Mastering Punctuation: The Art of Separating Independent Clauses

Anytime I have an excuse to talk about independent clauses, I’m taking it. Let’s look at this: Do what you’re told to do you’re just a teacher you don’t make the rules Okay, this is a giant run on sentence without punctuation at the end. Let’s fix it! Okay one way: Do what you’re told to do. (period) You’re just a teacher. (period) You don’t make the rules. (period) That’s grammatically correct, but it’s a little choppy – three short sentences. We can do better. Let’s look: Do what you’re told to do. (period) You’re just a teacher, (comma) and you don’t make the rules. (period) Notice that you can join two independent clauses with a comma and a conjunction. It packs a punch! It’s much better. Okay, so when you leave punctuation out it makes it look like you’re in a hurry or, “I’ve got to get to that next comment,” 🏃‍♂️ Take your time. Take your time. Think about it. Use good punctuation. Grammar is like an outfit for your words: it it accentuates the content! Okay, quick fixes. Get back out there! 💪🏼