Independent and Subordinate Clauses

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. It can stand alone as a sentence.

Front

What is a subordinate clause?

Back

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

Front

Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'The taxi driver found the restaurant on a street where Libby thought there wasn’t one.'

Back

'where Libby thought there wasn’t one' is the subordinate clause.

Front

Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'You must park on the street if the broken gate doesn’t open automatically.'

Back

'if the broken gate doesn’t open automatically' is the subordinate clause.

Front

Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'Typewriters are a thing of the past since the computer keyboard became popular.'

Back

'since the computer keyboard became popular' is the subordinate clause.

Front

Identify the clause in red ink: 'Stay with us as long as you want.' Is it independent or subordinate?

Back

The clause 'as long as you want' is a subordinate clause.

Front

Identify the subordinate clause in the sentence: 'The trees move wildly whenever the wind blows.'

Back

'whenever the wind blows' is the subordinate clause.

Front

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

Back

A subordinate clause adds additional information to the main clause but cannot stand alone.

Front

Can a sentence have more than one subordinate clause?

Back

Yes, a sentence can have multiple subordinate clauses.

Front

What punctuation is typically used to separate an independent clause from a subordinate clause?

Back

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