Grammar I: Clauses, Coordination, Subordination, Parallelism and Sentence Boundaries

Ideas have relationships

It snowed all night. School was open. We were late. Three facts, but how are they connected? Compare:

• Although it snowed all night, school was open, so we were late.
• It snowed all night, and school was open, but we were late.

The first sentence explains cause and contrast: the snow should have closed school, it did not, and lateness was the result. The second just piles facts up. Grade 11 writing deals with complex ideas, and complex ideas need sentences that show how ideas relate.

The curriculum asks you to use grammar conventions correctly and appropriately to communicate your intended meaning clearly and effectively. Its examples include using a variety of sentence structures to express complex ideas, coordination and subordination, and parallelism. The partner unit, Writing: Essays and Literary Analysis, uses these structures for style and rhythm; this lesson makes sure they are correct.

Clauses and the four sentence types

A clause has a subject and a verb.

• An independent clause can stand alone: the road iced over.
• A dependent (subordinate) clause cannot: after the plow passed. It begins with a subordinating conjunction (because, although, when, if, since, unless, while, whereas, even though, after, before) or a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that).

Combining them gives four sentence types:

1. Simple: one independent clause.
2. Compound: two or more independent clauses, joined by a coordinating conjunction (with a comma) or a semicolon.
3. Complex: one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause.
4. Compound-complex: two or more independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause.

A dependent clause at the start of a sentence is usually followed by a comma (After the plow passed, ...). At the end, usually no comma (...iced over after the plow passed), except before a contrasting although or whereas, where many writers use one.

Coordination vs subordination

Coordination treats ideas as equal. Each FANBOYS word shows a different relationship: and (addition), but and yet (contrast), or (choice), nor (negative choice), so (result), for (reason). Conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, consequently, moreover, nevertheless) can also join independent clauses, but they need a semicolon or a period before them, not just a comma: The forecast was clear; however, the storm arrived.

Subordination makes one idea depend on another, so the reader knows which matters more. Put your main idea in the independent clause:

• Although the team lost, it played its best game of the season. (the focus is the good game)
• Although the team played its best game of the season, it lost. (the focus is the loss)

Choose the subordinator that names the logic exactly:

• Cause: because, since, as
• Contrast or concession: although, even though, whereas, while
• Condition: if, unless, provided that
• Time: when, after, before, until, once

Too much coordination (and... and... and...) sounds childish; too much subordination piles clauses until the reader is lost. Strong writers mix both with simple sentences.

Parallelism

Items that do the same job should have the same grammatical form.

• Lists: She likes to ski, to skate and to snowboard (or skiing, skating and snowboarding), not to ski, to skate and snowboarding.
• Paired conjunctions (both... and, either... or, neither... nor, not only... but also): the words after each part must match. The novel is not only about grief but also about hope, not not only about grief but it is also hopeful.
• Comparisons: compare like with like. Ottawa's winters are colder than Toronto's (Toronto's winters), not colder than Toronto.
• Headings and bullet points in reports should be parallel too.

Parallelism is grammar and style at once: it makes ideas easier to compare and gives sentences rhythm.

Sentence boundaries: fragments and run-ons

Fragments usually happen when a dependent clause or a phrase is cut off: The council cut rink hours. Because the budget was short. Fix by attaching it (...hours because the budget was short) or by making it independent (The budget was short.).

Intentional fragments can be effective in creative writing and speeches (Snow. Everywhere.), but avoid them in formal essays unless your teacher accepts them as a deliberate stylistic choice.

Run-ons come in two kinds:

• Fused sentence: The rink opened the line was long.
• Comma splice: The rink opened, the line was long. Also with conjunctive adverbs: The rink opened, however the line was long.

Five ways to fix a run-on:

1. Period: The rink opened. The line was long.
2. Comma + FANBOYS: The rink opened, and the line was long.
3. Semicolon: The rink opened; the line was long.
4. Semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma: The rink opened; however, the line was long.
5. Subordination: When the rink opened, the line was long.

The best fix depends on the relationship you want to show.