Phrases and Clauses

Front

What is a dependent clause?

Back

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It relies on an independent clause to provide meaning.

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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 phrase?

Back

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought. It functions as a single part of speech.

Front

Example of a dependent clause:

Back

"Although it was raining" is a dependent clause because it cannot stand alone.

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Example of an independent clause:

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"I went to the store" is an independent clause because it expresses a complete thought.

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Example of a phrase:

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"Running in the park" is a phrase because it does not express a complete thought.

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

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A dependent clause adds additional information to an independent clause but cannot stand alone.

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What punctuation is often used with dependent clauses?

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Dependent clauses are often set off by commas when they precede independent clauses.

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What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

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A phrase does not have a subject-verb pair and cannot stand alone, while a clause has a subject and a verb and can be independent or dependent.

Front

Identify the type of clause: "Because I was late"

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This is a dependent clause.