- Susan Weiner Investment Writing

Commas drive me crazy. I’m often unsure about whether my clients’ long sentences need commas. A helpful rule is finally sinking into my head. I need to place a comma before an independent clause that follows a coordinating conjunction.

What’s an independent clause?

Here’s a nice, informative example from Actually, the Comma Goes Here by Lucy Cripps:

Each independent clause makes sense on its own, but it links very closely in theme to the other independent clause.

In the example, the phrases before and after the comma are each independent clauses.

“But” is bolded in the example to point to the importance of coordinating conjunctions like it in connecting independent clauses.

What’s a coordinating conjunction?

A coordinating conjunction—sometimes known as a coordinate conjunction— connects “elements of equal rank” in a sentence, in contrast with a subordinating conjunction that introduces “a subordinate element,” according to Words into Type.

A mnemonic—memory aid—can help you remember the main coordinating conjunctions. It’s FANBOYS.

For

And

Nor

But

Or

Yet

So

Some people, like Erin Brenner in “The Trouble with FANBOYS” quibble about the rules for FANBOYS, I think the mnemonic remains useful as a reminder that a comma may be needed.

What if there’s a dependent clause?

Can you skip commas if a sentence consists of an independent and a dependent clause? It depends.

The following example from Actually, the Comma Goes Here both illustrates and explains the rule for when to use commas when combining an independent and a dependent clause:

If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, we add a comma after the dependent clause.

Don’t use a comma if the dependent clause follows the independent clause.

Disclosure: If you click on an Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I provide links to books only when I believe they have value for my readers.

If you’re a boss, you may think the more subordinates you have, the better. But if those subordinates are subordinate clauses, too many subordinates will sap the power of your writing.

Subordinate clause defined

A subordinate clause—also known as a dependent clause—is “… a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought,” according to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). As OWL notes, “A dependent clause cannot be a sentence.”

Subordinating conjunctions, such as “for, as, since, therefore, hence, consequently, though, due to, provided that, because, unless, once, while, when, whenever, where, wherever, before, and after” often alert you to the existence of a subordinate clause, says the Grammarly Blog’s discussion of subordinate clauses.

As Joe Moran says in First You Write a Sentence, “The subordinate clauses are servants to the main clause, and the sentence makes sense only when you have untied it all.”

The problem with subordinate clauses

Subordinate clauses are OK in moderation. But used to excess, they can exhaust the reader when they run on and on before the reader reaches the heart of the sentence.

As Moran says in First You Write a Sentence, “If the subordinate clauses extend into ten words or more, and become longer than the main clauses, reading them is a grind.” You’re asking a lot of your reader when you start with a long dependent clause.

Subordinate clause example

Here’s an example of a sentence that starts with a subordinate clause about Fed meetings. I use this example in my investment commentary webinar:

With only two more Fed meetings remaining in 2007 (on Oct. 31 and Dec. 11), the issue remains whether the Fed’s unexpectedly aggressive 50 basis point cut in the fed funds rate last week was intended to shock the markets to restore confidence or, they are concerned that the underlying economic conditions are worse than most of us think.

A more reader-friendly approach is to start your sentence with the main idea. Then, use a word like “and,” “but,” or “so” to add the information that you might otherwise have put in a subordinate clause. It’ll be easier for your reader to absorb your information when it’s presented in this order.

When I rewrote the sample sentence above about Fed policy. I dumped the subordinate clause, figuring the information in it wasn’t important enough to retain. I divided the rest of the content into three sentences. That left me with:

The meaning of the Fed’s half-percent cut in short-term interest rates is not clear. The Fed may have made this large cut to restore confidence. Or, the Fed may be worried that the economy is in worse shape than most of us think.

Want to learn how I got from the “before” to the “after” version of that sentence? Check out my investment commentary webinar. It’s available on demand.

Look for subordinate clauses in your writing. See if cutting them strengthens your prose. If you can’t cut them, move them so it’s easier for readers to grasp your meaning.