Many sentences may contain two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses joined with appropriate conjunctions and/or punctuation. Combining two or more sentences without appropriate ...

consists of one independent clause. When joining independent clauses, a common mistake is to use a comma or no punctuation. There are several solutions to punctuate them correctly. An independent ...

For the best experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Last week’s column that discussed the use of comas, semi and full colons, and mentioned ...

A dependent clause cannot stand alone, though they often contain both a subject and a verb. Where independent clauses express complete thoughts, dependent clauses do not, and left on their own, ...

Semicolons are often used to join parts of a sentence together to establish variety and link related ideas. Unlike a colon, which separates an independent clause from descriptive information, a ...

One of the enemies of effective communication is the run-on sentence. Like ambiguity and dangling modifiers, it hampers understanding and makes speech and writing ugly. You should, therefore, beware ...