A dependent clause cannot stand alone, though they often contain both a subject and a verb. Where independent clauses express complete thoughts, dependent clauses do not, and left on their own, ...

Two recent experiments highlight aspects of writing instruction that are rarely studied—or taught. Recent research suggests that secondary students can benefit significantly from learning how to ...

An independent clause is basically a complete sentence; it can stand on its own and make sense. An independent clause consists of a subject (e.g. “the dog”) and a verb (e.g. “barked”) creating a ...

Reading and writing were always my favorite subjects when I was in school, and I can still remember when I was taught that a proper paragraph had five sentences in it. It was probably around fourth ...

Semicolons must combine similar elements and are either used to combine complete sentences or items in a long, complicated list. Use semicolons in the following situations: Combine two complete ...

In 1919, the young E.B. White, future New Yorker writer and author of Charlotte’s Web, took a class at Cornell University with a drill sergeant of an English professor named William Strunk Jr. Strunk ...

Looking to a maestro on the mound to improve your writing game. By Will Harrison Socked in during Covid lockdown, I became increasingly obsessed with archival footage of “actual human life,” so I ...

Linking words together in the right way makes your writing easy to understand and interesting to read. When you are writing, words are grouped together into sentences. There are a few simple rules you ...