MU

Chapter 3 Notes: Sentences, Fragments, Run-Ons, and Punctuation

Independent and Dependent Clauses

  • To be a sentence or a clause, it must have a subject and a verb. An independent clause is a group of related words that has a subject and a verb and stands alone to express a complete thought.
    • Definition: an independent clause can form a sentence by itself and you can put a period after it.
  • A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone; it needs to be connected to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.
  • The connecting words (subordinating conjunctions and relative words) are crucial when you join clauses, because a dependent clause must attach to an independent clause to convey a full thought.
  • Important caveat for court reporting: perfect grammar does not always occur in testimony because witnesses are nervous or speaking spontaneously. Understanding function helps you decide how to punctuate even when the grammar isn’t perfect.
  • You may encounter sentences with an understood subject. For example, "Leave." or "Stop." are complete sentences even though the subject (you) is not spoken aloud. This is the understood subject. Similarly, "He resigned." is a complete sentence with an explicit subject.
  • Examples:
    • You leave. (implicit subject: you) // correct as an independent clause
    • You stop. // another simple independent clause with understood subject
    • He resigned. // simple independent clause with explicit subject

Fragments

  • A fragment is a group of words that does not express a complete thought, even if it contains a subject and a verb.
  • In practice, fragments are common in spoken language and in testimony (Q&A format).
  • Typical fragment pattern in testimony: Question = "When did you go?"; Answer = "Friday." (Complete sentence would be "I went on Friday.")
  • Other fragment examples encountered in testimony: "Friday."; "Several miles."; These can be punctuated with a period in transcript format.
  • Handling fragments in transcripts: you still place a period at the end, as if it were a complete sentence, for readability and accuracy of the record.

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

  • Run-on sentence: two independent clauses (two complete thoughts) joined in one sentence without proper punctuation or conjunction.
  • Example given: "I worked with them for ten years, she worked with them for five years." This is a run-on because a comma cannot separate two independent clauses without proper punctuation.
  • What to do instead:
    • Put a period after each independent clause: "I worked with them for ten years. She worked with them for five years."
    • Use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses: "I worked with them for ten years; she worked with them for five years."
    • Use a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) to join the clauses (not explicitly emphasized in the transcript, but standard practice): "I worked with them for ten years, and she worked with them for five years."
  • If you use just a comma to join two independent clauses, you create a comma splice, which is improper.
  • The semicolon can act as a substitute for the coordinating conjunction when two independent clauses are closely related.

The Four Types of Sentences by Purpose

  • Declarative sentence: makes a statement and ends with a period.
  • Imperative sentence: gives a command or makes a polite request; ends with a period; often has an understood subject (you).
  • Interrogative sentence: asks a question; ends with a question mark; sometimes the question’s word order can be slightly altered but it remains interrogative.
  • Exclamatory sentence: expresses strong emotion; in court reporting, it ends with a period rather than an exclamation point (for neutrality and the reporter’s role).
  • Rationale for the court-rule on exclamations: the reporter is not judging or interpreting emotion; the record should remain neutral and not rely on expressive punctuation.

Four Types of Sentence Structure (within the sentence types vs. structure distinction)

  • Simple sentence: one and only one independent clause. It can have a compound predicate or additional phrases, but there is only one subject-verb core.
    • Example: After dinner in a small restaurant near the local mall, we saw a movie and then attended a party for a longtime friend.
    • Analysis: The subject is we; the verbs are saw and attended (a single independent clause with a compound predicate). The introductory phrase is a dependent element, not a separate independent clause.
  • Compound sentence: two or more independent clauses. Each clause could stand alone as a sentence; there is no dependent clause.
    • Rule: two independent clauses must not be joined by just a comma (to avoid a comma splice).
    • Correct options: join with a semicolon or separate with a period. If you join them with a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but), you can use a comma, but the transcript emphasizes using a semicolon or periods.
    • Example: "I worked with them for ten years; she worked with them for five years." or "I worked with them for ten years. She worked with them for five years."
  • Complex sentence: has one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
    • The dependent clause cannot stand alone and is usually introduced by subordinating words (e.g., because, when, although, since, if).
    • Example (typical): "Because I studied, I passed the exam." or "I went home when it started to rain." (illustrative, not from transcript)
  • Compound-complex sentence: has two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
    • This structure combines the features of both compound and complex sentences.
  • Practical note: In court transcripts, the emphasis is on correctly identifying the core subject and verb to determine the clause structure, while accounting for spoken language patterns and fragments.

Practical and Contextual Notes for Court Reporting

  • Fragments and run-ons will appear in testimonies due to spoken language and questioning formats; treat them consistently in the record by applying standard punctuation rules.
  • Do not insert interpretive judgments through punctuation (e.g., exclamation points) when reporting; maintain neutrality and rely on period or semicolon punctuation to indicate sentence boundaries.
  • When analyzing transcripts, focus on identifying the subject and the verb to determine the clause type and the sentence structure.
  • The material emphasizes active practice with punctuation (e.g., semicolons, periods) and awareness of how fragmentation occurs in real courtroom dialogue.
  • References to the textbook/pages (e.g., pages 21–26) indicate where these definitions and examples appear and where to review for practice.
  • Expect upcoming practices and assignments to reinforce the concepts discussed and provide graded work related to sentence types, fragments, run-ons, and punctuation usage.

Key Takeaways for Exam Preparation

  • Independent vs. dependent clauses: every sentence has at least a subject and a verb; independence depends on whether it can stand alone.
  • Fragments are incomplete thoughts; in testimony, they are common and are punctuated as complete sentences in the record.
  • Run-ons and comma splices: never join two independent clauses with just a comma; use a period or a semicolon (or a coordinating conjunction with a comma).
  • Four sentence purposes: declarative, imperative, interrogative, exclamatory; in court reporting, exclamatory endings are typically not used.
  • Four sentence structures: simple (one independent clause), compound (two or more independent clauses), complex (one independent + one or more dependent), compound-complex (two or more independent + one or more dependent).
  • Always aim to identify the core subject and verb, and understand how dependent clauses attach to the main clause to convey complete meaning.

References to Practice and Next Steps

  • Review the provided examples on pages 22–24 of the textbook for fragments and run-ons.
  • Practice labeling clause types in sample sentences and decide if punctuation with semicolons, periods, or coordinating conjunctions is appropriate.
  • Engage with upcoming practice postings and assignments to solidify understanding and application in real transcript scenarios.