Summary: This handout defines dependent and independent clauses and explores how they are treated in standard usage. When you want to use commas and semicolons in sentences and when you are concerned about whether a sentence is or is not a fragment, a good way to start is to be able to recognize dependent and independent clauses. The definitions offered here will help you with this. Independent Clause An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence. Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz. Dependent Clause A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker word. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.) Dependent Marker Word A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, it was very noisy. Some common dependent markers: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while. Connecting independent clauses There are two types of words that can be used as connectors at the beginning of an independent clause: coordinating conjunctions and independent marker words. 1. Coordinating Conjunction The seven coordinating conjunctions used as connecting words at the beginning of an independent clause are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. When the second independent clause in a sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction, a comma is needed before the coordinating conjunction: Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, but it was hard to concentrate because of the noise. 2. Independent Marker Word An independent marker word is a connecting word used at the beginning of an independent clause. These words can always begin a sentence that can stand alone. When the second independent clause in a sentence has an independent marker word, a semicolon is needed before the independent marker word. Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz; however, it was hard to concentrate because of the noise. Some common independent markers: also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, and therefore. Connecting dependent and independent clauses Subordinating conjunctions allow writers to construct complex sentences, which have an independent clause and a subordinate (or dependent) clause. Either clause can come first. The students acted differently whenever a substitute taught the class. Whenever a substitute taught the class, the students acted differently. Note that the clauses are separated with a comma when the dependent clause comes first. Some common subordinating conjunctions: after, as, before, once, since, until, and while. Some Common Errors to AvoidComma Splices A comma splice is the use of a comma between two independent clauses. You can usually fix the error by changing the comma to a period and therefore making the two clauses into two separate sentences, by changing the comma to a semicolon, or by making one clause dependent by inserting a dependent marker word in front of it. Incorrect: I like this class, it is very interesting.
Fused Sentences Fused sentences happen when there are two independent clauses not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also known as a run-on sentence. The error can sometimes be corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate the two sentences. Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I've learned a lot from her.
Sentence Fragments Sentence fragments happen by treating a dependent clause or other incomplete thought as a complete sentence. You can usually fix this error by combining it with another sentence to make a complete thought or by removing the dependent marker. Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was today.
Learning Objectives
Phrases and clauses are groups of words that act as a unit and perform a single function within a sentence. A phrase is a group of words that may have a partial subject or verb but not both, or it may have neither a subject nor a verb. Phrases never have a subject doing the action of a verb. A clause, however, is by definition a group of words that has a subject and a verb. A sentence can have any number of clauses and phrases combined together. See the examples below:
Notice how each of the clauses has a subject and a verb, but the phrases do not. Some of the clauses contain phrases, like “She laughs at shy people.” “She laughs” is a clause, and “at shy people” is a phrase that complements the clause and completes the sentence. Phrases can be any combination of words that do not combine a subject and a verb. There are many types of phrases, including noun phrases (the nice neighbor, my best friend, troops of soliders), verbal phrases (waiting for the rain to stop, have been sleeping), and prepositional phrases, which follow a preposition (after the storm, to the end of time, in the road). You might be tempted to just assume that phrases are shorter than clauses. This is not always true. Many phrases are only two words long, but many are much longer. Look at the following sentence:
Each of the bolded segments of this sentence is a phrase. Be sure as you analyze each sentence that you are looking for a subject and a verb to decipher what is a clause and what is just a phrase.
Click through this interactive to learn more about the differences between clauses and phrases. Dependent and Independent ClausesThere are two types of clauses: dependent and independent. A dependent clause has both a subject and a verb, but is not a complete sentence and does not express a complete thought. It is dependent on something else: it cannot stand on its own. Some examples of dependent clauses include:
You can see that each of these clauses has a noun and a verb, but they also have an additional word, like a subordinating conjunction (because) or a relative pronoun (which), which makes the clause feel incomplete. These clauses must be attached to an independent clause to be a part of a complete sentence. An independent clause, on the other hand, is free to stand by itself. It contains a subject and a verb, and expresses a complete thought which does not require anything else. Here are some examples of independent clauses:
So how can you tell if a clause is dependent or independent? Sometimes they can be almost exactly the same. For example, “I was a little girl in 1995” is an independent clause, but “Because I was a little girl in 1995” is a dependent clause. Look for the common words that are known to make dependent clauses, like subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns. Some common ones are: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while. Also pay attention to if the clause makes sense standing by itself. Do you understand the whole idea of what the sentence is saying? Does the thought seem incomplete? If it feels incomplete, it is probably a dependent clause.
Watch this video to learn more about dependent and independent clauses. You can view the transcript for “Dependent and independent clauses” here (opens in new window). Contribute!Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input. Improve this pageLearn More |
What refers to group of words which has both a subject and a verb and which can stand alone as a sentence?
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