Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, and Phrases

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. Example: 'The orange cat ran quickly.'

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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. Example: 'if our ship arrives early.'

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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. Example: 'the ugliest puppy in the litter.'

Front

Identify the subject in the sentence: 'The orange cat ran quickly.'

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The subject is 'cat.'

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Identify the subject in the sentence: 'The ugliest puppy in the litter.'

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The subject is 'puppy.'

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What is the function of an independent clause in a sentence?

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An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence and conveys a complete idea.

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

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A dependent clause adds information to an independent clause but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

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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 joined by conjunctions. Example: 'The cat ran quickly, and the dog followed.'

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What is a coordinating conjunction?

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A coordinating conjunction connects words, phrases, or independent clauses. Examples include 'and,' 'but,' and 'or.'

Front

What is a subordinating conjunction?

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A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and connects it to an independent clause. Examples include 'because,' 'although,' and 'if.'