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Clauses – Independent and Dependent
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. There are two main types of clauses: Independent Clauses and Dependent Clauses.
An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
Example: She enjoys reading.
In this sentence, “She” is the subject and “enjoys reading” is the predicate. This independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
Characteristics of Independent Clauses:
- Can stand alone as a complete sentence.
- Contains a subject and a predicate.
- Expresses a complete thought.
A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, cannot stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. Dependent clauses often begin with subordinating conjunctions like although, because, if, when, etc.
Example: Because she enjoys reading
This clause has a subject (“she”) and a predicate (“enjoys reading”), but it cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. It leaves the reader wondering, “What happened because she enjoys reading?”
Characteristics of Dependent Clauses:
- Cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
- Contains a subject and a predicate.
- Does not express a complete thought.
- Usually begins with a subordinating conjunction.
Independent and dependent clauses can be combined to form complex sentences. The dependent clause adds additional information to the independent clause.
Example: Because she enjoys reading, she visits the library often.
In this sentence, “Because she enjoys reading” is the dependent clause, and “she visits the library often” is the independent clause. Together, they form a complex sentence.
Note: When a dependent clause comes before an independent clause, it is usually followed by a comma. When the independent clause comes first, the comma is often omitted.
Example: She visits the library often because she enjoys reading.
There are three main types of dependent clauses:
1. Adverbial Clauses: These clauses function as adverbs, providing information about when, where, why, how, to what extent, or under what conditions the action of the main clause occurs.
Example: She reads books whenever she has free time.
“Whenever she has free time” is an adverbial clause that tells us when she reads books.
2. Adjectival Clauses: These clauses function as adjectives, providing more information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause.
Example: The book that she borrowed was fascinating.
“That she borrowed” is an adjectival clause that gives more information about “the book.”
3. Noun Clauses: These clauses function as nouns, serving as the subject, object, or complement in the sentence.
Example: What she said was surprising.
“What she said” is a noun clause serving as the subject of the sentence.