CLAUSES AND PHRASES

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What is a clause?

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A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can express a complete thought (independent clause) or an incomplete thought (dependent clause).

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What is an independent clause?

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An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

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What is a dependent clause?

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

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What is a phrase?

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

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Example of an independent clause.

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"She loves to read books."

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Example of a dependent clause.

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"Whenever it rains" (this cannot stand alone as a complete sentence).

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Example of a phrase.

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"in the garden" (this does not have a subject-verb pair).

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What is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?

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An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause cannot stand alone and needs an independent clause to complete its meaning.

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Can a sentence have more than one independent clause?

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Yes, a sentence can have multiple independent clauses, often joined by coordinating conjunctions like 'and', 'but', or 'or'.

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What is a compound sentence?

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A compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.