Independent and Dependent Clauses

Understanding Independent and Dependent Clauses:

Independent Clause:

• An independent clause, also known as a complete sentence, is a group of words that can stand alone and express a complete thought.
• It has a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is doing or the state of being).
• Example: "The sun was shining brightly."

Dependent Clause:

• A dependent clause, also called a subordinate or incomplete clause, cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it doesn't express a complete thought.
• It relies on an independent clause to give it meaning and context.
• Example: "Because the sun was shining brightly."

How to Identify Independent and Dependent Clauses:

1. Check for a Subject and Predicate:
   • Look for a subject (who or what) and a predicate (action or state of being) in the group of words.
   • Example of Independent Clause: "She danced gracefully."
   • Example of Dependent Clause: "Although she danced gracefully."
2. Independence Test:
   • If a group of words can stand alone as a complete sentence and express a full idea, it's an independent clause.
   • Example: "The cat sat on the windowsill."
3. Look for Subordinating Words:
   • Dependent clauses often start with subordinating words like because, although, if, when, while, etc.
   • Example: "Since it was raining, we stayed indoors."
4. Connectivity Check:
   • If a group of words cannot stand alone and needs another part of the sentence to make sense, it's likely a dependent clause.
   • Example: "Even though he was tired."
5. Combine and Separate:
   • If you can combine two groups of words with a conjunction (and, but, or, so) and the result still makes sense, you have two independent clauses.
   • Example: "The dog barked, and the cat ran away."