Multimedia Grammar/MS_GRAMMAR.iso/grammar1/chapter6.1g

Text File | 1994-11-02 | 8KB | 138 lines

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à 6.1èIndependent Clauses and Sentence Fragments
ä:ïIn the sentences in the Example, underline the independent
clauses.
âS:
#ë╕Shout╗!ï╕I submit╗.ï╕Must I go╗?ï╕I found the brown rabbit╗.
#╕Near the car, Jim saw the boys frequently spit╕╗.ï╕By selling your
#╕home now, you will get a good price for it╗.ï╕To fit into ç jeans
#╕will be a chore╗.ï╕Rushing into the rocky stream, the girls got their
#╕dresses torn╗.ï╕Ted, Dick, and Jane entered the cave and looked
#╕around╗.
éS An independent clause must make sense by itself and begin with
a capital letter and end in a period, a question mark, or an exclamation
point.ïTo make sense by itself, an independent clause must contain at
least one subject and at least one verb or verb phrase that goes with
that subject.ïAn independent clause can be just one word, the base form
#of a verb, with the subject understood to be ╖you╗. For example, ╖Go╗!
#is an independent clause containing the verb ╖go╗ and the understood sub
#ject in front of it, ╖you╗.ïIt makes sense by itself, it is punctuated
by an exclamation point, and it has a subject and a corresponding verb.
Independent clauses can consist of many groups of words as well, includ-
ing an assortment of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, adverbs, verbals,
#and phrases, as the following sentence demonstrates:╖ Annoyed by having
#╖frequently endured the long line of traffic, he is now riding the sub-
#╖way╗.ïIn this independent clause, the subject is the pronoun ╖he╗, and
#the corresponding verb is the verb phrase ╖is riding╗.ïAlso included is
#a long past participial phrase beginning with the past participle ╖an-
#╖noyed╗ and containing a gerund phrase beginning with the gerund ╖hav-
#╖ing╗, an infinitive phrase beginning with the infinitive ╖to put╗, and
#a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition ╖of╗--not to men-
#tion the adverb ╖frequently╗, the adjective ╖long╗ and the noun ╖live╗.
The complete independent clause makes sense by itself and begins with a
#capital letter ╖A╗ in ╖annoyed╗, and it ends with a period after the
#word ╖subway╗.ïAny time there is only one independent clause in a sen-
tence, that sentence is called a simple sentence.ïNote that a phrase by
itself is not an independent clause because it doesn't have a subject
and a verb or verb phrase, and it doesn't make sense by itself.ïAccor-
dingly, a phrase rarely starts with a capital letter and ends with a
period.ïA phrase could, however, be used by itself in response to a
#question as in ╖Where is Henry╗?ï╖In the hamper╗.ïIf a phrase that is
not the answer to a question begins with a capital letter and ends with
a period, it is called a sentence fragment.
 1.èWhich one of the following examples is an independent
clause in a simple sentence?

A)ïTo investigate the extra charges.
B)ïHis daughter giving him tremendous grief.
C)ïTry to remember to polish the faucet head!
D)ïå
#ü ╢Try to remember to polish the faucet head╗ is an independent
#clause in a simple sentence.ïIt has a subject: the word ╢you╗ is under-
#stood to be the subject.ïAnd it has the corresponding verb ╢try╗.
Moreover, the thought makes sense by itself.ïThe other examples all
#contain fragments.ï╖To investigate the extra charges╗ consists of one
infinitive phrase.ïBecause a phrase by itself is considered to be a
sentence fragment, it is an incomplete thought, not an independent
clause.ïIn the remaining example there is a potential subject, the
#noun ╖daughter╗.ïBut there is not a verb or verb phrase to go along
#with ╖daughter╗, only the phrase ╖giving him tremendous grief╗.ïA sub-
ject plus a phrase makes an incomplete thought, not an independent
clause.
Ç C
 2.èWhich one of the following examples is an independent
clause in a simple sentence?
A)ïInto the ditch of the dried bones of hundreds of black sheep.
B)ïShelley promised to pamper me.
C)ïStrolling above the damaged bridge at the junction of 45th and 9th
è streets.
D)ïå
#ü ╢Shelley promised to pamper me╗ is an independent clause in a
#simple sentence.ïIt makes sense by itself, and it has the subject ╢
#╢Shelley╗ and the corresponding verb form ╢promised╗.ïIt also contains
#the noun infinitive phrase ╢to pamper me╗, acting as the direct object
#of the verb form ╢promised╗.ïAnother example is a sentence fragment
having no subject and no verb, consisting of the four prepositional
#phrases ╖into the ditch, of the dried bones, of hundreds,╗ and ╖of black
#╖sheep╗.ïThe remaining example is a sentence fragment that contains
#three prepositional phrases (╖above the damaged bridge, at the junction,
#╖of 45th and 9th streets╗) preceded by the word strolling which could
act as a gerund in a gerund phrase or a present participle in a verb
or adjective phrase, depending on how the fragment could be revised to
make it fit into an independent clause.
Ç B
 3.èWhich one of the following examples is an independent
clause in a simple sentence?

A)ïWho composed the song "Roll Over, Beethoven"?
B)ïUnderneath the table, caught in a web.
C)ïTo exist without the basics.
D)ïå
#ü ╢Who composed the song "Roll Over, Beethoven"╗? is an independent
#clause.ïIt makes sense by itself, has a subject (the pronoun ╢who╗),
#and has the corresponding verb form ╖╗╢composed╗ followed by the direct
#object ╢"Roll Over, Beethoven╗."ïIn another example, there is a sen-
#tence fragment consisting of the prepositional phrase ╖underneath the
#╖table╗, and the past participle phrase ╖caught in a web╗.ïNeither
phrase has a subject or a verb.ïThe last example is also a sentence
#fragment: ╖to exist without the basics╗ is an infinitive phrase that
could function as the subject of an independent clause in a revised
sentence.
Ç A
 4.èWhich one of the following examples contains a sentence
fragment?

A)ïNext to the table, arranged in a zigzag design.
B)ïI will be prospecting for gold in Alaska.
C)ïHad the director left for good?
D)ïå
#ü ╢Next to the table, arranged in a zigzag design╗ is a sentence
#fragment consisting of the prepositional phrase ╢next to the table╗, and
#the past participial phrase ╢arranged in a zigzag design╗.ïNo subjects
#or verbs are attached to this fragment.ïIn another example, ╖I will be
#╖prospecting for gold in Alaska╗ is an independent clause.ïIt makes
#sense by itself, has a subject, ╖I╗, and has a corresponding verb
#phrase, ╖will be prospecting╗, concluding with the adverb prepositional
#phrase ╖╖for gold in Alaska╗.ïIn the remaining example, ╖Had the direct
#or left ╖for good╗? is another independent clause.ïIt makes sense by it
#self. ╖╖Director╗ is the subject of the verb phrase ╖had left╗; the sim-
#ple sentence ends with ╖for good╗, an adverb prepositional phrase.
Ç A
 5.èWhich one of the following examples contains a sentence
fragment?

A)ïThe horse was swallowing a huge antibiotic pill.
B)ïHad delivered a meal on wheels.
C)ïMake my day!
D)ïå
#ü ╢Had delivered a meal on wheels╗ is a sentence fragment because
it consists of a verb phrase without a subject, followed by the direct
#object ╢a meal╗ and the adjective prepositional phrase ╢on wheels╗.ïA
group of words with a verb but without a subject is a sentence fragment.
The other examples are independent clauses.ïIn one simple sentence,
#╖horse╗ is the subject and ╖was swallowing ╗is the corresponding verb
#phrase, followed by the direct object ╖a huge antibiotic pill╗.ïIn the
#other simple sentence, ╖you╗ is understood to be the subject, ╖make╗ is
#the corresponding verb, and ╖day╗ is the direct object.
Ç B