Complete Sentences and Clauses

Embed phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and
correcting misplaced or dangling modifiers:
●Identify where to place phrases and clauses within a sentence to
avoid misplaced and dangling modifiers.

●Identify the correct and incorrect placement of phrases and clauses
to avoid misplaced and dangling modifiers in written passages.

●Practice embedding phrases and clauses correctly to avoid
misplaced and dangling modifiers in writing

Clauses: a group of words that contains a subject and
verb

An independent clause, sometimes
called a main clause, can stand by itself
as a complete sentence.

Ex. We reached our destination on
time.

●The independent clause has a
subject (we) and a verb (reached)
and can stand alone as a complete
sentence.

A dependent clause, often called a
subordinate clause, cannot stand by
itself as a complete sentence.

Ex. Although the bus arrived late, we
reached our destination on time.

●Each clause has a subject (bus,
we) and a verb (arrived, reached),
but only the independent clause
could stand alone as a complete
sentence.

You can have a sentence with multiple independent and dependent clauses:
Ex. We reached our destination on time, and my cousin met us at the door.

●Each clause has a subject (we, cousin) and a verb (reached, met) and could stand
alone as a complete sentence.

Dependent Clauses: Most dependent clauses start
with either subordinating conjunctions or relative
pronouns.

Multiple Choice

Identify an independent clause in this sentence: If you adjust the blinds on the windows, you will keep the sun out.

• If you adjust the blinds

• the blinds on the windows

• you will keep the sun out

Multiple Choice

Identify an independent clause in this sentence: Sunlight may hit the paintings, whcih are quite valuable and very delicate.

• Sunlight may hit the paintings

• which are quite valuable and very delicate

• quite valuable and very delicate

Multiple Choice

Identify the sentence that contains a dependent clause.

• To win votes, the politician shook many hands.

• The politician, shaking people’s hands, asked them for their vote.

• The politician, who wanted people's votes, shook many hands.

Multiple Choice

Identify the sentence that contains a dependent clause.

• Advance payment is one way that you can avoid a future price increase.

• Advance payment is one way to avoid a future price increase.

• Advance payment is one way of avoiding a future price increase.

Clauses vs. Phrases

Be careful not to confuse clauses with phrases. A clause has both a subject and a verb; a
phrase does not. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun
to another word in a sentence. The relationship may involve, for example, location,
direction, time, cause, or possession.

Prepositional Phrase vs. Dependent Clause:
The factory reopened after a rebuilding project.

After a rebuilding project is a prepositional phrase. It starts with a preposition,
after, and ends with the object of the preposition, project. It does not contain a
subject and verb.

The factory reopened after the landlord rebuilt it.

After the landlord rebuilt it is a dependent clause. It has a subject, landlord, and a
verb, rebuilt. Notice that, in this case, after is used as a subordinating
conjunction, not as a preposition.

CLAUSES VS. PHRASES:

Be careful not to confuse clauses with phrases. A clause has both a subject and a verb; a
phrase does not. A participle is a verbal that can be used as an adjective. (A verbal is a
verb form that is not used as a verb, but as another part of speech, such as a noun,
adjective, or adverb.) A participle phrase requires a comma after it when it comes at the

beginning of the sentence.

Participial Phrase vs. Dependent Clause:
Prescribing the right medicine, the doctor cured the disease.

Prescribing the right medicine is a participial phrase. It starts with a
participle, prescribing, and does not contain a subject and verb.

Because she prescribed the right medicine, the doctor cured the disease.

Because she prescribed the right medicine is a dependent clause. It has a
subject, she, and a verb, prescribed, and it begins with the subordinating
conjunction because.

CLAUSES VS. PHRASES:

Be careful not to confuse clauses with phrases. A clause has both a subject and a verb; a
phrase does not. An infinitive is the base form of a verb—its simplest form, or “stem.” The
word to usually appears before the verb and is called the sign of the infinitive.

Infinitive Phrase vs. Dependent Clause:
To cook Chinese food, people use a wok, a large bowl-shaped pan.

To cookChinesefood is an infinitive phrase. It starts with an infinitive, to
cook, and does not have a subject and verb.

When people cook Chinese food, they use a wok, a large bowl-shaped pan.

When people cookChinese food is a dependent clause. It has a subject,
people, and a verb, cook, and it begins with the subordinating conjunction
when.

Multiple Choice

Remember, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence, but it has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not. Which of these groups of words is a dependent clause?

• when Washington Irving

• wrote the story

• when the United States was a young nation

Multiple Choice

Remember, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence, but it has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not. Which of these groups of words is a dependent clause?

• although our paper files have been replaced

• by the computer files of electronic bookkeeping

• using less space

Multiple Choice

Remember, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence, but it has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not. Which of these groups of words is a dependent clause?

• in years known as leap years

• because the calendar has an extra day

• is not a leap year

Multiple Choice

Remember, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence, but it has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not. Which of these groups of words is a dependent clause?

• the value of everything in stores all over town

• increasing the price

• while prices have increased

Your Turn

Add an independent clause to each subordinate clause
to make a complete sentence.

Open Ended

____________ where he had found the stray kitten.

Open Ended

Although she missed band practice, ___________________.

Open Ended

____________ because the day was clear and bright.

Your Turn

Combine or create sentences using either a participle, preposition, or infinitive.

Open Ended

Use a participle phrase to combine the sentence. Remember a participle phrase has a verbal acting as an adjective. Eli was looking through the catalog. He found the jacket he wanted.

Open Ended

Use the infinitive phrase to write an original sentence. "to help others"

Open Ended

Fill in the blank with the appropriate prepostion. The fireman walked _____ the house carefully.