Subordinating Conjuction + Comma?

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<p>I have a question regarding comma rules in English.
As far as my knowledge goes, you only use comma if "Subordinating Clause" starts off the sentence then the "Independent (Main) Clause" comes after it.
Such as this one = "Because I ate a rotten hotdog, I got sick"
And you dont need to use any comma when "Independent (Main) Clause" starts off the sentence and then "Subordinating Clause" comes after it
such as this one = "I ate a hotdog because I was hungry"</p>

<p>Now here's the sentence I'm confused about: ↓
"This type of case can be easily seen as lacking merit, because each of the elements of a tort(a civil wrongdoing) was not present, and thus no law was broken."</p>

<p>why is comma used before the subordinating clause/conjuction ?</p>

<p>p.s- additional question: " ,and thus no law was broken." I know " , + coordinaiting conjuction" connects two indepenent clauses, but "thus no law was broken" <- is this a full sentence? to me, it seems like subordinating clause because of "thus"</p>

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<p>It sounds better to break the sentence up into pieces, and it avoids confusion and wordiness. That’s how stylistic commas work. Actually, that’s how all commas work. They put a pause in writing where you’d pause in speech.</p>

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<p>TIP
Subordinating conjunctions are treated differently than coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) and conjunctive adverbs (however, etc.).</p>

<p>There are actually two types of conjunctions on the SAT: coordinating and subordinating. It sucks, but just keep in mind, if it’s not one of the FANBOYS or a conjunctive adverb, then it’s probably a subordinating conjunction.</p>

<p>In fact, don’t even worry about the term coordinating conjunctions. Think of them as FANBOYS conjunctions versus subordinating conjunctions.
Some popular subordinating conjunctions:</p>

<p>e.g. Because, since, although, though, just, as, while, when, whenever, whereas, wherever, unless, once, rather than, etc. (subordinating conjunctions)</p>

<p>Of course there are more, but you should be able to recognize connector words by now. Once you’ve identified a connector, you can classify it as: FANBOYS conjunction, subordinating conjunction, or conjunctive adverb.</p>

<p>So why are they called subordinating conjunctions? Because they introduce a subordinate clause, which is a dependent clause that relies on another part of the sentence to make sense.</p>

<p>e.g. He was running late because he woke up late. (correct)</p>

<p>“He was running late” = independent clause, main clause
“Because he woke up late” = dependent clause, subordinate clause</p>

<p>The second clause is subordinate because it caused the boy to be late (the result in the first clause). The first clause is the main point of the sentence; the second clause merely adds additional supporting info to the main point. Because of its supporting role, the second clause is subordinating.</p>

<p>Simply, the main clause is the main point of the sentence or the more important part. The subordinate clause is secondary because it adds additional info to the main point of the sentence.</p>

<p>e.g. While she looked away, someone swiped her purse. (correct)</p>

<p>The main point (main clause) is that someone stole her purse. The additional info (subordinate clause) is that she was looking away when the robbery happened. Ask yourself what the objective of the sentence is. Is it more important to express that her purse was stolen, or is it more important to express that she was looking away? The former is right.</p>

<p>TIP
Adding a subordinating conjunction to an independent clause often makes the clause dependent.</p>

<p>You might have noticed that some of these subordinating conjunctions examples used commas while others didn’t. Here are the rules:</p>

<p>RULE — Connecting Two Clauses w/ Subordinating Conjunctions</p>

<p>If the connector is a subordinating conjunction, there MIGHT be a comma beforehand. It depends on the structure of the sentence. It depends on which clause comes first.</p>

<p>• Main clause + no comma + subordinating clause.
(e.g. He was walking home when he was attacked by Jill’s dog. ← correct)
(e.g. Megan was bitter although she had no right to be. ← correct)</p>

<p>• Subordinating clause + comma + main clause.
(e.g. Although he was charming, Henry couldn’t find a girl to date. ← correct)
(e.g. Although highly trained at being invisible, the ninja was caught. ← correct)</p>

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<p>yes, thanks for the tip.
but i still dont understand why you need to put comma after the “main clause” when you said no comma is needed if “main clause” starts the sentence and “subordinating clause” comes after it.</p>

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<p>Sorry, did I make a typo? Where did I say put comma after main clause if main clause starts the sentence?</p>

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<p>No, you didnt make a typo and I fully understand what you said.
But in the example that I put - “This type of case can be easily seen as lacking merit, because each of the elements of a tort(a civil wrongdoing) was not present, and thus no law was broken.” - there is comma after the main clause : "This type of case can be easily seen as lacking merit, " and then comes subordinate clause “because each of the elements of a tort(a civil wrongdoing) was not present”
I dont understand this rule</p>

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<p>I would not put that comma in with the subordinating conjunction (because). The easiest way to remember it is if the sentence starts with the subordinating conjunction (if, when, because, since, although, etc.) there will be a comma after the clause and a clause that completes the thought. If the subordinating conjunction is in the middle of the sentence, no comma.</p>

<p>I went to the store. I needed bread.
I went to the store because I needed bread.
Because I needed bread, I went to the store.</p>

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<p>@MD Mom
I know I wouldnt put the comma with the subordinating conjuction if it doesnt starts the sentence. This sentence however</p>

<p>“This type of case can be easily seen as lacking merit, because each of the elements of a tort(a civil wrongdoing) was not present, and thus no law was broken.”</p>

<p>put comma after the first independent clause. Why would they do that?</p>

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<p>Because it’s a long sentence. I agree that from the meaning and the dependency of the clauses, no comma is needed. However, i think it is used there only because the sentence is so long.</p>

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<p>I think the comma is there because it was written by a lawyer and they don’t know how to use commas or the difference between that and which. ;)</p>

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<p>@veryhappy and @MD mom
thank you so much for your replies!
It helped me tremendusly! :D</p>

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<p>If I see “because” in the middle of the sentence, I don’t think about independent (main) or subordinate (dependent) clauses. I think about how “because” is NOT one of the FANBOYS conjunctions. Therefore, “because” doesn’t follow the same rules as the FANBOYS do.</p>

<p>In other words, no comma before “because” - doesn’t matter if it’s independent or dependent.</p>

<p>However, if “because” comes at the beginning of the sentence, then it’s creating a subordinating clause followed by a main independent clause. This would mean there needs to be a comma in the middle of the sentence after the subordinating clause.</p>

<p>Many ppl confused “because” with “but,” thinking they both follow the same rules. They don’t. “So” (one of the FANBOYS) is also not to be confused with “since.”</p>

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<p>FANBOYS = for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so</p>