Writing & Punctuation: How to use a COMMA correctly in a complex sentence

Hi. I'm Rebecca from engVid. In this lesson, I'm going to show you a small trick that you

can use to improve your English writing, especially when you're writing complex sentences. I'm

going to explain to you exactly what a complex sentence is, and also how to punctuate it

properly so that you can get a higher mark if you're going for your exam, like the IELTS

or the TOEFL, or if you're submitting an essay at university, if you're writing a business

report, or if you're applying for a job. Okay? Because this little comma, this little punctuation

mark makes the difference between a correct sentence and an incorrect sentence. All right?

And I'll show you exactly when to use it and how to use it. Okay? So, let's get started.

Now, first of all, what is a complex sentence? A complex sentence in English is a sentence

which has an independent clause and a dependent clause. Okay, that's great, you say, but what's

a clause? Okay. Not Santa Claus. We're not talking about Santa Claus here. We're talking

about a clause in English, in English grammar. So, "clause" is just a group of words that

has a subject and a verb. So, what's the difference, then, between independent clause or dependent

clause? Well, we know that both of them are clauses, so both of them have a subject and

a verb, but the independent one actually can stand on its own. It's a sentence by itself.

And the dependent clause is not a sentence by itself. It cannot stand by itself. All

right? So, it depends on the other part of the sentence to make it whole. All right?

So, let's look at the example. If I say, "We'll cancel the picnic", just by itself, that's

a sentence, right? It makes sense, it's a complete thought. So, that is an independent

clause in this sentence. If I say, "If it starts raining", yeah, if it starts raining,

what? So, because that's incomplete, that is a dependent clause. All right?

Now, in a complex sentence, we see an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

All right? So, we start like this, "We'll cancel the picnic if it starts raining." Now,

that's a full sentence. There's a statement that I'm making and there's some sort of a

situation that I'm attaching to it with the dependent clause. So, when we have a sentence

that has an independent clause at the beginning and a dependent clause after that, we need

no punctuation in the middle at all. Okay? So, we just say, "We'll cancel the picnic

if it starts raining." All right? No punctuation needed in the middle. No comma needed.

But let's look at what happens if we turn that sentence around. The same sentence, okay,

to make it easier. This time, we're going to start with the dependent clause and then

finish with the independent clause. The meaning will be the same, but the way we write it

is different. So, here we say, "If it starts raining, we'll cancel the picnic." Okay? All

right. So, you're saying to me, "Rebecca, really? That comma makes so much difference?"

Yes, it does. Informal business writing or informal exam writing. If you keep writing

a lot of complex sentences, which you will write because you should write complex sentences,

it's more educated, it's more advanced, but if you don't write them correctly, then it's

kind of a shame. And if the examiner, let's say on your IELTS, sees that you've written

a lot of complex sentences, that's very good, but if again and again, he or she sees that

you didn't put the comma there, then they know that you haven't understood the principle

of how to write a complex sentence. And it's really so easy because all you had to do was

to know where to put the comma or not to put the comma. So, as I said, here, where we started

with the independent clause and ended with the dependent clause, there's no comma. But

if we start with the dependent and then we have the independent, then we do need a comma.

Now, just listen when I'm actually saying it, because in real life, if I was speaking

these sentences out loud, I would actually pause. Not because I see a comma when I'm

speaking, but because that's how we talk. So, here, first let's listen to this. "We'll

cancel the picnic if it starts raining." It's just like one long sentence, right? But here

I'll say, "If it starts raining, we'll cancel the picnic." Now, did you feel and hear that

pause? That pause is represented by this comma. Got it? Okay. So, I hope you understood this

example and what it means when we're talking about an independent clause and a dependent

clause, alright? But just to be sure, let's look at another example now. So, "We ordered

pizza after the game ended." "We ordered pizza" is the independent clause, right? Because

that's like a complete thought, a complete sentence. "After the game ended", this is

incomplete, even though it has a subject and a verb, but it's incomplete, right? If I just

said to you, "After the game ended", it doesn't mean anything, right? It's incomplete. So,

that makes it dependent. So, in that sentence, we have no comma. "We ordered pizza after

the game ended." Okay? It's one smooth sentence. Got it? But look what happens when the dependent

clause comes first. "After the game", sorry, we need to write here, okay? "After the game

ended", comma, "we ordered pizza", right? Now, the dependent clause, "after the game

ended" is first, and the independent clause, "we ordered pizza" is after that. So, whenever

the dependent clause comes first, you want to put a comma after that. So, it'll sound

like this if you're speaking. "After the game ended, we ordered pizza." Okay? As I said,

we have a natural kind of pause in that place. Now, this is true when we're speaking, it

makes it easier for people to understand us, and it also makes it much easier when somebody's

reading your writing with a complex sentence, because we expect this kind of mental pause

in the writing. And these are simple examples, but let's suppose you were writing about something

more serious, writing about business, or you're writing about politics, you're writing about

something else, then it's going to make it very difficult to understand without the comma.

And the reader is mentally looking for that comma to divide the ideas, to divide the thoughts,

and to make it easier to understand your writing and whatever you're trying to convey. Okay?

So, don't just think, "Oh, one little comma, what difference does it make?" It does make

a big difference. And definitely, it'll make a big difference to your marks or your score

if you keep leaving out these commas in complex sentences. Okay?

Now, one other clue to know, for you to know that something is a dependent clause, is to

look for these words which are called subordinating conjunctions. Not very interesting, but I'll

tell you what they are. And when you hear or see one of these words, or write one of

these words, then you know that there is a dependent clause coming up in a complex sentence.

And these words are "before", so we could say here, "Before the game ended, we ordered

pizza." That would also be a dependent clause, right? Or "When the game ended", or "Because

the game ended", or whatever, okay? "Because", "since", "although", "even though", "if", "unless",

okay? These kind of words. There are more words like this, but I'm giving you the most

common examples. So, whenever you're using one of these words in that dependent clause,

make sure that you put, what? A comma after it, and then put your independent clause.

But, if you wrote the independent clause first, then no comma necessary, alright? I hope this

is making sense to you, and let's really master it now by looking at a few more sentences.

Okay, so now you're going to help me to decide whether we need to put a comma in these sentences,

or whether we don't. You decide, okay? Along with me. So, number one. "Although we advertised

the job, we didn't get many applications." Now, just for you to know, while I'm reading

it, I'm going to try not to give the answer away, so I'm not going to pause, even though

normally I might pause or anything like that in all of them, okay? So, what do you think?

Do we need a comma here anywhere? Remember the rules. If the sentence starts with a dependent

clause, then you need a comma before the independent clause. But if the sentence starts with an

independent clause, a complete sentence, then - and then it finishes with a dependent clause,

then no comma necessary, okay? You can see that here.

So, let's analyze this first sentence. This word "although", is it one of those subordinating

conjunctions? Actually, yes. So, there's your big clue that we will need a comma here because

we're starting with a dependent clause. So, let's see where we put the comma, okay? "Although

we advertised the job", okay, that's where we put it. "Although we advertised the job",

because we have here a subject, we have here a verb, and then we have more subject. "We

didn't get many applications", okay? So, "Although we advertised the job" is incomplete, that's

a dependent clause. "We didn't get many applications" is a complete sentence, that's the independent

clause, alright? Got it? Good for you.

Number two. "I closed the window because it was cold." Does that sentence need a comma?

Look at it. Okay? So, what's happening here? "I closed the window", alright? Subject, verb,

so "I closed the window" is a complete sentence, right? Complete sentence, right? It means

independent clause here, and "because it was cold" is the dependent clause, but it comes

after. So, when you have an independent clause followed by a dependent clause, you need no

comma. So, this sentence is absolutely fine the way it is. "I closed the window because

it was cold." No comma necessary, alright?

Let's look at number three and analyze it together, okay? "They're going on strike unless

they get a raise." "They're going on strike unless they get a raise." So, where's that

word that we're looking for, subordinating conjunction, okay? It's here, okay? So, this

part after "unless", right, is the dependent clause, and so is it first or is it second?

It's second, right? So, if it's second, that means we don't need a comma in that sentence.

It's fine the way it is. "They're going on strike unless they get a raise." Okay? Good.

Number four. "Before the library closes, I need to return this book." So, what do we

do there? Do we need a comma? Alright, let's look at this sentence, the first part of it.

"Before the library closes." So, you have a clue, because you have this word "before",

which is another one of those subordinating conjunctions that introduces our dependent

clause. So, "Before the library closes, I need to return this book." Because now we

had a dependent clause first, and we need the comma, and then the independent clause.

And in real life, the way I would say it is, "Before the library closes, I need to return

this book." Okay? So, that's also when you're speaking, you don't - you have a kind of - you

don't obviously write a comma, but you do pause. Alright?

Next, number five. "I like to watch TV before I go to sleep." What about that? Do we need

a comma there? So, let's analyze it. "I like to watch TV", that's an independent clause.

Then we have the word "before", right, which is that conjunction, so this is telling us

this is the dependent clause here, and the dependent clause is in the second position,

so we need no comma. That one is fine. "I like to watch TV before I go to sleep." Good.

And the last one, "Whenever you're ready, I can take your order." Okay? When you go

to a restaurant lots of time, the waiter or waitress will say this. "Whenever you're ready,

I can take your order." So, what do we do if we're writing it? Do we need a comma? Okay,

so let's analyze it together. "Whenever you're ready". So, "whenever" is like "when", and

it's one of those subordinating conjunctions, so it tells us that this part is going to

be the dependent clause. So, "Whenever you're ready, I can take your order." Okay? So, dependent

and then independent. So, remember the rule, dependent clause first, then you have a comma,

then the independent clause. Independent clause first, no comma, followed by the dependent

clause. All right? Now, I hope you understood these examples. I think that we worked through

it really nicely so that you could get it. But, of course, you're going to need to practice,

right? You want to practice a lot so that you get it not just right now, but later,

and next week, and the week after that, and forever. Like, there's no point in learning

- in watching ten videos and finally going away with nothing. Instead of that, whichever

video you choose to watch, really master it and say, "You know what? I hope that I never

have to make a mistake in this area ever again. I'm going to get it." So, in order to do that,

go to our website, www.engvid.com, do the quiz that's there, it will really help you.

We have at least ten examples, so you can practice it some more, and then practice writing

your own sentences with independent and dependent clauses, and also understanding exactly what

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