Independent and Subordinate Clauses

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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.

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What is a subordinate clause?

Back

A subordinate 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.

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Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'I will go to the park if it stops raining.'

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The subordinate clause is 'if it stops raining.'

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Identify the independent clause in the sentence: 'Although it was raining, we decided to go for a walk.'

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The independent clause is 'we decided to go for a walk.'

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

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

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Provide an example of a sentence with both an independent and a subordinate clause.

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Example: 'She enjoys reading because it helps her relax.' (Independent: 'She enjoys reading'; Subordinate: 'because it helps her relax.')

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What punctuation is often used to separate independent clauses?

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A comma is often used before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to separate independent clauses.

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Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'The book that I borrowed was fascinating.'

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The subordinate clause is 'that I borrowed.'

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What is a coordinating conjunction?

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A coordinating conjunction is a word that connects two independent clauses. Examples include 'and,' 'but,' 'or,' 'nor,' 'for,' 'so,' and 'yet.'

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Identify the independent clause in the sentence: 'Whenever I see her, I feel happy.'

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The independent clause is 'I feel happy.'