Grammar and Syntax Concepts

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Appositive phrases

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Extra information that is separated by either dashes or commas that describes what comes before it. Example: 'Mr. Papineau, an English teacher at MCHS, taught me how to use appositive phrases.'

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Compound sentences

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Contains two or more independent clauses. Example: 'I love to read, and I love to write.'

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Complex sentences

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Contains one or more dependent clauses. Example: 'After the clock struck midnight, the soldiers ran up the hill.'

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Compound-complex sentences

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Contains at least one dependent clause and more than one independent clause. Example: 'Though studying is no one’s favorite hobby, it is often necessary to ensure success, and it builds valuable habits and life skills.'

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Parallel Structure (parallelism)

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When ideas or things in a sentence follow the same grammatical structure. Example: 'His main goals in life are to live, to laugh, and to love.'

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Commas

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Used to logically separate ideas or things within a sentence. Common uses include the serial comma for lists and with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) to separate two independent clauses.

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Semicolons

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Used to separate two independent clauses that are closely related or separate a list that requires commas. Example: 'Over the summer, I visited Paris, France; Athens, Greece; and Lagos, Nigeria.'

Example: 'I think; therefore, I am.'

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Colons

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Most commonly used to introduce lists, example(s), or an explanation.

Example: 'She had the hardest job in the world: nursing.'

Example: 'At the store I will purchase these items: apples, oranges, bananas.'

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Apostrophes

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Used to make a noun possessive (e.g., Liam’s or students’) or to create a contraction (e.g., it’s or don’t).

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Dashes

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Dashes are like a comma with extra emphasis. Authors use them flexibly, but they often add emphasis.