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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 17

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 6L2 · 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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 6 of 17 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    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.

  2. Question 2

    What type of sentence is this?

    If it snows tomorrow, we will build a snowman.

    • Complex
    • Compound
    • Simple

  3. Question 3

    Which word is the subordinating conjunction?

    Since the gym was busy, we practiced outside.

    • outside
    • busy
    • Since
    • gym

  4. Question 4

    Which part is the dependent (subordinate) clause?

    We stayed inside until the storm passed.

    • stayed inside until
    • until the storm passed
    • the storm
    • We stayed inside

  5. Question 5

    Which part is the dependent (subordinate) clause?

    If it snows tomorrow, the field trip will be postponed.

    • tomorrow
    • the field trip
    • If it snows tomorrow
    • the field trip will be postponed

  6. Question 6

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

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

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