Words:
Disappointed, we left the movie before it ended.
Annoyed, the manager stomped back into the storeroom.
Amazed, Captain Holland dismissed the rest of the troops.
Phrases:
Expecting the worst, we liquidated most of our inventory.
Badly injured in the accident, the president was gone for two months.
Reluctant to make matters any worse, the doctor called in a specialist.
Clauses:
If we plan carefully for the grand opening, we can increase sales.
While we were eating lunch, an important fax came.
Because we left before the meeting ended, we were not eligible to win a door prize.
One part of it dealt with subordinate or dependent clauses. Subordinate or dependent clauses are what you see in the last set of examples above. The first part of each sentence, the subordinate or dependent clause, is followed by a comma. The two parts of each of these sentences could very easily be reversed and the sentence would still make sense. However, if you reverse the sentence parts, making the independent clause the first clause in the sentence, you would NOT need a comma.
Subordinate clauses after the independent clause:
We can increase sales if we plan carefully for the grand opening.
An important fax came while we were eating lunch.
We were not eligible to win a door prize because we left before the meeting ended.
Practice
Choose the correctly written sentence from each of the following pairs. Answers are provided at the end of the lesson.
1.
a. Content for the first time in his life, Bryce returned to school.
b. Content for the first time in his life Bryce returned to school.
2.
a. As far as I'm concerned we can call this project a success.
b. As far as I'm concerned, we can call this project a success.
3.
a. I will never forget this moment, as long as I live.
b. I will never forget this moment as long as I live.
Answers
1. a.
2. b.
3. b.
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