biologists in: erosion control, trail maintenance, and clean-up.
Incorrect:	Jessica’s wardrobe included: three pairs of pants, a nice skirt, and a party dress.

Semi-colons

There must be a complete sentence on both sides of the semicolon!

Correct:	Police want to crack down on drug use at raves; they have started to arrest more people.
Incorrect:	Internet retailers have a limited customer base; only those with Internet access.

If you have a conjunction after the semi-colon, you need a comma.

Correct:	Police want to crack down on drug use at raves; thus, they have started to arrest more people.
Incorrect:	There were several people I wanted to see at the party; however I didn’t see any of them there.

Homonyms and Other Misspellings – Just a few of the many...

A lot = many, much	A lot = not a word!	Allot = distribute, give out
It’s = it is	Its’ = not a word!	Its = possessive form of it
Who = subject pronoun		Whom = object pronoun
Your = possessive form of you		You’re = you are
Whose = possessive form of who		Whose = possessive form of who
To = direction	Too = also, in addition too	Two = number
Defiantly = boldly, rebelliously		Definitely = certainly, no doubt
Whether = either, comparison of	Wether = a castrated sheep. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what you meant.	Weather = through rain, sleet, and snow...

What are Commas all about?

Commas are used to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses (sentence parts) in a series.

Commas are used after an introductory dependent clause (a group of words before the subject of a sentence that do not form a complete sentence).

Commas indicate that introductory words and phrases moved from the end of the sentence.

Commas are used between independent claus¬es (complete sentences) joined by a coordinat¬ing conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Commas set off nonessential phrases or clauses (phrases that can be removed without changing the sentence’s overall meaning) or appositives (words or phrases that rename a noun).

Commas separate paired adjectives that de¬scribe a noun. You need a comma between ad¬jectives that could go in any order—they’re not cumulative and could be separated by the word “and.” Do not use a comma between adjectives that need to be in a particular order.

The entree includes chips, salsa, and a beverage.

Since we would be returning late anyway, we stayed to watch the sunset.

In the light of day, everything looked different.

My family went to see the live taping of Ru Paul's Drag Race, but I stayed home with the flu.

My cousin, who recently joined the mafia, said it would be best if I skipped town for awhile.