Independent and Dependent Clauses

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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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Example of an Independent Clause:

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"I enjoy reading books." This clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

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Example of a Dependent Clause:

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"Although I enjoy reading books." This clause cannot stand alone and needs an independent clause to complete the thought.

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What is a key feature of a Dependent Clause?

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It often begins with a subordinating conjunction like 'because', 'although', or 'whenever'.

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What is a key feature of an Independent Clause?

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It expresses a complete thought and does not begin with a subordinating conjunction.

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Identify the clause: "When you buy me flowers"

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Dependent Clause.

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Identify the clause: "You should come visit me this summer"

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Independent Clause.

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What does a subordinating conjunction do?

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It connects a dependent clause to an independent clause, indicating a relationship between the two.

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List some common subordinating conjunctions.

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Because, although, whenever, if, since.