Clauses and phrases

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What is a clause?

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A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. It can express a complete thought (independent clause) or not (dependent clause).

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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 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 does not express a complete thought.

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What is a phrase?

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A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

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Example of an independent clause.

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"We can all go home and take a nap." This can stand alone as a complete sentence.

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Example of a dependent clause.

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"Because he really loves rich, sweet desserts." This cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

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Example of a phrase.

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"Eaten quickly" is a phrase because it does not have a subject and verb.

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

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

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

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An independent clause serves as the main part of a sentence and can stand alone.

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Can a sentence have more than one independent clause?

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