EXAMPLES.
“Savage was discomposed by the intrusion or omission of a comma, and he would lament an error of a single letter as a great calamity.”—Dr. Johnson.
“Man wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long.”—Goldsmith.
“Take short views, hope for the best, and trust in God.”—Sydney Smith.
REMARKS.
1. An independent clause is one that is not dependent on any other clause for the completion of its meaning; as, Take short views | hope for the best | and trust in God. Independent clauses are frequently connected by and, or, nor, but.
2. When the clauses are short and closely united, the comma may be omitted; as, “Death had lost its terrors and pleasure its charms.”
3. When the clauses are long and divided into smaller portions by commas, they should be separated from each other by semicolons. See Rule I. p. [23].
Rule II. Dependent Clauses.—Dependent clauses should be separated from each other by commas.