Bellwrite #17: Do these sentences need commas? Please diagram them to help you decide.
1) I knew I was doing well but I kept wishing he would say something.
2) After I memorized the text I began to go over the text again critically.
3) He is a great teacher and a great scholar.
We learned about diagraming a clause within a clause. For example, in #1, we have the clause "I was doing well" within the clause "I knew I was doing well." In this example, the clause "I was doing well" is taking the place of a direct object. Thus, we insert the clause with a carrot into the place where a direct object would normally be diagrammed.
Because sentence #1 has two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), a comma is required.
In sentence #2, we have a dependent clause "After I memorized the text" attached to an independent clause "I began to go over the text again critically." Our second comma rule indicates that we should use a comma after an introductory clause. Thus a comma is also needed in this sentence.
Please note that sentence #2 has an infinitive. An infinitive is a type of verbal. Verbals are verbs that act as another part of speech. Infinitives are verbs acting as nouns. They take the form of to be + verb. We learned how to diagram infinitives.
Sentence #3 does NOT need a comma. Although it uses a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), that conjunction is not joining independent clauses. Rather, it is joining the noun phrases "a great teacher" and "a great scholar." Thus this sentence has a compound predicate nominative.
We continued to watch and discuss the documentary on the creation of the State of Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X4JCPckWgY
Homework: Please read the article on the Promised Land by Elder Holland.
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