The SAT Writing and Language Test is going to throw a number of punctuation
errors at you, so let’s review the punctuation rules we learned in middle school.
Perhaps the SAT will one day test students’ use of emoji.
—Samantha
Before we begin, we need to get straight on one concept: independent and
dependent clauses. An independent clause is like an adult and can walk around
on its own, making sense wherever it goes. A dependent clause, like a child or a
Chihuahua, cannot go anywhere without an independent clause.
Independent clause: Your tie is the color of vomit.
Dependent clause: Because I vomited on it.
That first clause makes total sense on its own. The second needs to be
conjoined to an independent clause in order to make sense. Are we cool with
that? Good, because that is all we need to know before talking about
punctuation.
PERIODS: STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SIMPLE
What does a period do? It ends the sentence. Don’t put it in the middle of a
sentence. Put it at the end.
Example 1:
Incorrect: I’ve got mustard. All over my pants again.
Correct: I’ve got mustard all over my pants again.
That wrong period creates the sentence fragments that you saw in Grammar
Commandment 8.