Saturday, July 21, 2012

Punctuating Sentences with Subordinate Clauses

Punctuating Sentences with Subordinate Clauses
1. If you begin a sentence with a subordinate clause, use a comma after the subordinate clause:
  • When they arrived, we cheered the tall ships.
2. In general, you do not need a comma before a subordinating conjunction that appears toward the end of the sentence, particularly if it begins a restrictive clause. If the restrictive clause were removed, the meaning of the sentence would differ greatly.
  • We cheered the tall ships when they arrived.
  • Not many people paid attention to the scandal because Bill Clinton had high ratings. (The later information is crucial to understanding the first part of the sentence.) 
  • Please make the copies of the final report today, because I am leaving for a business meeting tomorrow morning. (The second clause can be a separate sentence, so it is nonrestrictive.) 
3. If the subordinating conjunction is though or although, do use a comma before it:
  • We cheered the tall ships, although their sails were not up.
  • Bill Clinton had high ratings, though he was immersed in scandal.
4. Do not use a comma before as, while, or since if you mean "when."
  • We cheered the tall ships as they came into the harbor.
5. Do use a comma before as or since if you mean "why" and before while if you mean "whereas."
  • We cheered the tall ships, as they were a symbol of past greatness.

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