More Phrases and Clause Types

Front

What is a phrase?

Back

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Front

What is a dependent (subordinate) clause?

Back

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone.

Front

Example of a phrase: 'because of the thick fog'

Back

This is a phrase because it does not have a subject-verb pair.

Front

Example of a phrase: 'throughout the canyon'

Back

This is a phrase because it does not express a complete thought.

Front

Example of an independent clause: 'we spotted two whales from the boat'

Back

This is an independent clause because it has a subject ('we') and a verb ('spotted') and expresses a complete thought.

Front

Example of a dependent clause: 'if she caught the fish'

Back

This is a dependent clause because it has a subject ('she') and a verb ('caught') but does not express a complete thought.

Front

Example of a phrase: 'to do that for your sister'

Back

This is a phrase because it does not contain a subject-verb pair.

Front

What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

Back

A phrase does not have a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought, while a clause does have a subject-verb pair.

Front

Can a dependent clause stand alone as a sentence?

Back

No, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as it does not express a complete thought.