What statement is at the heart of your sentence?
ETS describes Build a Sentence as constructing a grammatical sentence or question; Academic Discussion asks you to develop ideas. Our method connects these needs: start with a complete statement, then add only what explains it. “The department changed the timetable” gives the reader a clear starting point.
Before developing the sentence, name the role of your addition. Do you want to explain why the schedule is changing, when the decision applies, or which students it affects? Choosing a role prevents you from stacking three sentence beginnings without completing them. In practice writing, temporarily mark the main clause in brackets; remove that notation from your final response.
Why are a subject and verb not always enough?
“Because the delivery arrived late” has a subject and a verb, but introduces a reason that needs a main clause. Purdue’s writing center identifies this kind of isolated dependent clause as a fragment to avoid in academic writing. Complete our example: “Because the delivery arrived late, the workshop started after lunch.”
The second part now gives the event explained by the delay. You can move the reason: “The workshop started after lunch because the delivery arrived late.” To review your own writing, ask what the “because” clause explains. If the answer is in another sentence, reconnect the ideas instead of leaving the reasoning unfinished.
Draft fragment: Because the rooftop greenhouse lost power overnight. Choose the complete sentence that keeps this event as the reason for the assistant’s action.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
A: the reason is attached to a complete main clause.
The method in action
- “The assistant checked the seedlings before class” provides the subject and verb of the main clause. The clause beginning with “because” explains this action.
- B does not give “the assistant” a verb. C starts with a noun followed by a relative clause but does not complete the main clause. D leaves an “-ing” form without a complete main clause.
How does a relative clause define a group?
The British Council describes a defining relative clause as information that identifies the person or thing being discussed. In “Students who need the recording can contact the lecturer,” “who need the recording” specifies which students are meant. The sentence does not say that every student needs the recording.
Find the noun the relative clause modifies, then restate the selection: among the students, those with this need. In writing, place the clause next to the noun it describes. If the clause could modify more than one noun, rewrite the sentence so the reader does not have to guess what you mean.
The library has six scanners. The scanners that support film negatives are reserved for the history workshop. What does “that support film negatives” do in the second sentence?
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
B: the relative clause identifies which scanners are reserved.
The method in action
- The reservation applies to scanners that can handle film negatives. The text says there are six scanners in total but does not say how many have that capability.
- A invents a breakdown, C invents ownership, and D confuses a selection criterion with a number. In a reading passage, a relative clause can therefore define information without giving a quantity.
What do commas and the role of a relative pronoun change?
A non-defining relative clause adds information about someone or something already identified. The British Council distinguishes it with commas and says it is not introduced by “that.” In “Dr Chen, who coordinates the project, approved the survey,” the name identifies the person; the project-coordination clause adds information.
Also check the pronoun’s role inside the relative clause. In “the device that measures humidity,” “that” is the subject of “measures”; do not add “it” after it. In “the device that the team ordered,” the subject is “the team.” The British Council explains that the object pronoun can usually be omitted in a defining relative clause, unlike the subject pronoun.
The pitfall
Making a sentence longer to sound sophisticated
A long sentence can lose its main verb between two relative clauses. To review it, temporarily remove the extra details; the intended core should remain. Reinsert each addition while checking its attachment, subject, and punctuation. If you can no longer find the central statement, two sentences may communicate your reasoning more clearly.
For transfer practice, write a statement about campus, a version with a cause, and another with a relative clause. Then explain what each addition changes. This practice focuses on control of meaning and structure; no number of subordinate clauses guarantees a TOEFL score.
Key takeaways
- Keep a complete main clause when developing a sentence.
- An isolated dependent clause can leave reasoning unfinished.
- A defining relative clause identifies the people or things being discussed.
- Check commas, attachment, and the role of the relative pronoun.