Dependent, Independent Clauses

An independent 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.

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. It cannot stand alone as a sentence.

The independent clause is 'we went for a walk.'

The dependent clause is 'When the sun sets.'

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject-verb pair and does not express a complete thought.

This is an independent clause because it has a subject ('She') and a verb ('enjoys') and expresses a complete thought.

This is a dependent clause because it has a subject ('I') and a verb ('was') but does not express a complete thought.

A comma is often used before a dependent clause when it follows an independent clause.

No, a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought.

A dependent clause adds additional information to the independent clause, often providing context or detail.