Glossary / 433clause, subordinate a group of words containing a subject and verb that depend
on a main clause for meaning; also called a dependent clause. Three kinds of sub-
ordinate clauses function as modifiers and nouns: adverb, adjective, and noun
clauses. [See Chapter 44, Phrases and Clauses.] Example: After the celebration was
over, we had a big cleanup job. (The subordinate clause, after the celebration was
over, functions as an adverb.)
cliché an expression that has become stale from too much use. Example: as old
as the hills.
climax the decisive turning point of action, as in a drama.
coherence the quality of being logically consistent and intelligible, and of having
all parts connected in a way that makes sense. Coherence is achieved by the effec-
tive use of transition. [See transitions in the Glossary.]
collective noun a noun that is singular in form but is the name for a collection
of individuals (for example, army, crowd). A collective noun is treated as singular
when the collection is thought of as a whole, and as plural when the individual
members are thought of as acting separately. Example: The crowd is restless (sin-
gular). The jury were arguing over one piece of evidence (plural). [See Chapter 42,
Classification of Words, and Chapter 43, Usage, Agreement of Subject and Verb.]
colloquial expression words, phrases, and idioms found in everyday speech but
avoided in formal writing; labeled in the dictionary as Colloq. Example: John is
on the beam is a colloquial way of saying John is alert and keen.
colon a mark of punctuation (:) used 1. before a long quotation, explanation, exam-
ples, series, and so on, 2. after the salutation of a formal letter. [See Chapter 45,
Punctuation.]
comma a mark of punctuation (,). [See Chapter 45, Punctuation, for rules for using
commas correctly.]
comma fault the error of joining two main clauses by a comma instead of a
semicolon or comma and coordinating conjunction. Sometimes called a comma
splice. [See Chapter 45, Punctuation, for rules and examples.]
common noun a noun that names a thing in general; as opposed to a proper
noun. Example: Students in college take a wide range of courses (common
nouns: students, college, range, courses). Students at the University of Colorado
take Humanities (proper nouns: University of Colorado, Humanities).
comparative a form of adjective or adverb showing a greater, but not the greatest,
degree in meaning. The comparative degree is usually indicated by the suffix –er
(harder) or by the use of more (more beautiful). [See Parts of Speech in Chapter 42,
Classification of Words.]