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, ...

A run‐on sentence is two or more independent clauses joined together with insufficient punctuation. This means that there are two or more complete sentences fused into one sentence. Use a colon: a ...

Two recent experiments highlight aspects of writing instruction that are rarely studied—or taught. Recent research suggests that secondary students can benefit significantly from learning how to ...

Semicolons must combine similar elements and are either used to combine complete sentences or items in a long, complicated list. Use semicolons in the following situations: Combine two complete ...

In 1919, the young E.B. White, future New Yorker writer and author of Charlotte’s Web, took a class at Cornell University with a drill sergeant of an English professor named William Strunk Jr. Strunk ...

Letters represent sounds. Words are built from letters. A group of words makes a phrase. Add a subject and verb, and you have a clause. If that clause expresses a complete thought, we call it a ...

Linking words together in the right way makes your writing easy to understand and interesting to read. When you are writing, words are grouped together into sentences. There are a few simple rules you ...