Semicolons are a useful way of joining together two independent clauses that are closely related (e.g., “Please take your shoes off; I’ve just mopped the floor”).
You can also use conjunctive adverbs to express the relationship between the clauses, which give insight into how your ideas are connected (e.g., “The experiment yielded unexpected results; moreover, it led to a reevaluation of our hypothesis”).
Semicolons add nuance and sophistication to your writing, but they should not be overused as this can make them less effective in helping information stand out.
Continue reading: When should I use a semicolon to link independent clauses?
Independent clauses can be joined together using a semicolon (e.g., “I love my puppy Coco; she is so much fun”) or a comma and coordinating conjunction, like “and,” “but,” or “so” (e.g., “I wish I could play with Coco all day, but I have to work”).
Less commonly, a colon or an em dash can be used to link two independent clauses (e.g., “Let’s admit what the real problem is here: We haven’t devoted enough time to training”).
Independent clauses can also be joined with dependent clauses to form complex and compound-complex sentences. In a complex sentence, the independent clause is known as the main clause.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you use different sentence structures correctly.
Continue reading: How are independent clauses linked to other clauses?
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a complete sentence (e.g., “Puppies are playful”).
A dependent clause must be joined with an independent clause because it does not express a complete thought (e.g., “Puppies are playful because they have a lot of energy”).
Dependent clauses are marked by the use of subordinating conjunctions (e.g., “because,” “although,” “while”) or relative pronouns (e.g., “that,” “which,” “who”).
Continue reading: What is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?
Indirect objects are always optional in English. When they do appear, they always appear alongside a direct object, so they are only used with transitive verbs. Transitive verbs that frequently use an indirect object are called ditransitive verbs (e.g., “sell,” “bring,” “take,” “send, “show”).
Continue reading: Which verbs take indirect objects?
In sentences, indirect objects receive the direct object and answer the question “for whom?” or “to whom.” For example, in the sentence “I gave the teacher my homework,” “the teacher” is the indirect object. It answers the question “To whom did I give my homework?”
Continue reading: What is an example of an indirect object in a sentence?
Direct objects are nouns that receive the action of a verb and answer the question “what?” or “whom?” (e.g., “I bought some flowers”).
Indirect objects are nouns that receive the direct object and answer the question “to whom?” or “for whom?” (e.g., “I bought Morgan some flowers”).
Both direct objects and indirect objects are used with transitive verbs. Direct objects are required after transitive verbs, and indirect objects are optional
Continue reading: What is the difference between a direct object and an indirect object?
Root words form the basis of word families, or groups of all the words derived from a given root.
Word families include all the inflections and derivations of a given root word. However, because language evolves over time, some words in a word family might have very different meanings, even if they share the same etymological root.
Continue reading: What are word families?
To break down a word and identify the root, it is helpful to first identify any affixes attached to the word. Prefixes and suffixes often modify root words, so removing these can reveal the root word and help you unlock the word’s meaning.
For example, “predated” has the prefix “pre-” (“before”) and the suffix “-ed,” which is used here to indicate the past tense. Removing the prefix and the suffix gives us the root word “datus,” or the past participle of “dare,” “to give,” in Latin.
Continue reading: How can I identify a root word?
“Non-defining relative clause” is another name for a nonrestrictive clause, which is a type of relative clause (or adjective clause) that gives extra, nonessential information about the noun or pronoun it modifies (e.g., “I am going to visit Lake Superior, which is the world’s largest freshwater lake”).
Nonrestrictive clauses can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning.
Continue reading: What is a non-defining relative clause?
“Defining relative clause” is another name for a restrictive clause, which is a type of relative clause (or adjective clause) that gives essential identifying information about the noun or pronoun it modifies (e.g., “The girl who is holding a teddy bear is my daughter”).
Restrictive clauses cannot be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning or making it unclear.
Continue reading: What is a defining relative clause?
