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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 12

Commas & Clauses

Clauses, sentence types and commas

What your child practices

Finding dependent clauses, telling simple, compound and complex sentences apart, and using commas in lists, compound sentences, introductions and appositives.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Language 2 · commas, clauses and sentence types

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A dependent clause starts with words like if, although, because or when and can’t stand alone.
  2. Simple: one clause. Compound: two independent clauses joined by and, but or so. Complex: an independent clause plus a dependent one.
  3. Use commas in lists, before and/but/so in compound sentences, after an opening clause and around appositives.

Example: “Although it was late, we kept reading.” Why does it need a comma? “Although it was late” is a dependent clause. It comes first, so a comma sets it off. Answer: It sets off an introductory dependent clause.

Commas & Clauses in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 6 of 12 in 6th grade English Language Arts, after Sentence Repair and before Roots & Analogies.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Why is there a comma in this sentence? “Ravi made dinner, and Ana washed the dishes.”

    • It separates a dependent clause at the end.
    • It comes before “and” to join two independent clauses.
    • It separates items in a list.
    • It sets off an introductory word.

  2. Question 2

    Which word is the subordinating conjunction?

    Although Noah was nervous, he gave a great speech.

    • speech
    • gave
    • great
    • Although

  3. Question 3

    Why does this sentence need a comma? “Although it was late, we kept reading.”

    • It separates items in a list.
    • It sets off an introductory dependent clause.
    • It joins two complete sentences with no conjunction.
    • It sets off a speaker's exact words.

  4. Question 4

    What type of sentence is this?

    Maya laughed when the puppy sneezed.

    • Complex
    • Compound
    • Simple

  5. Question 5

    Which part is the dependent (subordinate) clause?

    Although the water was cold, Priya jumped right in.

    • Although the water was cold
    • jumped right in
    • the water
    • Priya jumped right in

  6. Question 6

    Which sentence uses a comma correctly?

    • When the movie, ended everyone clapped.
    • When the movie ended everyone, clapped.
    • When, the movie ended everyone clapped.
    • When the movie ended, everyone clapped.

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