Independent and Dependent Clause

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What is an Independent Clause?

Back

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?

Back

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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Example of an Independent Clause.

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"I enjoy reading books." This is an independent clause because it expresses a complete thought.

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Example of a Dependent Clause.

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"Because I was tired." This is a dependent clause 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 information to an independent clause but cannot stand alone.

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What is the function of an Independent Clause in a sentence?

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An independent clause serves as the main part of a sentence and can stand alone.

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Identify the clause: "When the rain stops."

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This is a Dependent Clause because it does not express a complete thought.

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Identify the clause: "She loves to dance."

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This is an Independent Clause because it expresses a complete thought.

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What punctuation is often used to separate an Independent Clause from a Dependent Clause?

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A comma is often used to separate an independent clause from a dependent clause when the dependent clause comes first.

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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.