Clause – A group of words that has both a
subject and verb.
Dependent Clause – A clause that cannot
stand on its own because it is not a complete
thought. It needs more information to be a
complete sentence and always has to be
attached to an independent clause.
Independent Clause – A clause that can
stand as its own sentence. It is a complete
thought with a subject and a verb.
Subject – The subject of a sentence is the
person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or
being something. Who or what is a sentence
about? Who or what “has” the verb? Who or
what is the verb in the sentence referring to?
Verb – A word that repr esents an action
or a state of being.
Subordinating Conjunction – A type of
word that “subordinates” a clause, or makes
it so the clause cannot stand on its own
without more information.
Are there more unfamiliar words?
Look up words you don’t know on the
Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary at
www.learnersdictionary.com.
Vocabulary Building
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is best to make appointments. .
Want Some More Practice?
Sarah Mosser
Instructional Specialist–ELL
A dependent clause acts a lot like the name sounds.
It’s a clause (something that has both a subject and a
verb) that cannot stand on its own. It isn’t a complete
thought and needs more information.
Dependent clauses are not complete sentences because
they begin with a subordinating conjunction (basically a
big term for a word that makes the clause dependent).
Let’s look at some examples and then take it from there:
Example: When we get back from the movies.
After we eat dinner.
Even though he had already left.
These clauses leave us hanging, often asking, “Okay…
then what?” We don’t have a complete thought.
To make sense, a dependent clause needs to be attached
to an independent clause. An independent clause has
both a subject and a verb and can stand on its own as a
complete sentence. In the following examples, the
dependent clause is underlined, and the independent
clause is in bold.
Examples:
1. When we get back from the movies, we can play a
board game.
2. After we eat dinner, we’ll all study and get our
homework done.
3. I looked for Sean in the Learning Center even
though he had already left.
Can you guess what the subordinating conjunctions are
in the examples? What word makes it so that the clause
cannot stand alone? In the above examples, they are
when, after, and even though, but there are many
subordinating conjunctions.
Some Common Subordinating Conjunctions:
After, although, as, because, before, even if, even
though, if, since, so that, though, unless, until, when,
whether, while.
Connecting Clauses
So, what exactly are the rules for combining a dependent
clause with an independent clause? It’s actually quite
simple.
1. If the dependent clause is at the beginning of the
sentence, a comma needs to separate it from the
independent clause.
2. If the independent clause comes first, no comma is
needed to separate the clauses.
1. Incorrect: We wer e all going to stay up late and
study. Because we had an exam the next day.
Correct: We wer e all going to stay up late and study
because we had an exam the next day.
Why is the first example incorrect?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
2. Incorrect: Even though we wer e all tired. We
stayed as late as we could to prepare for the test.
Correct: Even though we were all tir ed, we stayed as
late as we could to prepare for the test.
Why is the first example incorrect?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
3. Incorrect: Since we studied so har d befor e the test
we all got really great grades.
Correct: Since we studied so hard before the test, we
all got really great grades.
Why is the first example incorrect?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
True or False?
1. T F A dependent clause must be attached to an
independent clause.
2. T F Dependent clauses make sense on their own.
3. T F A dependent clause has a subordinating
conjunction, a subject, and a verb.
4. T F When a dependent clause comes before the
independent clause, no comma is needed to separate
them.
5. T F When the independent clause comes before
the dependent clause, no comma is needed to separate
them.
Practice
1. Label the following clauses with an I for “Independent
Clause” or a D for “Dependent Clause.”
A. ______ If we all work together.
B. ______ We could all finish in a couple of hours.
C. ______ You shouldn’t pull an all-nighter studying.
D. ______ Even though the test is at 8:00 tomorrow
morning.
E. ______ Let’s get some rest and meet for a last
minute session half an hour before the test.
2. Decide if the sentence needs a comma or not. If a
comma is necessary, place the comma where it belongs.
A. If we all work together we could all finish in a
couple of hours.
B. You shouldn't pull an all-nighter studying even
though the test is at 8:00 tomorrow morning.
C. Let’s get some rest and meet for a last minute
session half an hour before the test.
D. After the test we should get lunch together and take
a break.
E. Maybe tonight we can relax and play some games
whether we ace the test or not.
3. Write your own! Write 3 sentences with both an
independent and dependent clause. Be sure to get the
commas in the right places!
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Answers: 1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T
NOTE: A short sentence that is not very descriptive is not
necessarily a dependent clause. Dependent clauses, by
definition, start with a subordinating conjunction, such as
when, if, although, because, after, before, etc.
For example: The sentence “We left.” is an independent
clause. It is a complete sentence because it has both a
subject (we) and a verb (left), and therefore, even though
it does not have a lot of information, it can stand alone as
a complete thought.
The clause “Because we left the house yesterday
afternoon with some friends” has a lot more information
but is not a complete thought because it starts with a
subordinating conjunction (because) and never has the
independent clause. Therefore, even though this is longer
and more detailed, it cannot stand alone.
Answers: A. D B. I C. I D. D E. I
Try it Out!
A Brief Explanation
Examples
