What is a dependent word group

The combination of two or more words that have both grammatical and semantic connections between themselves is called a phrase. Words in a phrase are in a subordinate relationship.

The combination of two or more words that have both grammatical and semantic connections between themselves is called a phrase. Words in a phrase are in a subordinate relationship.

A submissive link, or subordination in linguistics, is a syntactic inequality between the parts of a structure. With regard to a phrase, such are words. A subordinate relationship assumes the presence of a main and dependent word.

Difference between main word and dependent

The main word and the dependent have different functions in a phrase. The main word always names something — an object, an action, a sign, and a dependent one clarifies, spreads and explains what was named. For example, in the phrase «green leaf» the adjective explains the property of the object, in the phrase «to perform a symphony» the noun explains what exactly was performed. In the first case, the dependent word is an adjective, in the second — a noun.

The connection between words in a phrase is revealed by means of a question that is posed from the main word to the dependent one, but not vice versa, for example: «the table (which one?) Is wooden.»

If one of the two words is expressed by a noun, and the other by a verb, while it is possible to pose a question from a noun to a verb (“the dog“what is he doing?) Barks”), this group of words cannot be considered a phrase at all. This is an uncommon proposal.

Dependent word for various types of subordination

There are many types of subordination, but only three of them can be represented in a phrase: coordination, management and adherence.

When agreed, the dependent word takes the same gender, case and number as the main one. In such a phrase, the noun is the main word, and the adjective, pronoun, ordinal or participle is dependent: «winter morning», «this woman», «third year», «washable wallpaper.»

When managing, the main word is expressed by a verb or a noun, which can be in any case, including the nominative, and the dependent — a noun, the case of which will be indirect (ie, any, except for the nominative), and this case is due to the meaning of the main word: “read a book «,» Love for the mother. » Giving a different form to the main word does not lead to a change in the form of the addict: «to learn a poem — I learn a poem», «the will to win — the will to win.»

When adjacent, the dependent word is associated with the main one exclusively by meaning, no grammatical changes occur with it. In this case, words that do not change at all can act as a dependent word — adverbs: «sings loudly», «very tired.»

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Definition
and general characteristics of the word-group.

There
are a lot of definitions concerning the word-group. The most
adequate one seems to be the following: the word-group is a
combination of at least two notional words which do not constitute
the sentence but are syntactically connected. According to some
other scholars (the majority of Western scholars and professors
B.Ilyish and V.Burlakova – in Russia), a combination of a notional
word with a function word (on
the table)
may be treated as a word-group as well. The problem is disputable as
the role of function words is to show some abstract relations and
they are devoid of nominative power. On the other hand, such
combinations are syntactically bound and they should belong
somewhere.

General
characteristics of the word-group are:

1)
As a naming unit it differs from a compound word because the number
of constituents in a word-group corresponds to the number of
different denotates:

a
black bird – чорний птах (2), a blackbird – дрізд
(1); 
a loud speaker (2), a loudspeaker (1).

2)
Each component of the word-group can undergo grammatical changes
without destroying the identity of the whole unit: to
see a house — to see houses.

3)
A word-group is a dependent syntactic unit, it is not a
communicative unit and has no intonation of its own.

2.
Classification of word-groups.

Word-groups
can be classified on the basis of several principles:

1. According
   to the type of syntagmatic relations: coordinate (you
   and me), subordinate (to
   see a house, a nice dress), predicative (him
   coming, for him to come),

2. According
   to the structure: simple (all
   elements are obligatory), expanded (to
   read and translate the text –
   expanded elements are equal in rank), extended (a
   word takes a dependent element and this dependent element becomes
   the head for another word: a
   beautiful flower
   – a very beautiful flower).

3.
Subordinate word-groups.

Subordinate
word-groups are based on the relations of dependence between the
constituents. This presupposes the existence of a governing 
Element
which is called the
head and
the dependent element which is called the
adjunct (in
noun-phrases) or the
complement (in
verb-phrases).

According
to the nature of their heads, subordinate word-groups fall
into noun-phrases (NP)
– a
cup of tea, verb-phrases (VP)
– to
run fast, to see
a house, adjective
phrases (AP)
– good
for you, adverbial
phrases (DP)
– so
quickly, pronoun
phrases (IP)
– something
strange, nothing todo.

The
formation of the subordinate word-group depends on the valency of
its constituents. Valencyis
a potential ability of words to combine. Actual realization of
valency in speech is called combinability.

4.
The noun-phrase (NP).

Noun
word-groups are widely spread in English. This may be explained by a
potential ability of the noun to go into combinations with
practically all parts of speech. The NP consists of a noun-head and
an adjunct or adjuncts with relations of modification between them.
Three types of modification are distinguished here:

1. Premodification that
   comprises all the units placed before the head: two
   smart hard-working students. Adjuncts
   used in pre-head position are called pre-posed adjuncts.

2. Postmodification that
   comprises all the units all the units placed after the
   head: studentsfrom
   Boston. Adjuncts
   used in post-head position are called post-posed adjuncts.

3. Mixed
   modification that
   comprises all the units in both pre-head and post-head position:two
   smart hard-working students from
   Boston.

Pre-posed adjuncts		Post-posed adjuncts
Pronoun	Adj.
Adj.	Ven
N2	Ving
N`s	prep.N2
Ven	prepVing
Ving	D
Num	Num
D	wh-clause, that-clause

X

5.
Noun-phrases with pre-posed adjuncts.

In
noun-phrases with pre-posed modifiers we generally find adjectives,
pronouns, numerals, participles, gerunds, nouns, nouns in the
genitive case (see the table). According to their position all
pre-posed adjuncts may be divided
into pre-adjectivals and adjectiavals.
The position of adjectivals is usually right before the noun-head.
Pre-adjectivals occupy the position before adjectivals. They fall
into two groups: a) lim
iters (to this
group belong mostly particles): just,
only, even, etc. and
b) determiners (articles,
possessive pronouns, quantifiers – the
first, the last).

Premodification
of nouns by nouns (N+N) is one of the most striking features about
the grammatical organization of English. It is one of devices to
make our speech both laconic and expressive at the same time.
Noun-adjunct groups result from different kinds of transformational
shifts. NPs with pre-posed adjuncts can signal a striking variety of
meanings:

world
peace – peace all over the world 
silver box – a box
made of silver 
table lamp – lamp for tables 
table
legs – the legs of the table 
river sand – sand from the
river 
school child – a child who goes to school

The
grammatical relations observed in NPs with pre-posed adjuncts may
convey the following meanings:

1. subject-predicate
   relations: weather
   change;

2. object
   relations: health
   service, women hater;

3. adverbial
   relations:

a)
of time: morning
star, 
b)
place: world
peace, country house, 
c)
comparison: button
eyes, 
d)
purpose: tooth
brush.

It
is important to remember that the noun-adjunct is usually marked by
a stronger stress than the head.

Of
special interest is a kind of ‘grammatical idiom’ where the
modifier is reinterpreted into the head:a
devil of a man, an angel of a girl.

6.
Noun-phrases with post-posed adjuncts.

NPs
with post-posed may be classified according to the way of connection
into prepositionless andprepositional.
The basic prepositionless NPs with post-posed adjuncts are: Nadj.
– tea
strong,
NVen – the
shape unknown,
NVing – the
girl smiling,
ND – the
man downstairs,
NVinf – a
book to read,
NNum – room
ten.

The
pattern of basic prepositional NPs is N1 prep. N2. The most common
preposition here is ‘of’ – a
cup of tea, a
man of courage.
It may have quite different meanings: qualitative — a
woman of sense, predicative – the
pleasure of the company, objective – the
reading of the newspaper,partitive – the
roof of the house.

7.
The verb-phrase.

The
VP is a definite kind of the subordinate phrase with the verb as the
head. The verb is considered to be the semantic and structural
centre not only of the VP but of the whole sentence as the verb
plays an important role in making up primary predication that serves
the basis for the sentence. VPs are more complex than NPs as there
are a lot of ways in which verbs may be combined in actual usage.
Valent properties of different verbs and their semantics make it
possible to divide all the verbs into several groups depending on
the nature of their complements (see the table ‘Syntagmatic
properties of verbs’, Lecture 6).

8.
Classification of verb-phrases.

VPs
can be classified according to the nature of their complements –
verb complements may be nominal (to
see a house)
and adverbial (to
behave well).
Consequently, we distinguish nominal,
adverbial and mixed complementation.

Nominal
complementation takes place when one or more nominal complements
(nouns or pronouns) are obligatory for the realization of potential
valency of the verb: to
give smth. to smb., to phone smb., to hear smth.(smb.), etc.

Adverbial
complementation occurs when the verb takes one or more adverbial
elements obligatory for the realization of its potential valency: He
behaved well, I live …in Kyiv (here).

Mixed
complementation – both nominal and adverbial elements are
obligatory: He
put his hat on he table (nominal-adverbial).

According
to the structure VPs
may be basic or simple (to
take a book) –
all elements are obligatory; expanded (to
read and
translate the text,
to read
books and
newspapers)
andextended (to
read an English book).

9.
Predicative word-groups.

Predicative
word combinations are distinguished on the basis of secondary
predication. Like sentences, predicative word-groups are binary in
their structure but actually differ essentially in their
organization. The sentence is an independent communicative unit
based on primary predication while the predicative word-group is a
dependent syntactic unit that makes up a part of the sentence. The
predicative word-group consists of a nominal element (noun, pronoun)
and a non-finite form of the verb: N + Vnon-fin. There are
Gerundial, Infinitive and Participial word-groups (complexes) in the
English language: his
reading, for
me to know,
the boy running, etc.)

n theoretical
linguistics,
a distinction is made
between endocentric and exocentric constructions.
A grammatical construction
(e.g. a phrase or
compound word) is said to be endocentric if
it fulfills the same linguistic function as one of its parts,
and exocentric if
it does not.^[1] The
distinction reaches back at least to Bloomfield’s
work of the 1930s.^[2] Such
a distinction is possible only in phrase
structure grammars(constituency
grammars), since in dependency
grammars all
constructions are necessarily endocentric.^[3]

Endocentric
construction[edit]

An
endocentric construction consists of an obligatory head and
one or more dependents, whose presence serves to narrow the meaning
of the head. For example:

big house —
Noun phrase (NP)

sing songs —
Verb phrase (VP)

very long —
Adjective phrase (AP)

These
phrases are indisputably endocentric. They are endocentric because
the one word in each case carries the bulk of the semantic content
and determines the grammatical category to which the
wholeconstituent will
be assigned. The phrase big
house is
a noun
phrase in line with its part house,
which is a noun. Similarly, sing
songs is
a verb
phrase in line with its part sing,
which is a verb. The same is true ofvery
long;
it is an adjective
phrase in line with its part long,
which is an adjective. In more formal terms, the distribution of an
endocentric construction is functionally equivalent, or approaching
equivalence, to one of its parts, which serves as the center, or
head, of the whole. An endocentric construction is also known as
a headed construction,
where the head is contained «inside» the construction.

Exocentric
construction[edit]

An
exocentric construction consists of two or more parts, whereby the
one or the other of the parts cannot be viewed as providing the bulk
of the semantic content of the whole. Further, the syntactic
distribution of the whole cannot be viewed as being determined by
the one or the other of the parts. The classic instance of an
exocentric construction is the sentence (in a phrase
structure grammar).^[4] The
traditional binary division^[5] of
the sentence (S) into a subject noun
phrase (NP) and a predicate verb
phrase (VP) was exocentric:

Hannibal
destroyed Rome. — Sentence (S)

Since
the whole is unlike either of its parts, it is exocentric. In other
words, since the whole is neither a noun (N) like Hannibal nor
a verb phrase (VP) like destroyed
Rome but
rather a sentence (S), it is exocentric. With the advent of X-bar
Theory in Transformational
Grammar in the 1970s, this traditional exocentric division
was largely abandoned and replaced by an endocentric analysis,
whereby the sentence is viewed as an inflection
phrase (IP), which is essentially a projection of the verb
(a fact that makes the sentence a big VP in a sense). Thus with the
advent of X-bar Theory, the endocentric vs. exocentric distinction
started to become less important in the theory of syntax, for
without the concept of exocentricity, the notion of endocentricity
was becoming vacuous. In theories of morphology however,
the distinction remains, since certaincompounds seem
to require an exocentric analysis, e.g. have-not in Bill
is a have-not.
For a class of compounds described as exocentric, see bahuvrihi.

The
distinction in dependency grammars[edit]

The
endo- vs. exocentric distinction is possible in phrase
structure grammars (= constituency grammars), since they
are constituency-based. The distinction is hardly present
in dependency
grammars, since they are dependency-based. In other words,
dependency-based structures are necessarily endocentric, i.e. they
are necessarily headed structures. Dependency grammars by definition
were much less capable of acknowledging the types of divisions that
constituency enables. Acknowledging exocentric structure
necessitates that one posit more nodes in the syntactic (or
morphological) structure than one has actual words or morphs in the
phrase or sentence at hand. What this means is that a significant
tradition in the study of syntax and grammar has been incapable from
the start of acknowledging the endo- vs. exocentric distinction, a
fact that has generated confusion about what should count as an
endo- or exocentric structure.

Representing
endo- and exocentric structures[edit]

Theories
of syntax (and morphology) represent endocentric and exocentric
structures using tree diagrams and specific labeling conventions.
The distinction is illustrated here using the following trees. The
first three trees show the distinction in a constituency-based
grammar, and the second two trees show the same structures in a
dependency-based grammar:

The
upper two trees on the left are endocentric since each time, one of
the parts, i.e. the head, projects its category status up to the
mother node. The upper tree on the right, in contrast, is
exocentric, because neither of the parts projects its category
status up to the mother node; Z is a category distinct from X or Y.
The two dependency trees show the manner in which dependency-based
structures are inherently endocentric. Since the number of nodes in
the tree structure is necessarily equal to the number of elements
(e.g. words) in the string, there is no way to assign the whole
(i.e. XY) a category status that is distinct from both X and Y.

Traditional
phrase structure trees are mostly endocentric, although the initial
binary division of the clause is exocentric (S → NP VP), as
mentioned above, e.g.

This
tree structure contains four divisions, whereby only one of these
division is exocentric (the highest one). The other three divisions
are endocentric because the mother node has the same basic category
status as one of its daughters. The one exocentric division
disappears in the corresponding dependency tree:

Dependency
positions the finite verb as the root of the entire tree, which
means the initial exocentric division is impossible. This tree is
entirely endocentric.

A
note about coordinate structures[edit]

While
exocentric structures have largely disappeared from most theoretical
analyses of standard sentence structure, many theories of syntax
still assume (something like) exocentric divisions for coordinate
structures,
e.g.

[Sam]
and [Larry] arrived.

She
[laughed] and [cried].

[Should
I] or [should I not] go to that conference?

The
brackets each time mark the conjuncts of a coordinate structure,
whereby this coordinate structure includes the material appearing
between the left-most bracket and the right-most bracket; the
coordinator is positioned between the conjuncts. Coordinate
structures like these do not lend themselves to an endocentric
analysis in any clear way, nor to an exocentric analysis. One might
argue that the coordinator is the head of the coordinate structure,
which would make it endocentric. This argument would have to ignore
the numerous occurrences of coordinate structures that lack a
coordinator (asyndeton),
however. One might therefore argue instead that coordinate
structures like these are multi-headed, each conjunct being or
containing a head. The difficulty with this argument, however, is
that the traditional endocentric vs. exocentric distinction did not
foresee the existence of multi-headed structures, which means that
it did not provide a guideline for deciding whether a multi-headed
structure should be viewed as endo- or exocentric. Coordinate
structures thus remain a problem area for the endo- vs. exocentric
distinction in general.

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A clause is a group of words that includes two obligatory elements:

• a subject – expresses who or what does something. To find the subject, ask who or what performs the activity.
• a predicate – the word expressing the activity. The predicate changes its form depending on the subject (I play but he plays) and depending on the tense (he plays often but he played yesterday). The predicate is always a verb; hence, the easiest way to find the predicate of the clause is to find the verb whose form changes depending on the subject and the tense.

(1)    Mary is writing a letter. [Mary is the subject, writes is the predicate]
(2)    The new theory captures the data successfully. [the new theory is the subject, captures is the predicate]

There are two types of clauses:

• independent clause – it expresses a complete thought and can stand alone.

(3) John was hired by an IT company.
(4) The majority of politicians do not accept global warming as a real threat.

• dependent clause – it does not express a complete thought but just a part of it. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone.

(5) shortly after he graduated in Computer Science [an incomplete thought]
(6) although scientists have found strong indications of a global temperature rise [an incomplete thought]

Dependent clauses are commonly introduced by special markers (called subordinate conjunctions), such as, if, whether, because, although, since, when, while, unless, even though, whenever (follow this link for a fuller list).

A sentence consists of one or more clauses. A sentence that is made up of a single clause is a simple sentence. The single clause has to be an independent clause in order for the sentence to be complete. The examples in (1)-(4) are all simple sentences consisting of just one independent clause.

A sentence can also contain more than one clause. Such a sentence is called a compound sentence. Compound sentences can consist of two or more independent clauses (connected by and, but, or, nor)

(7) John was hired by an IT company, but Mary did not find a job.
(8) We have to finish the project first, and then we can take a holiday.

A compound sentence can also combine independent clauses with dependent clauses.

(9) Shortly after John graduated in Computer Science, he was hired by an IT company.
(10) The majority of politicians do not accept global warming as a real threat, although scientists have found strong indications of a global temperature rise.

A compound sentence has to contain at least one independent clause to be complete.

Sometimes, complex phrases can be used instead of a dependent clause to encode the same information. This creates a longer simple sentence with just one subject and one verb.

(11) Shortly after his graduation in Computer Science, John was hired by an IT company.
(12) The majority of politicians do not accept global warming as a real threat despite the strong indications of a global temperature rise.

The groups of words “shortly after his graduation in Computer Science” and “despite the strong indications of a global temperature rise” are not clauses because they have no subject (the words John and scientists are missing) and no predicate (graduation is not a verb but a noun derived from a verb).

Independent and dependent clauses are fundamental parts of writing. But what are these clauses? How do they differ? And how do you use them? In this post, we look the basics of independent and dependent clauses.

What Is a Clause?

A ‘clause’ is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. This could be a sentence, part of a sentence, or even a sentence fragment.

Every sentence will include at least one clause, but you can also combine independent and dependent clauses. We will look at how this works below.

Independent Clauses

An independent clause is also known as a ‘main clause’. A clause is independent if it works as a sentence by itself. We can make an independent clause with just a noun and a verb:

Noun (Subject)	Verb (Predicate)
Dogs…	…bark.

Here, we have a noun (dogs) as the subject of the clause and a verb (bark) as the predicate. And this works as a standalone sentence because it expresses a complete thought (the thought of dogs barking).

We can also combine two (or more) independent clauses in a single sentence. To do this, we would use a coordinating conjunction between the clauses:

Clause 1	Conjunction	Clause 2
Dogs bark…	…and…	…cats meow.

Here, then, we have multiple independent clauses in one sentence. But these clauses are still ‘independent’ because we could write either one by itself:

Dogs bark. Cats meow.

Dependent Clauses

A dependent clause, also known as a ‘subordinate clause’, adds extra information to a sentence. It cannot, however, work as a sentence by itself. Take the following complex sentence, for example:

Independent Clause	Dependent Clause
My dog barks…	…when he sees a cat.

The second clause above is ‘subordinate’ because it ‘depends’ on the main clause to make sense. We can see this if we write each clause separately:

Independent Clause: My dog barks. ✓

Dependent Clause: When he sees a cat. ✗

In other words, ‘when he sees a cat’ does not make sense by itself. But as part of a sentence, it tells us something about the main clause. All dependent clauses add information like this, but they can function in different ways:

• Adverbial clauses tell us something about how a main clause occurs. For example, ‘when he sees a cat’ tells us something about the situation in which ‘my dog’ barks.
• Adjectival clauses modify a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. For instance, we could say ‘Dogs that bark at cats should be kept indoors’. In this sentence, ‘that bark at cats’ is an adjectival clause because it tells us what type of dog the sentence is about.
• Nominal clauses (or noun clauses) function like a noun. For instance, we could say, ‘My dog goes wherever I go’. The nominal clause here is ‘wherever I go’, which is the object of the verb ‘go’ in the main clause.

However, one thing all dependent clauses have in common is that they only make sense when attached to a main clause.

Summary: Independent and Dependent Clauses

A ‘clause’ is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Two of the most important types of clause are ‘independent’ and ‘dependent’ clauses:

• An independent clause (or main clause) expresses a complete thought. It can be a sentence by itself, but it may also be part of a longer sentence.
• A dependent clause (or subordinate clause) is part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.

The key is to remember that only independent clauses work by themselves. If you use a dependent clause by itself, you will end up with a sentence fragment. And to make sure your written work is free from grammatical errors, don’t forget to have it proofread.

Summary:

This handout defines dependent and independent clauses and explores how they are treated in standard usage.

When you want to use commas and semicolons in sentences and when you are concerned about whether a sentence is or is not a fragment, a good way to start is to be able to recognize dependent and independent clauses. The definitions offered here will help you with this.

Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence.

Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz.

Dependent Clause

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked by a dependent marker word.

When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . . (What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)

Dependent Marker Word

A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause.

When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, it was very noisy.

Some common dependent markers: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while.

Connecting independent clauses

There are two types of words that can be used as connectors at the beginning of an independent clause: coordinating conjunctions and independent marker words.

1. Coordinating Conjunction

The seven coordinating conjunctions used as connecting words at the beginning of an independent clause are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. When the second independent clause in a sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction, a comma is needed before the coordinating conjunction:

Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, but it was hard to concentrate because of the noise.

2. Independent Marker Word

An independent marker word is a connecting word used at the beginning of an independent clause. These words can always begin a sentence that can stand alone. When the second independent clause in a sentence has an independent marker word, a semicolon is needed before the independent marker word.

Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz; however, it was hard to concentrate because of the noise.

Some common independent markers: also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, and therefore.

Connecting dependent and independent clauses

Subordinating conjunctions allow writers to construct complex sentences, which have an independent clause and a subordinate (or dependent) clause. Either clause can come first.

The students acted differently whenever a substitute taught the class.

Whenever a substitute taught the class, the students acted differently.

Note that the clauses are separated with a comma when the dependent clause comes first.

Some common subordinating conjunctions: after, as, before, once, since, until, and while.

Some Common Errors to Avoid

Comma Splices

A comma splice is the use of a comma between two independent clauses. You can usually fix the error by changing the comma to a period and therefore making the two clauses into two separate sentences, by changing the comma to a semicolon, or by making one clause dependent by inserting a dependent marker word in front of it.

Incorrect: I like this class, it is very interesting.

• Correct: I like this class. It is very interesting.
• (or) I like this class; it is very interesting.
• (or) I like this class, and it is very interesting.
• (or) I like this class because it is very interesting.
• (or) Because it is very interesting, I like this class.

Fused Sentences

Fused sentences happen when there are two independent clauses not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also known as a run-on sentence. The error can sometimes be corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate the two sentences.

Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I’ve learned a lot from her.

• Correct: My professor is intelligent. I’ve learned a lot from her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent; I’ve learned a lot from her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent, and I’ve learned a lot from her.
• (or) My professor is intelligent; moreover, I’ve learned a lot from her.

Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments happen by treating a dependent clause or other incomplete thought as a complete sentence. You can usually fix this error by combining it with another sentence to make a complete thought or by removing the dependent marker.

Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was today.

• Correct: Because I forgot the exam was today, I didn’t study.
• (or) I forgot the exam was today.

Independent and Dependent Clauses! Learn the definition and usage of independent and dependent clauses with useful examples and free ESL printable infographic.

A clause is a grouping of words in English that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. They can be of two types: independent and dependent. It is important for the purpose of sentence formation to be able to recognize independent and dependent clauses.

Independent Clause

What is an independent clause?

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. An independent clause is a sentence. Independent clauses are clauses that express a complete thought. They can function as sentences. These are clauses that can function on their own. They do not need to be joined to other clauses, because they contain all the information required to be a complete sentence.

There are three characteristics or components that independent clauses have:

1. A subject: It gives information on what the sentence is about.

2. An action or predicate: It gives information on what the subject is doing.

3. Conveys a complete thought: It gives information on what is happening in the sentence.

For example: ‘Ram left to buy supplies‘ is an independent clause, and if you end it with a full stop, it becomes a sentence.

• He ran fast.
• I was late to work.
• Tom reads.
• You need to sing up.
• I can run a mile in five minutes.
• …

Dependent Clause

What is a dependent clause?

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence. They do not express complete thoughts, and thus cannot function as sentences. They are usually marked by dependant marker words. It is a word that is added to the beginning of an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause. Dependent clauses are dependent because of the presence of a:

1. Marker Word (because, after, before, since, in order to, although, though, whenever, wherever, whether, while, even though, even if, etc.)

2. Conjunction (but, and, or, nor, yet, etc.)

For example: ‘When Ram left to buy supplies’ can not be a sentence because it is an incomplete thought. What happened when Ram went to the shop? Here, ‘when’ functions as a ‘dependent marker word’; this term refers to words which, when added to the beginnings of independent clauses or sentences, transform them into dependent clauses.

Other examples of dependent marker words are after, although, as, as if, because, before, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while.

Dependent clauses, thus, need to be combined with independent clauses to form full sentences. For example: ‘When Ram left to buy supplies, Rohan snuck in and stole the money’ is a complete sentence.

• Because I woke up late this morning… (what happened?)
• When we arrived in class… (what occurred?)
• Because I forgot my homework, I got sent home.
• David, who likes books, read a book.
• I was just getting into the bath when the phone rang.
• …

Independent and Dependent Clauses | Infographic

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