Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
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I can show respect for my readers and for my own ideas by writing in formal American English.
Meet Phoebe. I like to spend hours putting outfits together with my friends.
For Phoebe, the best weekend ever is a weekend she can spend with a bunch of friends as long as theres no time pressure.
Meet Claudia. I love being with friends, too. But youd better come on time, or dont come at all.
Claudias a little more strict than Phoebe.
Love and were wearing are verbs that are marked for tense. Marking lets us know that I love is in the present tense (its happening now) and You were wearing is in the past tense (it happened already).
Independent Clauses . . .
. . . have a subject and a marked verb.
Sentences . . .
. . . are independent clauses that end with a period and express a complete idea.
They wish they could go to the party.
Dependent clauses . . .
Are marked by words like, even, when, where, and after, so that they cannot make sense on their own.
even when we
where
you
want
after
it
rains
+ Marked Verb =
Clause (incomplete sentence)
+ Subject =
Independent Clause (sentence)
+ Dependency
Word = Dependent Clause (fragment)
Summary
Phrases are groups of words that have meaning and DO NOT contain a verb that is marked for tense. Clauses are groups of words that have meaning and DO contain a verb that is marked for tense. Independent clauses have a subject and a marked verb. If they end with a period and express an idea, they are sentences. Dependent clauses have a subject and a marked verb PLUS a word that marks the clause for dependency. If they ended with a period, they would not make sense because the marking word would need another phrase to explain it.