Sentence Structure: Clauses: Independent Clauses

Independent Clauses: Sentences That Stand Strong

What is a clause?

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (an action or state of being).

Independent vs. Dependent

There are two main types of clauses:

Independent Clause: Can stand alone as a complete sentence. It expresses a complete thought.
Dependent Clause: Cannot stand alone as a sentence. It needs to be connected to an independent clause to make sense.

Identifying Independent Clauses

To find the independent clause in a sentence, ask yourself:

If the answer is yes to both questions, you’ve found an independent clause!

Examples:

The sun is shining. (Subject: sun, Verb: is shining)
She loves to read books. (Subject: she, Verb: loves)
They went to the park and had a picnic. (This sentence has TWO independent clauses:
- 1. They went to the park
- 1. They had a picnic)

How to Use Independent Clauses

Simple sentences: A simple sentence is made up of just one independent clause.
- Example: The cat sleeps.
Compound sentences: Two or more independent clauses joined together by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon (;).
- Example: The cat sleeps, but the dog is awake.
Complex sentences: One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
- Example: The cat sleeps while the dog barks.

Let’s Practice!

Identify the Independent Clause:
- Underline the independent clause in each sentence:
  - When the bell rang, the students left the classroom.
  - We went to the beach because the weather was nice.
  - She loves to sing, and she practices every day.
Write Your Own:
- Write three simple sentences using different subjects and verbs.

Remember:

Every complete sentence needs at least one independent clause.
You can use independent clauses to create different types of sentences, from simple to complex.
Keep practicing to become a master of sentence building!

Sentence Structure