Dependent Clauses

• ​A DEPENDENT CLAUSE HAS A SUBJECT AND A VERB, BUT CANNOT STAND ALONE AS A COMPLETE SENTENCE.

• ​IT IS INTRODUCED BY A CONJUNCTION (CALLED A SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION)

• ​COMMON SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS:

  • ​before, if, since, when, although

• ​A COMPLEX SENTENCE CONTAINS AN INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT CLAUSE.

​INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

• ​AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE IS ANOTHER NAME FOR A COMPLETE SENTENCE. IT CAN STAND ALONE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT "DEPEND" ON ANYTHING ELSE TO COMPLETE IT OR "MAKE SENSE."

• ​An INDEPENDENT CLAUSE has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence.

​COMPLEX SENTENCES

​In a complex sentence, if the Dependent Clause comes first, follow it with a comma.

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​Ex: Before they reached America, Lucinda's relatives were in a makeshift boat.

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​If the Independent Clause comes first, no comma is needed.

​Ex: Lucinda's relatives were in a makeshift boat before they reached America.

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"Before they reached America" has a subject (they) and a verb (reached) but it is dependent, and an incomplete sentence because of the word "Before." Before is the subordinating conjunction.