Unit 6 - Grammar Pronunciation and Usage

Unit 6 Active Reader

Grammar Punctuation Usage Lens

Page 1

Biomimicry views the natural world as a vast laboratory filled with completed experiments that can be adapted to make human activities more efficient.

This sentence contains a relative clause. Relative pronouns introduce a special type of dependent clause called a relative clause, which is a dependent clause that acts like an adjective. The relative clause in this sentence begins with that.

Because the information in the relative clause that can be adapted to make human activities more efficient is essential to the meaning of the sentence, the author does not set it off with a comma.

Remember, relative clauses that begin with “that” or “whose” are always essential and never require a comma.

Octopi and lizards match the color and texture of their skins with nearby rocks and vegetation to blend into the background, and manmade hunting gear is painted or woven to do the same thing.

This is a compound sentence in which two independent clauses are linked with a coordinating conjunction. Remember the words that act as coordinating conjunctions spell out FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Notice that the writer uses a comma just before the coordinating conjunction “and” in order to indicate where the second independent clause begins. The second independent clause is manmade hunting gear is painted or woven to do the same thing.

Moths and caterpillars are shaped like leaves and twigs to fool predators, while cell phone towers are built like trees to hide their industrial clutter from neighbors.

Subordinating conjunctions are used to create dependent or subordinate clauses. These clauses create complex sentences and compound-complex sentences, making for more sentence variety.

In this sentence, the writer uses a subordinating conjunction (while) to introduce a subordinate clause: while cell phone towers are built like trees to hide their industrial clutter from neighbors.

Typically, writers do not use a comma to set off a subordinate clause that comes at the end of a sentence. In this case, the writer used a comma for stylistic reasons, but it would be grammatically correct to not have a comma here.

Page 2

ship's

Apostrophes are used in two situations. The first situation is when showing ownership or a close relationship between people or things. The second situation is when creating a contraction of two words.

In this sentence, the writer correctly uses an apostrophe to show a close relationship. The apostrophe in ship’s shows the path is associated with the ship, so there is an implied relationship.

couldn't

Here, the writer uses an apostrophe to show where letters have been removed from a word. The contraction couldn’t is a shorter form of “could not,” and the apostrophe shows where the letter “o” was removed.

If there was time in the rush of war, a ship might be photographed in the harbor and out at sea to assess how well the designed pattern was followed and how effective it was at disguising the vessel's movements.

Subordinating conjunctions are used to create dependent or subordinate clauses. These clauses create complex sentences and compound-complex sentences, making for more sentence variety.

Here, the writer uses the subordinating conjunction “if” to create a subordinate clause If there was time in the rush of war that depends on the rest of the sentence to complete a thought. Notice that this subordinate clause is followed by a comma. When a subordinate clause appears at the beginning of a sentence, it is separated from the independent clause by a comma. The independent clause is a ship might be photographed in the harbor and out at sea.

isn't

Here, the writer uses an apostrophe to show where letters have been removed from a word. The contraction isn’t is a shorter form of “is not,” and the apostrophe shows where the letter “o” was removed.

Page 3

It’s

Here, the writer uses the contraction it’s, which is a shortened version of “it is.” It’s includes an apostrophe to show where the letter “i” has been removed. The possessive form “its” does not use an apostrophe because it is already a possessive pronoun. Confusing the possessive “its” with the contraction “it’s” is a common error writers make.

While sonar and radar eventually made this technique obsolete, razzle dazzle soon became the craze in British fashion when designers paid homage to the uniquely patterned ships by using bold stripes in garments.

Subordinating conjunctions are used to create dependent or subordinate clauses. These clauses create complex sentences and compound-complex sentences, making for more sentence variety.

Here, the writer uses two subordinating clauses—one at the beginning of the sentence and one at the end.

While sonar and radar eventually made this technique obsolete is a subordinate clause that begins with the subordinating conjunction while. This clause is set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma because it appears at the beginning.

At the end of the sentence, the subordinating conjunction when creates a subordinate clause when designers paid homage to the uniquely patterned ships by using bold stripes in garments that depends on the rest of the sentence to complete the thought.

Notice that this subordinate clause is not set off by a comma. When a subordinate clause appears at the end of a sentence, it is not separated from the independent clause by a comma. The independent clause is razzle dazzle soon became the craze in British fashion.

Look for alternating light and dark chevrons that taper at the waist.

Because the information in the relative clause that taper at the waist is essential to the meaning of the sentence, the author does not set it off with a comma.

Remember that relative clauses beginning with “that” or “whose” are always essential and never require a comma.