Complex Sentences

Complex Sentences

Independent Claus

• a group of words that has a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a complete sentence; main clause.

  
  

  
  

• In the sentence "After I put on my sneakers, I walked to the park," "I walked to the park" is an independent clause because it could be a sentence on its own.

Dependent Claus

• a group of words that is not a complete sentence and is used only with an independent clause. Also called a subordinate clause or a relative clause.

  
  

• In the sentence, "Because I forgot my backpack, I had to run home," "Because I forgot my backpack" is a dependent clause because it cannot be a sentence on its own.

Subordinating Conjunctions

• a linking word that introduces a clause that cannot stand on its own.

  
  

• In the sentence "Because it is raining outside, Keisha will wear a raincoat to school," "because" is the subordinating conjunction.

• Examples of subordinating conjunctions include after, although, as, because and before. You’ll find a subordinating conjunction at the beginning of a dependent clause.

Relative Pronoun

• a pronoun that introduces a modifying clause.

  
  

• In the sentence "The ice cream shop, where we go every weekend, is closed today," "where" is the relative pronoun.

• Examples of relative pronouns include who, which, that, whose, whom and whoever.

Complex Sentence

• a sentence containing an independent clause and one or more clauses that cannot stand on its own.

  
  

• "I got some popcorn before I saw the movie," is an example of a complex sentence.

• 
  

More Rules To Dependent Clauses

• Sometimes, a dependent clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction comes before the independent clause in a sentence, or "at the start of the sentence." When that happens, put a comma after it to separate it from the independent clause.

  
  

• Other times, a dependent clause that starts with a subordinating conjunction comes after the independent clause, or "at the end of the sentence." When that happens, you don’t need a comma to separate it.