Independent and 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.

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.

Front

Can a sentence have more than one independent clause?

Back

Yes, a sentence can have multiple independent clauses, often joined by conjunctions.

Front

Can a sentence have more than one dependent clause?

Back

Yes, a sentence can have multiple dependent clauses.

Front

What is an example of an independent clause?

Back

"She enjoys reading books." is an independent clause.

Front

What is an example of a dependent clause?

Back

"Although she was tired" is a dependent clause.

Front

What punctuation is often used before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses?

Back

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

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

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence is a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.

Front

What is the role of subordinating conjunctions in dependent clauses?

Back

Subordinating conjunctions (like because, although, since) introduce dependent clauses and show the relationship between the dependent clause and the independent clause.