5.2 Clauses & the Core Comma Rules
Key Takeaways
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and can stand alone; a dependent clause begins with a subordinator such as because, when or although and cannot.
A comma goes before and, but, or, nor, for, so or yet when it joins two independent clauses, but not when it joins two verbs sharing one subject.
An introductory dependent clause takes a comma; the same clause placed after the main clause usually does not.
A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma; transcribers fix it with a period or semicolon, never by adding words.
Blueprint topic 20106 asks you to "identify clauses and properly punctuate a clause," and topic 20206 covers the comma. They belong together: almost every comma in testimony depends on how the clauses fit.
Identifying clauses
A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb.
- An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence: the officer arrived.
- A dependent (subordinate) clause cannot stand alone. It begins with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun:
- subordinating conjunctions: because, when, while, although, if, since, after, before, unless, until, as, whereas;
- relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that.
| Words | Clause type |
|---|---|
| I called my boss | Independent |
| when I got back to the station | Dependent (adverb clause) |
| who had just hired on with us | Dependent (relative clause) |
| walking back on the south side | Not a clause: a phrase, with no subject-verb pair |
Rule 1: comma before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses
The coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS). When one joins two independent clauses, put a comma before it:
A. I spoke to Officer Scalini, and then I took a moment to
gather my thoughts.
When the conjunction joins two verbs with one subject (a compound predicate), use no comma:
A. I left the room and made a couple of phone calls.
Test: can you put a subject after the conjunction and have a sentence? "...and made a couple of phone calls" has no subject, so no comma.
Very short, closely linked clauses may skip the comma (I knocked and he answered), but in testimony the comma usually helps the reader.
Rule 2: comma after an introductory clause or phrase
A dependent clause before the main clause takes a comma:
A. When I was talking to the Chief, we decided that I would call
Acting Chief Laffredo.
The same clause after the main clause usually takes no comma: We decided that I would call him when I was talking to the Chief. Clauses of contrast (although, even though, whereas) keep the comma even after the main clause: I signed it, although I never read it.
Introductory phrases take a comma when they are long or when a pause helps the reader: At that moment in time, I was concerned about the baby. In 2002 I came here can go either way; In 2002, when you arrived here, did you needs commas because of the clause that follows.
Rule 3: nonrestrictive vs. restrictive clauses
A nonrestrictive clause adds extra information about something already identified. It is set off with commas and usually introduced with which (or who):
- The Glock, which was loaded, was in his waistband.
- Officer Scalini, who came from Oklahoma, was already there.
A restrictive clause identifies which one. It takes no commas and usually uses that (or who):
- The gun that he carried was a Glock. (The clause identifies the gun.)
- The officer who approached me was Corporal Dundee.
When the speaker's choice between that and which conflicts with the meaning, keep the word the speaker used and punctuate by meaning.
Rule 4: fixing comma splices and run-ons
Witnesses chain thoughts together. A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma:
I went outside, the cab was already there. (splice)
A run-on (fused sentence) joins them with nothing at all.
The transcriber cannot add words such as "and," so the fix is punctuation:
- A period: I went outside. The cab was already there.
- A semicolon, when the thoughts are closely linked: I went outside; the cab was already there.
Periods are the everyday choice in testimony. They keep sentences short and readable, and the Scalini key uses them freely: "I spoke to Officer Scalini. She filled me in briefly."
Rule 5: never separate a subject from its verb, or a verb from its object
Wrong: The man who got out of the cab, took the baby. Right: The man who got out of the cab took the baby.
Speech often pauses at that point. Commas follow grammar, not breath. Do not insert a comma just because a speaker paused.
Putting it together
Spoken, unpunctuated: when he rounded the corner I walked up and I hollered out it's Margaret I'm coming to see you
Punctuated:
A. When he rounded the corner, I walked up, and I hollered out,
"It's Margaret. I'm coming to see you."
- Introductory dependent clause: comma after corner.
- Two independent clauses joined by and: comma before and.
- A direct quotation introduced by hollered out: comma, then quotation marks (Chapter 6).
- The quoted words contain two sentences: a period inside the quotation.
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
I left the room, and made a couple of phone calls.
I left the room and made a couple of phone calls.
I left the room, made a couple of phone calls, and.
I left the room and, made a couple of phone calls.
A witness says: "I went outside the cab was already there." Without adding any words, which is a correct transcription?
I went outside, the cab was already there.
I went outside and the cab was already there.
I went outside the cab, was already there.
I went outside. The cab was already there.
Which sentence correctly punctuates a nonrestrictive clause?
The Glock, which was loaded, was in his waistband.
The Glock which was loaded, was in his waistband.
The Glock, which was loaded was in his waistband.
The gun, that he carried, was a Glock.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.