Which of these are dependent clauses? Select the two correct answers.
1. we will be going to a party on Friday
2. unless something better happens
3. when the teacher arrived
4. the post office is open
5. the river cascaded over the rocks
The two dependent clauses are:
2. unless something better happens
3. when the teacher arrived
The dependent clauses in the given options are:
2. unless something better happens
3. when the teacher arrived
To identify the dependent clauses, we need to understand what a dependent clause is. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Instead, it relies on an independent clause to form a complete thought.
Let's break down each sentence to determine if it contains a dependent clause:
1. "We will be going to a party on Friday."
This sentence does not contain a dependent clause. It has a subject ("we") and a verb ("will be going") but can stand alone as a complete sentence.
2. "Unless something better happens."
This sentence does contain a dependent clause. The word "unless" acts as a subordinating conjunction, indicating that the clause "something better happens" relies on some condition not stated in the sentence. Without an independent clause, this sentence would not form a complete thought.
3. "When the teacher arrived."
This sentence contains a dependent clause. The word "when" acts as a subordinating conjunction, introducing the clause "the teacher arrived." The sentence lacks an independent clause, so it is not a complete thought on its own.
4. "The post office is open."
This sentence does not contain a dependent clause. It has a subject ("the post office") and a verb ("is open") and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
5. "The river cascaded over the rocks."
This sentence does not contain a dependent clause. It has a subject ("the river") and a verb ("cascaded") and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Therefore, the two correct answers that include dependent clauses are:
2. unless something better happens
3. when the teacher arrived