Lesson video

Hi, welcome back to grammar with me, Ms. Richards.

Lovely to see you all again.

Okay, before we get going on today's lesson, can you please make sure you've got a pen and something to write on.

So some paper or a notebook.

If you can go somewhere nice and quiet where you won't be distracted, turning notifications off on all your devices as well.

If you want to pause the video to get yourself ready, that's actually fine.

Just press play when you're sorted.

In today's lesson we're going to be looking at something that sounds really complicated.

Going to be looking at how to punctuate lists within subordinate clauses.

Sounds complicated, super easy.

Can't wait to get started.

Pause the video if you need to get yourself set up and press play when you're ready to go.

Great, so if you hit this slide should be ready to go.

If not, press pause now.

Use this as a reminder for everything that you need.

Let's have a quick look at today's lesson then.

We're going to start with subordinate and independent clause.

That's a recap on information you already know.

I know you're brilliant at it.

We just want to keep making sure that we're really clear on those key terms. We're then going to move into punctuating lists.

Again, I fully expect that you're quite confident on this because you've done it in previous grammar work.

If you're not, great 'cause this will act as a complete recap.

And if you are confident, then you'll find this super easy.

But then we're going to move into combining our knowledge.

We're going to look at how we put those two things together and what that can add to independent clauses.

As always, you're going to get a turn and then you'll have your quiz to finish.

Let's start then with subordinate and independent clauses.

As you know already, this is really familiar to you now.

An independent clause is a complete idea, which includes a subject, a verb, and all the information for it to make sense.

Independent clauses can be understood by themselves.

They don't need anything extra added to them.

Did you remember we said you could call it a subject, verb, an object, or subject, verb, and all the information to make sense.

Great we're brilliant at independent clauses.

We know them.

And now we know that subordinate clauses are the parts of the sentence that give us extra information, but they don't make sense by themselves.

You can't have a subordinate clause on it's own.

It doesn't make sense.

So our subordinates add extra information to the independent clauses.

Brilliant, we're brilliant at that, okay.

Let's just remind you then of a few different sentence constructions.

Again, these are really familiar because they come from your last lesson, but it's just about recapping.

So we can have a subordinate clause, comma, independent clause.

That is one sentence construction that we can use, or we can have independent clause, subordinate clause.

But remember if a subordinate clause comes after the independent clause, we don't put a comma.

Just go back there.

When the subordinate clause comes before the independent clause we put a comma, subordinate clause, comma, independent clause.

When the subordinate clause comes after our independent clause, we take away the comma.

So we have independent clause, subordinate clause.

I know you know this.

I know you're brilliant at it.

It's just about recapping and making sure we have all the information that we need to, that we can do today's task really, really successfully.

Do you remember we said last lesson as well that we can put them together.

So we can put a subordinate clause either side of our independent clause.

subordinate clause, comma, independent clause, subordinate clause.

And we use the same punctuation rules as before.

So the subordinate clause that comes in front of the independent clause has a comma.

The subordinate clause that comes after the independent clause does not have a comma.

Really, really easy, and I know you're brilliant at these.

Do we remember from last time that there were lots of different types of subordinate clauses, because subordinate clauses add extra information to our independent clause.

And there's a lot of extra information that we might want to add.

So I mentioned six examples to you.

Now you don't have to remember these technical terms, that's absolutely fine.

But a subordinate clause could add time information.

Could use the temporal clause to add information about the time that the independent clause is taking place.

We can add place information using prepositional phrases, and that can add information about the place that the independent clause is happening at.

We can add conditions.

We can add reasons why, we can add the results, or we can add concessive ideas.

So those are opposite ideas to our independent clause, which give a level of balance.

Again, you don't need to remember these technical terms. Don't worry about it, but it is really worth thinking about the different kinds of information that we can add to our independent clauses to really develop the understanding or develop the information that's provided in the independent clause.

Okay, I know you're brilliant at these, but we still keep practising all the time.

So what I'd like you to do now is to have a look at the sentence that's on the screen.

Evie waited in line outside her classroom.

I want you to look at the bit that I've underlined, pause the video and decide is that an independent clause, or is that a subordinate clause? Pause your video now, and the answer will be revealed in a second.

I know you got it.

It's a subordinate clause.

This is the extra information, and it tells us the place that Evie was waiting in line.

So Evie was waiting in line outside her classroom.

And we could change that.

Evie waited in line at the supermarket.

Evie waited in line at the cinema.

So our subordinate clauses, the ones that give us that extra information and in this case it's place, it's where Evie is waiting.

I'm sure you got it 'cause I know that you're really, really great at these.

If you didn't, don't worry you can always go back and have a look at the explanations.

Or now that you've remembered independent clauses, the main information.

It stands by itself, it makes sense by itself.

So Evie waited in line, makes sense, subordinate clause is the extra bit I can't leave by itself.

Have a go at the next one and see if you get it this time.

In the city, comma, life is much faster.

Independent clause or subordinate clause? What have I underlined? Pause your video, have a think, have a look and then decide which option it is.

You got it right, it's the independent clause.

Now the commas a little clue for you anyway, because we know that the subordinate clause coming first has a comma.

So in the city, is our subordinate clause, which means I've underlined the independent clause.

Life is much faster.

That stands alone by itself.

Brilliant, okay.

One more.

You will find the information on the left.

Pause the video, decide independent or subordinate clause.

What have I underlined? It's subordinate clause.

On the left tells us where we will find the information.

So it gives us place, it's a prepositional phrase.

Okay, I know I said this was the last one, but I've thrown in an extra one just to really challenge you.

So let's have a look.

Before he could play, George collected his football kit from his locker.

So what have I underlined there? Have I underlined the independent clause, or the subordinate clause? Pause the video, decide independent clause or subordinate clause.

The independent clause.

Did you spot it? There's two subordinate clauses around this.

So before he could play, is one subordinate, and then from his locker is our second subordinate.

But the bit that I've underlined is the independent clause because we could have, George collected his football kit by itself as a sentence.

And we've got all the information we need in that.

Okay, I know you're brilliant at that.

I know you've got it.

So let's move on then to the next part of the lesson that we need to just recap and be really confident on, which is punctuating lists.

And I know that you've done this already, 'cause it's come up in the earlier grammar work, but we just want to remind ourselves and we just want to make sure we're really clear on all this information so that we'll be able to combine subordinate clauses and punctuating lists in our next activity.

So, when we think of a list, we might think of our shopping list.

So you might think of a list where you're writing down all the foods that you're going to buy at a supermarket, or we might make to do lists, where we write down all the homework that we've got to do, or all the chores that we've got to do.

Maybe it's a list of all the films that you want to watch.

So we make lists all the time and sometimes we might number our chores list, or I've got a list of books I want to read and we might number them.

And that's great when we're making lists like this and we use bullet points.

And they keep us in order, they're easy to read, and it's just the information that we need on that list.

Except we're in grammar right now, and I'm not going to be getting you to write bullet points of lists in your essays, or in your creative writing, or anything like that.

Bullet points are really, really great for organising information.

They're great for keeping us organised in our everyday life.

Or we see them a lot in nonfiction as well, but actually in our fictional work or our academic essays and things like that, we don't want bullet points.

But we do still want to add lists.

So actually we'll do them in sentences.

Let's have a look.

Let's say I've got Affie's birthday party list, okay.

And Affie has listed that she's going to have cake, ice cream, donuts, sweets, and waffles.

Sounds like an excellent birthday party list to me.

And that would be fine if she was making a list, but we now want to put that into a sentence.

So let's have a look at what that looks like.

Affie decided she wanted cake, and ice cream, and donuts, and sweets, and waffles at her birthday party.

Does that sound alright? I'm hoping you're yelling at the screen right now telling me what's wrong.

Let's just read it again if you aren't quite sure.

Affie decided she wanted cake, and ice cream, and donuts, and sweets, and waffles at her birthday party.

Can you hear the word that's getting repeated all the time in that list and just making it really run on? What if I do that? Affie decided she wanted cake, and ice cream, and donuts, and sweets, and waffles at her birthday party.

Quite often when people are writing lists in sentences, they're really tempted to join it with and.

Now I'm sure you know already what we do instead.

Commas, nice and easy.

You know this.

I know you know this.

Like I said, this is just a recap.

And I'm hoping you were screaming that at the screen already telling me.

Affie decided she wanted cake, comma, ice cream, comma, donuts, comma, sweets and waffles at her birthday party.

Now the last two items on the list, we still join with an and, but every other item on the list, we use a comma in between.

So here's our rule, if you're writing a list, you remove all the ands, apart from the final one.

You replace the ands you have removed with a comma.

Nice and straightforward just like we saw in that example.

If you're writing a list, you remove all the ands, but leave the last one.

And you put a comma in the place of all the removed ands.

You knew I was going to make you have a go didn't you? You knew that was what was coming.

It's nice and quick.

What I'd like you to do is in a second, pause the video, copy these out onto your page.

And what you're going to have to do is put the correct punctuation in.

So you'll see that I've made a mistake, and I've used lots of ands.

So copy these lists out and crack them by replacing with a comma.

Don't forget what you need to do with that final joining as well.

Pause the video now, get going, press play when you're ready.

Okay, do yours look like mine? If you've got a different kind of pen, grab it and get marking.

If not use your normal colour.

And I'd like you to give yourself a tick every time you've got it right.

I need to do my laundry, comma.

Give yourself a tick if you put that comma.

Put away my makeup, comma, vacuum and dust.

Now don't forget we said we always put that last and in.

So you should have given yourself three ticks there.

Two for each comma, and one tick for remembering the and.

I need to do my laundry, comma, put away my makeup, comma, vacuum and dust.

Okay, same for B.

Give yourself ticks where you got the right commas.

I will practise my number bonds, comma, my spellings, comma, my science equations and my guitar tonight.

Again, three nice ticks there.

Two for the commas, one for the and.

And then for C, this was a list of people.

I play hockey with Ben comma, Alex comma, Kane comma, Elise and Gemma.

So that one, you get to give yourself four ticks.

If you didn't get them, that's fine.

Just pause the video now, make sure you correct your answers.

Look at where you maybe didn't take out an and, left a comma.

Or did you take out all the ands and put all the commas? Did you forget that we leave that final and in? Just pause the video to correct yours.

That's actually fine.

If you've got them right really, really well done.

Brilliant, okay.

So you're really good at finding subordinate clauses or independent clauses.

You know all about that You're brilliant at punctuating lists.

So let's put that all together now and let's see how we combine that knowledge so that we can punctuate lists in subordinate clauses.

Here we go.

We're back to that sentence type that we discussed earlier, that we reminded ourselves of.

Well we've got an independent clause followed by a subordinate clause.

Because the subordinate clause comes after the independent clause there's no comma.

Are you fed up with me saying that yet? I'm going to keep saying, I'm going to keep reminding you all the time.

Subordinate clause after the independent clause has no comma.

So let's look at our example then.

I take my medicine before school.

This is today's example.

I take my medicine is our independent clause, before school is our subordinate course.

Great, nice and easy.

But Ms. Richards, there's no list there is there.

And I told you, we'd be looking at lists today.

So let's add a list in.

I take my medicine, comma, vitamins and temperature before school.

You'll notice at the moment that our list is in the independent clause.

That's fine.

We'll look at how we do them in subordinate clauses too, but we're going to start in the independent clause.

I take my medicine, comma, vitamins and temperature before school.

You'll see there that I followed my list rules.

I've got a comma, and I've got an and between the last two items in the list.

So between the vitamins and the temperature, 'cause they're the last two things.

Fantastic.

What I want you to do, is we're going to do this step by step, is just practise punctuating your list in the independent clause.

This one should be nice and simple.

Pause the video, copy it down, punctuate the list please.

And yours should look like this.

Nice and easy.

There were lots of places to eat, comma, get a drink and go shopping in London.

Fantastic, give yourself ticks for getting those rights.

Okay let's add in a layer of complication.

We want to think about then putting the list in the subordinate clause.

We know how to do it in the independent clause, but what about doing it so that the list is the thing that adds all the extra information.

Here are our rules; we punctuate our list as normal, and we use our subordinate clause punctuation rules as normal.

It's not actually that complicated is it? We punctuate the list as normal.

We punctuate the subordinate clause as normal.

Actually nothing changes.

Really, really simple.

Did I have you tricked that it was going to be really complicated? It sounds complicated.

Punctuating a list in a subordinate clause, but actually it's really, really easy.

So let's have a look.

Here's my independent clause.

Here's my subordinate.

I take my medicine before school.

But this time we're going to put a list in our subordinate clause.

So let's have a look.

I take my medicine before school, when I get home from school and before bed.

So my comma separates before school, with when I get home from school, 'cause those are two separate times.

And I've still got my and between the final two items in my list.

I take my medicine before school, comma, when I get home from school and before bed.

You'll notice because the subordinate clause comes after the independent clause, you can almost chant this with me can't you? There is no comma.

The subordinate clause, after the independent clause, there is no comma.

Okay, I would like you now please, to practise punctuating the list in subordinate clause when it comes after the independent clause, just like the one I talked you through.

Copy this down, pause the video and punctuate the list please.

And yours should look like mine.

So nice and simple again.

I like going to London is our independent clause.

And when we've got, as there are lots of places to eat, comma, get a drink and go shopping.

Give yourself a tick for your comma and a tick for your and.

Okay, we know how to now punctuate a list in the subordinate clause after the independent.

What about when it comes before? We know our punctuation rule is subordinate clause, comma, independent clause.

You can say it with me, when the subordinate clause comes in front of the independent clause, we have a comma.

I know I said it so many times, but it's to really make sure it's ingrained, and we're really confident with that rule.

So here's my example.

Before school comma, I take my medicine.

So I've just moved that subordinate clause to the front of the sentence.

And then if I want to add the list, before school, comma, when I get home from school and before bed, comma, I take my medicine.

It's the same list as last time.

So you can see the blue highlighting is the comma rules.

Before school, comma, when I get home from school and before bed.

That's my punctuation for my list in the subordinate clause.

And then I've got my comma, before bed, comma, I take my medicine.

Because that's my subordinate clause comma.

That's the punctuation for the subordinate clause.

If you remember the rule that we had at the start there, you don't change any of the punctuation for punctuating a list and you don't change any of the punctuation for punctuating a subordinate clause.

So that's exactly what we're seeing here.

Before school, comma, when I get home from school and before bed, comma, I take my medicine.

We've got our punctuating lists and our punctuating subordinate clauses all in there.

But it's not that difficult, is it? Here you go, to prove how not difficult it is I'd like you to copy this sentence down and then pause the video so that you can have a go at punctuating the list in the subordinate clause when it comes before the independent clause.

You're going to need to think about your subordinate clause punctuation here too.

Pause the video now.

How'd you get on? Should look like this.

Because I get to eat lots, comma, try interesting drinks and visit different shops, comma, I really enjoy days out in London.

Hopefully you've got three nice big ticks there.

If you don't, that's fine.

Correct your work now.

And let's just talk it through.

If you've got it, you can sit there really proud of yourself, but don't worry if you didn't 'cause we are learning something new.

So I've got my punctuation rule because my list is eat lots, try interesting drinks, and visit different shops.

Those are the three items in the list of things that I want to do.

So I've punctuated those like normal.

Because I get to eat lots, comma, try interesting drinks and visit different shops.

What I then have is my comma after shops because that's where my subordinate clause ends.

And then my independent clause is I really enjoy days out in London.

'Cause that stands by itself.

So just check now then.

You might have got it right the first time.

You might just have to stop and correct, but check now that your answer looks like this.

Because I get to eat lots, comma, try interesting drinks and visit different shops, comma, I really enjoy days out in London.

Fantastic.

Now this was our last sentence conjunction for subordinate clauses.

Even if it's summer, comma, the park gets fewer visitors when it's raining.

So we've got a subordinate clause in front of the independent clause, and we've got a subordinate clause after the independent clause.

Even if it's summer, comma, the park gets fewer visitors when it's raining.

So what if we want to put a list in here? Even if it's summer, comma, the park gets fewer visitors when it's raining, comma, windy, comma, hailing or there is a storm.

Now with this one, if I put and there, when it's raining, windy, hailing and there is a storm that and is suggesting that all these things are happening at the same time.

The or is suggesting it can be any of these weather types that provide fewer visitors to the park.

So we can put in a different joining word.

But the important thing is at the end of our list, we always have some kind of conjunction.

So this time I've put my independent clause.

Sorry, this time I put my list in my subordinate clause and in the second subordinate clause, the one that comes after the independent clause.

You're going to have a go at that one now.

So what you've got here is a subordinate clause that's going to need some punctuation.

You're going to have to find your independent clause.

And after the independent clause, your second subordinate has a list that also needs punctuating.

This one's a little bit more complicated.

You can always go back in the video to have a look at that example again.

But pause the video now, write this one down and have a go.

How'd you get on? Although it can be really busy, comma, did you remember that first comma? Because that is a subordinate clause and we can't forget that.

Can't forget our comma.

In the subordinate clause that comes in front of the independent.

Although it can be really busy, comma, I really enjoy going to London because I get to try different restaurants, comma, cafes and find unusual shops.

So I've got my list in the subordinate that comes after.

Give yourself lots of ticks if you've got all those things very well done.

If you didn't just pause the video now and just make your corrections or go back and re-listen to the explanation if you need to.

That's absolutely fine too.

As a reminder, this is true, this rule about lists in subordinate clauses.

It is true in any of these types of subordinate clauses, in any of these extra information.

If you're listing in the subordinate clause, regardless of what information you're adding, you still follow the punctuation listing rules and you still put a comma before your independent clause, but no comma after the independent clause.

It's exactly the same.

Right I've got a lovely big task for you now.

It's not that big, but a bigger task for you now.

To really practise all of this that you've learned and to combine all of your knowledge.

So what I'd like you to do is to pause the next slide, read the instructions and complete the sentence task.

Here it is.

You've got five sentences and I'd like you to punctuate them correctly.

Look really carefully.

Think about your subordinate clause information.

Think about your listing.

Think about with where you need commas, where you need conjunctions.

And there might be something else that I'm missing as well.

See if you spot it, pause the video now, have a go.

All right, okay.

Let's look at some answers then you should have for number one, provided that you have finished your homework, comma, your chores and the washing up, comma, you may watch T.

V.

Did you spot that I hadn't many capital letters.

If you spotted it, give yourself a tick, well done.

If you didn't spot it, if you just copied that small P down, you might want to pause the video now and take another look at the rest of your answers.

Just see if there's anything else you need to change quickly.

Okay, so we've got capital P, provided that you have finished your homework, comma, your chores and the washing up.

'Cause there's my list, comma, because it supports subordinate clause, you may watch T.

V.

and I had given you the full stop already, but make sure you copied that down and put that in yours as well.

Number two, capital T.

The garden would have too many weeds, comma, pests and insects if it ran wild.

Okay.

That was a nice, easy list.

Number three, capital I.

In the kitchen, comma, Macy prepared the carrots, comma, peas, comma, broccoli and potatoes the day before the party.

So we have that subordinate clause that needed our comma.

And then we've got our list in the independent clause there as well as a second subordinate clause, giving us extra information before the party, the day before the party.

Make sure you didn't put a comma in that second subordinate clause.

Number four then, capital C.

Cigarettes are bad for you because they can cause cancer in your lungs, comma, blood and liver.

So that was a list in our second subordinate clause.

And then number five, capital A.

At the end of the corridor, comma, the dusty library contained exciting books which led to magical adventures, comma, forgotten worlds, comma, unexpected heroes and ferocious monsters.

So that was our list in our second subordinate clause, but we also have to put a comma in the first subordinate clause as well.

Fantastic, if you've got all of those, well done.

If you didn't that's all right there were lots of things to think about there.

And I did try and trick you by not putting the capital letters as well.

So really well done if you spotted that, if you're still not quite sure you can always go back and listen to some of the explanations.

But well done if you did get it.

The other way you can just finish checking your knowledge is to now go and complete your quiz.

Well done then.

Okay, so I'm sure you're brilliant at that.

Sure you've done really, really well.

And if you haven't, if you've got a few wrong that's okay.

As long as you understand what it was that you missed or what it was that you forgot, or because I tricked you by not putting capital letters and you weren't watching out for that.

Don't forget now to go and complete your quiz and I will see you for our next lesson, bye.