Independent vs. Dependent Clauses

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. It can stand alone as a sentence.

Front

What is a dependent clause?

Back

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

Front

Example of an independent clause.

Back

"Mr. Hunt continually swings his baseball bat." This clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Front

Example of a dependent clause.

Back

"Whenever Mrs. Palombo shops on the Amazon website." This clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Front

What is the function of a dependent clause in a sentence?

Back

A dependent clause adds additional information to the main clause but cannot stand alone.

Front

Identify the independent clause: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."

Back

The independent clause is "we went for a walk." It expresses a complete thought.

Front

Identify the dependent clause: "Because she was tired, she went to bed early."

Back

The dependent clause is "Because she was tired." It does not express a complete thought.

Front

What punctuation is often used before a dependent clause when it starts a sentence?

Back

A comma is often used before a dependent clause when it starts a sentence.

Front

What is a complex sentence?

Back

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Front

Example of a complex sentence.

Back

"Although it was late, we decided to watch another movie." This sentence has one independent clause and one dependent clause.