what are dependent and independent clauses?
Independent clauses can be sentences on their own or parts of longer sentences.
Dependent clauses can only be parts of other sentences.
Independent cl = We came home from the dance.
Dependent cl = When we came home from the dance
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm#dependent
thanks that really helped :D <3
You're welcome. =)
are you a teacher or a random student with that name?
I'm a retired English teacher -- high school and community college levels.
cool :P by the way, i was just curious.
LOL
Dependent and independent clauses are two types of clauses in English grammar.
An independent clause, also known as a main clause, is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence.
For example: "I went to the store."
In this example, "I" is the subject and "went" is the verb. The independent clause "I went to the store" expresses a complete thought and forms a complete sentence.
On the other hand, a dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, is a group of words that also contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. It depends on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.
For example: "Because I was tired."
In this example, "I" is the subject and "was" is the verb. However, the dependent clause "Because I was tired" does not express a complete thought on its own. It relies on an independent clause to make sense and form a complete sentence.
To determine whether a clause is dependent or independent, you can ask yourself if the clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. If it can, it is independent. If it cannot, it is dependent.
Understanding the distinction between dependent and independent clauses is essential for constructing clear and grammatically correct sentences.