Welcome to this comprehensive guide on independent and dependent clauses. As academic English teachers, we’re here to help you learn about these essential components of English grammar, which will undoubtedly improve your performance in school. Let’s start by exploring independent and dependent clauses and why learning about them is crucial for understanding how English works.
An independent clause is a group of words that forms a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is doing or what it is). For example: “A green bobblehead sits on my desk.” “A green bobblehead” is the subject, and “sits on my desk” is the predicate.
On the other hand, a dependent clause cannot stand alone and does not express a complete thought. It always needs to be connected to an independent clause to make sense. For instance: “When dogs bark.” This dependent clause cannot stand alone; it requires more information to form a complete thought.
Understanding the differences between independent and dependent clauses is essential for improving your English language skills. It will help you construct clearer and more coherent sentences, allowing you to communicate more effectively in writing and speaking. Whether you are writing essays, emails, or creative pieces, correctly using independent and dependent clauses can significantly enhance your language expression.
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Let’s delve deeper into independent clauses. As mentioned earlier, they contain a subject and a predicate and can stand independently. There are two subjects: the simple subject (the noun that names who or what the sentence is about) and the complete subject (which includes all words describing the simple subject).
Similarly, there are two predicates: the simple predicate (the verb expressing what the subject is doing) and the complete predicate (which contains all words helping the simple predicate express its meaning).
Can you spot the independent clauses in the following examples?
1. The famous children played on the swings. (Independent Clause)
2. Because Fred ate the plums. (Not an Independent Clause)
3. Alice tripped on a rock. (Independent Clause)
To create compound sentences, we can join two independent clauses using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), semicolons, or independent marker words (e.g., however, therefore, nevertheless).
Example 1: Your email came early, and I answered it immediately.
Example 2: Your email came early; I answered it right away.
Be cautious of the comma splice, a common grammatical error where two independent clauses are incorrectly joined with just a comma. Correct it by adding a coordinating conjunction.
Now, let’s delve into dependent clauses. Unlike independent clauses, dependent clauses cannot stand alone and must be connected to an independent clause to form a complete thought.
Using subordinators (relative pronouns or subordinating conjunctions) at the beginning of a dependent clause makes it dependent on an independent clause.
Can you identify the dependent clauses in the following examples?
1. Because the famous children played on the swings. (Dependent Clause)
2. When the press showed up for photographs. (Dependent Clause)
3. The parents asked politely. (Not a Dependent Clause)
When we combine independent and dependent clauses, we create complex sentences. The dependent clause relies on the independent clause for its meaning. For example:
“After she mows the lawn, my mother sips lemonade on the porch.”
In this complex sentence, “After she mows the lawn” is the dependent clause, while “My mother sips lemonade on the porch” is the independent clause.
It’s essential to differentiate between phrases and dependent clauses. A phrase is a group of words that may have a subject or a predicate but not both.
On the other hand, a dependent clause contains both a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone.
Now that you have a solid understanding of independent and dependent clauses, you’re well on mastering English grammar. If you’re interested in further enhancing your language skills, don’t hesitate to contact us through the form below for information on our comprehensive courses.
The key difference is that an independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, expressing a full thought. A dependent clause, however, cannot stand alone and requires an independent clause to form a complete thought.
To turn a dependent clause into an independent clause, you need to remove the subordinator (relative pronoun or subordinating conjunction) at the beginning of the clause.
Use commas when combining an independent clause followed by a dependent clause. However, avoid using commas to join two independent clauses without coordinating conjunction; this results in a comma splice.
