Independent or Dependent?
Is a clause independent or dependent? Does it matter?
This is sort of a Pre-Module-4 skill. You have to be able to identify independent or dependent in order to figure out sentence types... so this "module" is really important! Remember, it's all about becoming a better writer.
Videos
Independent clauses can stand on their own! (They're actually simple sentences.)
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.
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Independent clauses (ICs) have a subject - an IC has a noun that is doing or being something.
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ICs have a verb- ICs tell the reader what the subject is doing.
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ICs express a complete thought.
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Examples:
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The man sat down to dinner at the table.
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The dog ran and jumped over the fence.
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Meatballs can be made out of many different meats.
Practice
Videos
Dependent Clauses have subjects and verbs, but they can't stand alone.
A dependent clause (DC) is a clause that does not express a complete thought. It has a subject and verb, but it can't stand alone.
'A clause can be dependent because of the presence of a:
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Subordinator (Before, after, because, since, in order to, although, though, whenever, wherever, whether, while, even though, even if - there are many more)
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Relative pronoun (whose, who, which, that)
Dependent clauses MUST be joined to another clause, in order to avoid creating a sentence fragment.
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Examples
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Before the man sat down to dinner at the table, he washed his hands.
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The dog that ran and jumped over the fence is mine.
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Even if meatballs can be made out of many different meats, the ones made out of pork are the best.
Practice
