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Grammar

Independent Clauses: A Complete Guide

Discover how independent clauses power engaging writing. They express complete thoughts, help form more complex sentences, and keep great writing flowing.

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Introduction

Our text compare tool is a fantastic, lightweight tool that provides plagiarism checks between two documents. Whether you are a student, blogger or publisher, this tool offers a great solution to detect and compare similarities between any two pieces of text. In this article, I will discuss the different ways to use the tool, the primary features of the tool and who this tool is for. There is an FAQ at the bottom if you run into any issues when trying to use the tool.

What makes Originality.ai’s text comparison tool stand out?

Keyword density helper – This tool comes with a built-in keyword density helper in some ways similar to the likes of SurferSEO or MarketMuse the difference being, ours is free! This feature shows the user the frequency of single or two word keywords in a document, meaning you can easily compare an article you have written against a competitor to see the major differences in keyword densities. This is especially useful for SEO’s who are looking to optimize their blog content for search engines and improve the blog’s visibility.

Ways to compare

File compare – Text comparison between files is a breeze with our tool. Simply select the files you would like to compare, hit “Upload” and our tool will automatically insert the content into the text area, then simply hit “Compare” and let our tool show you where the differences in the text are. By uploading a file, you can still check the keyword density in your content.

URL compare

Comparing text between URLs is effortless with our tool. Simply paste the URL you would like to get the content from (in our example we use a fantastic blog post by Sherice Jacob found here) hit “Submit URL” and our tool will automatically retrieve the contents of the page and paste it into the text area, then simply click “Compare” and let our tool highlight the difference between the URLs. This feature is especially useful for checking keyword density between pages!

Simple text compare

You can also easily compare text by copying and pasting it into each field, as demonstrated below.

Features of Originality.ai’s Text Compare Tool

Ease of use

Our text compare tool is created with the user in mind, it is designed to be accessible to everyone. Our tool allows users to upload files or enter a URL to extract text, this along with the lightweight design ensures a seamless experience. The interface is simple and straightforward, making it easy for users to compare text and detect the diff.

Multiple text file format support

Our tool provides support for a variety of different text files and microsoft word formats including pdf file, .docx, .odt, .doc, and .txt, giving users the ability to compare text from different sources with ease. This makes it a great solution for students, bloggers, and publishers who are looking for file comparison in different formats.

Protects intellectual property

Our text comparison tool helps you protect your intellectual property and helps prevent plagiarism. This tool provides an accurate comparison of texts, making it easy to ensure that your work is original and not copied from other sources. Our tool is a valuable resource for anyone looking to maintain the originality of their content.

User Data Privacy

Our text compare tool is secure and protects user data privacy. No data is ever saved to the tool, the users’ text is only scanned and pasted into the tool’s text area. This makes certain that users can use our tool with confidence, knowing their data is safe and secure.

Compatibility

Our text comparison tool is designed to work seamlessly across all size devices, ensuring maximum compatibility no matter your screen size. Whether you are using a large desktop monitor, a small laptop, a tablet or a smartphone, this tool adjusts to your screen size. This means that users can compare texts and detect the diff anywhere without the need for specialized hardware or software. This level of accessibility makes it an ideal solution for students or bloggers who value the originality of their work and need to compare text online anywhere at any time.

An independent clause, also called a main clause, is a grammatical construction with a subject and a predicate

It expresses a complete thought and can stand independently as a complete sentence if it has end punctuation. Independent clauses are foundational in clear and engaging writing. 

The most common errors with independent clauses involve joining them, but these mistakes can be avoided by remembering a few key rules. Let’s take a closer look at best practices for writing independent clauses.

Then, use the Originality.ai AI Grammar Checker to review your copy for spelling and grammar errors so you can publish with confidence.

What Makes a Clause Independent?

A clause is a grammatical construction with a subject and a predicate; some types of clauses are complete and can make a sentence. These are independent clauses

Other clauses have an element that makes them unable to stand on their own as a complete thought — a subordinating word — which makes them dependent clauses. Subordinating words are introductory words, such as because, when, if, and although.

Independent clause examples: 

  • Mary uses an umbrella. (subject: Mary, predicate: uses an umbrella)
  • Mary uses an umbrella when it rains. (subject: Mary, predicate: uses an umbrella when it rains)
  • Mary uses an umbrella because it’s raining. (subject: Mary, predicate: uses an umbrella because it’s raining)

Dependent clause examples: 

  • When it rains (subject: it, predicate: rains — but not a complete thought)
  • Because it’s raining (subject: it, predicate: it’s raining — but not a complete thought)

Dependent clauses must be attached to an independent clause to be part of a complete sentence. They are not sentence fragments, which lack a subordinating word. 

Example of a Sentence Fragment: Mary uses an umbrella when

Why Are Independent Clauses Important?

Independent clauses are a basic and foundational part of English grammar. While they are straightforward in their construction, their significance in forming a complete thought goes a long way in writing. Knowing how to recognize independent from dependent clauses is a key skill for writers. 

Independent clauses are the foundation of clear communication

Without them, a writer cannot express a complete thought. A string of dependent clauses would have low readability and fail to engage a reader. 

Check the readability of your copy with the Originality.ai Readability Checker.

Independent clauses create sentence variety

Independent clauses are also important because they are essential in building more complex sentences. They can connect with dependent clauses to form compound and complex sentences, which provides the variation in sentence length and structure that makes language interesting. 

Knowing how to identify independent clauses helps with punctuation

By knowing what makes a clause dependent or independent, a writer learns where to place end punctuation and what type to use. 

Comma splices and run-on sentences are easily corrected when a writer understands what is needed to combine complete and incomplete thoughts. 

How to Form Compound and Complex Sentences

Without an independent clause, a writer cannot form a compound or complex sentence. The independent clause is the anchor for all sentence types.

Example using the independent clause: the coffee was hot:

Sentence Type Structure Examples Example Structure
Simple 1 Independent clause The coffee was hot. Independent (The coffee was hot)
Compound 2+ Independent clauses The coffee was hot, and it spilled. Independent (The coffee was hot) + independent (it spilled)
Complex 1 independent clause and 1+ dependent clauses The coffee was hot when it brewed. Independent (The coffee was hot) + dependent (when it brewed)
Compound-Complex 2+ independent clauses and 1+ dependent clauses The coffee was hot when it brewed, and it spilled. Independent (The coffee was hot) + dependent (when it brewed) + independent (it spilled)

Compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, and comma splices

When connecting two independent clauses, a coordinating conjunction is needed. A comma must be placed before the coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to join the two independent clauses properly. 

When a comma is missing between two independent clauses, it’s called a comma splice:

  • Incorrect: The coffee is hot it spilled on my shirt.

This can be corrected by using a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction, or a period.

  • The coffee was hot; it spilled on my shirt.
  • The coffee was hot, and it spilled on my shirt.
  • The coffee was hot. It spilled on my shirt.

Complex sentences and subordinating conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction (because, although, when, if, etc.) is needed to join the independent and dependent clauses in complex sentences. 

As well as a subordinating conjunction you will also usually need a comma for proper grammar. However, you can skip the comma if the independent clause is first.

Examples of complex sentences and subordinating conjunctions:

  • When it pours, the coffee is hot. 
    • The subordinating conjunction comes before the independent clause so a comma is required.
  • The coffee is hot when it pours.
    • The subordinating conjunction comes after the independent clause so a comma isn’t required.

Compound-complex sentence formation

When two or more independent clauses are connected to at least one dependent clause, the rules above for conjunctions and punctuation apply. 

For clarity, it is essential to keep track of which clauses are linked and add punctuation accordingly:

  • When it poured, the coffee was hot, and it spilled on my shirt! (Dep + Ind + Ind)
  • The coffee was hot, and it spilled on my shirt when it poured. (Ind + Ind + Dep)

Final Thoughts

While at first, the concept of an independent clause may seem like elementary grammar, it’s easy to see just how critical they are in writing. From expressing complete thoughts and forming more complex sentences to avoiding comma splices and run-on sentences, independent clauses are the backbone of strong, engaging writing. 

Make editing your copy for proper grammar and punctuation a breeze with the Originality ai Grammar Checker.

Then, discover more grammar best practices in our top resources:

Melissa Fanella

Melissa Fanella is a writer, editor, and marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in content and messaging for businesses and nonprofits. Her expertise is in crafting authentic, people-first content that is compelling and engaging for audiences and positioned for business goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to check for plagiarism?

Tools for conducting a plagiarism check between two documents online are important as it helps to ensure the originality and authenticity of written work. Plagiarism undermines the value of professional and educational institutions, as well as the integrity of the authors who write articles. By checking for plagiarism, you can ensure the work that you produce is original or properly attributed to the original author. This helps prevent the distribution of copied and misrepresented information.

What is Text Comparison?

Text comparison is the process of taking two or more pieces of text and comparing them to see if there are any similarities, differences and/or plagiarism. The objective of a text comparison is to see if one of the texts has been copied or paraphrased from another text. This text compare tool for plagiarism check between two documents has been built to help you streamline that process by finding the discrepancies with ease.

How do Text Comparison Tools Work?

Text comparison tools work by analyzing and comparing the contents of two or more text documents to find similarities and differences between them. This is typically done by breaking the texts down into smaller units such as sentences or phrases, and then calculating a similarity score based on the number of identical or nearly identical units. The comparison may be based on the exact wording of the text, or it may take into account synonyms and other variations in language. The results of the comparison are usually presented in the form of a report or visual representation, highlighting the similarities and differences between the texts.

String comparison is a fundamental operation in text comparison tools that involves comparing two sequences of characters to determine if they are identical or not. This comparison can be done at the character level or at a higher level, such as the word or sentence level.

The most basic form of string comparison is the equality test, where the two strings are compared character by character and a Boolean result indicating whether they are equal or not is returned. More sophisticated string comparison algorithms use heuristics and statistical models to determine the similarity between two strings, even if they are not exactly the same. These algorithms often use techniques such as edit distance, which measures the minimum number of operations (such as insertions, deletions, and substitutions) required to transform one string into another.

Another common technique for string comparison is n-gram analysis, where the strings are divided into overlapping sequences of characters (n-grams) and the frequency of each n-gram is compared between the two strings. This allows for a more nuanced comparison that takes into account partial similarities, rather than just exact matches.

String comparison is a crucial component of text comparison tools, as it forms the basis for determining the similarities and differences between texts. The results of the string comparison can then be used to generate a report or visual representation of the similarities and differences between the texts.

What is Syntax Highlighting?

Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) that helps to visually distinguish different elements of a code or markup language. It does this by coloring different elements of the code, such as keywords, variables, functions, and operators, based on a predefined set of rules.

The purpose of syntax highlighting is to make the code easier to read and understand, by drawing attention to the different elements and their structure. For example, keywords may be colored in a different hue to emphasize their importance, while comments or strings may be colored differently to distinguish them from the code itself. This helps to make the code more readable, reducing the cognitive load of the reader and making it easier to identify potential syntax errors.

How Can I Conduct a Plagiarism Check between Two Documents Online?

With our tool it’s easy, just enter or upload some text, click on the button “Compare text” and the tool will automatically display the diff between the two texts.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Text Compare Tool?

Using text comparison tools is much easier, more efficient, and more reliable than proofreading a piece of text by hand. Eliminate the risk of human error by using a tool to detect and display the text difference within seconds.

What Files Can You Inspect with This Text Compare Tool?

We have support for the file extensions .pdf, .docx, .odt, .doc and .txt. You can also enter your text or copy and paste text to compare.

Will My Data Be Shared?

There is never any data saved by the tool, when you hit “Upload” we are just scanning the text and pasting it into our text area so with our text compare tool, no data ever enters our servers.

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