How does the sentence "By the time he reached the seventeenth floor, which seemed to take forever, he was winded and gasping?" use dependent, independent, and adjective clauses?
Actually I want to know what they are in the sentence.
Dependent clause:
"By the time he reached the seventeenth floor, which seemed to take forever,"
Independent clause:
"he was winded and gasping"
Adjective clause:
"which seemed to take forever"
To analyze the sentence and identify the dependent, independent, and adjective clauses, we need to understand the definitions of each clause type:
1. Independent clause: It is a group of words that can stand alone as a complete sentence, expressing a complete thought. It functions independently and does not rely on any other part of the sentence.
2. Dependent clause: Also known as a subordinate clause, it is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It relies on an independent clause to form a complete thought and often begins with subordinating conjunctions such as "when," "because," "while," etc.
3. Adjective clause: It is a type of dependent clause that functions as an adjective. It modifies or describes a noun or pronoun in the sentence.
Now, let's break down the sentence you provided:
"By the time he reached the seventeenth floor, which seemed to take forever, he was winded and gasping."
Here is the analysis:
1. Independent clause: "He was winded and gasping."
This independent clause forms a complete thought on its own and can stand as a sentence.
2. Dependent clause: "By the time he reached the seventeenth floor" and "which seemed to take forever."
a) "By the time he reached the seventeenth floor" is a dependent clause that explains the time frame or condition under which the action in the independent clause takes place. It starts with the subordinating conjunction "by the time."
b) "Which seemed to take forever" is an adjective clause that provides additional information about the seventeenth floor. It describes the floor by emphasizing how it seemed to take a long time. It starts with the relative pronoun "which."
In summary, the sentence contains one independent clause and two dependent clauses (one functioning as an adverbial clause and the other as an adjective clause).