Master Punctuating Clauses with Practice Questions in SAT Grammar

What is a Clause?

A clause is a series of words that contains a subject and a verb. There are two main types of clauses:

independent clause e.g. The man was walking along the road
dependent clause e.g. when he saw a friendly cat

so an Independent clause: makes sense on its own, but a dependent clause: doesn’t make sense on its own.

SAT and Punctuating Clauses

SAT deals with end of sentence punctuation, coordination, subordination, and semicolons.

Coordinate clauses are two or more independent clauses in a sentence
A subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence

To coordinate independent clauses:

a comma (,) followed by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

To subordinate an independent clause, we must use two things:

a subordinating conjunction and a comma (,)
examples include although, since, because, while, when, and after.

look for

a comma followed by one of these: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
end punctuation like periods or question marks
uses a semicolon

but not

If one side of the blank is not an independent clause, then you’re likely dealing with a supplements or punctuation question (which focus on different rules)

SAT tips

unofficially from students

Semicolon

a semicolon is like a full stop at least on SAT

–semicolons [ used to link two independent clauses without any conjunction.]

The semicolon is only for two related independent clauses.

So you can say: Joe cleaned up after him; James didn’t clean up after him.
You can’t say: Joe cleaned up after him; the assignment was completed successfully. because those two sentences aren’t related.

Colon

Colon is used when you ask a question and then answer it or when a list is used. Examples

My friend says it best: “I like chocolate!”
We need 3 things on the adventure: Book, Candy, and Bike.

Coordination and Subordination

–coordination [use a comma (,) or a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
(used to link independent clauses)
–subordination [use a comma (,) or a subordinating conjunction (eg: although, since, because, while, when, and after),–must use a comma with them (unless sentence begins with independent clause then the dependent clause]

SAT strategy

Identify Independent and Dependent Clauses

An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
A dependent clause cannot stand alone and needs to be linked to an independent clause.

Use Correct Punctuation to Link Clauses

Use a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to connect two independent clauses (e.g., “…, so…”).
Use a semicolon to connect two independent clauses without a conjunction (e.g., “….; …”).
Use a comma to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause (e.g., “Although…, …”).

Break Up Run-On Sentences

If two independent clauses are fused together incorrectly, consider breaking them into separate sentences or using appropriate punctuation.

Avoid

Sentence Fragments: Ensure that each sentence has at least one independent clause.
Comma Splices: Do not use just a comma to connect two independent clauses (e.g., “…, …”).
Run-off Sentences: Do not connect independent clauses without appropriate punctuation (e.g., “…. ….”).
Incorrect Conjunction Use: Do not use conjunctions that are unnecessary or incorrect for the clause structure (e.g., “Although…, but…”).
Misuse of Colons and Semicolons:
- Colons should follow an independent clause and introduce a list or explanation
- Semicolons should connect two independent clauses.

Practice Questions

The research was groundbreaking, _ it paved the way for future studies in the field.

NO CHANGE
groundbreaking it
groundbreaking; it
groundbreaking: it

The weather forecast predicted heavy rain; _ therefore, the event was postponed.

NO CHANGE
rain therefore
rain: therefore
rain, therefore

She wanted to travel the world, _ however, her job kept her tied to one place.

NO CHANGE
world however
world; however,
world: however

The experiment failed to produce the expected results; _ consequently, the team had to revise their hypothesis.

NO CHANGE
results consequently
results: consequently
results, consequently

Although the hike was challenging, _ we were determined to reach the summit.

NO CHANGE
challenging we
challenging; we
challenging: we

The athlete trained rigorously, _ and as a result, she broke several records.

NO CHANGE
rigorously and
rigorously; and
rigorously: and

He studied every night, _ yet he still struggled with the exams.

NO CHANGE
night yet
night; yet
night: yet

The proposal was well-received; _ however, it required further refinement before implementation.

NO CHANGE
received however
received: however
received, however

The deadline was approaching fast, _ so we had to work overtime.

NO CHANGE
fast so
fast; so
fast: so

The concert was sold out, _ but we managed to get tickets from a reseller.

NO CHANGE
sold out but
sold out; but
sold out: but

Practice Questions Explained

C. groundbreaking; it The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses.
A. NO CHANGE The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses, and the comma after “therefore” punctuates the transition.
C. world; however, The semicolon and comma correctly separate two independent clauses and punctuate the transition.
A. NO CHANGE The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses, and the comma after “consequently” punctuates the transition.
A. NO CHANGE The comma correctly separates the introductory clause from the main clause.
A. NO CHANGE The comma correctly separates the two clauses and introduces the result clause.
A. NO CHANGE The comma correctly separates the two clauses and introduces the contrasting clause.
A. NO CHANGE The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses, and the comma after “however” punctuates the transition.
A. NO CHANGE The comma correctly separates the two clauses and introduces the result clause.
A. NO CHANGE The comma correctly separates the two clauses and introduces the contrasting clause.