Clauses and phrases

Front

What is a clause?

Back

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).

Front

What is an independent clause?

Back

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

Front

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.

Front

Example of an independent clause.

Back

"I love to read books." This can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Front

Example of a dependent clause.

Back

"Because I was tired" cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Front

Example of a phrase.

Back

"Running quickly" does not have a subject-verb pair and cannot stand alone.

Front

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

Back

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

Front

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

Back

An independent clause serves as the main part of a sentence and can express a complete thought.

Front

Can a sentence have more than one independent clause?

Back

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