The differences between independent and dependent clauses

What is a clause?

If all writing is built from sentences, then a clause is the building block of every sentence. It’s a group of words that both have a subject (such as a proper or common noun) and a predicate (an action or linking verb). The following are examples of the simplest clauses, as they contain both a subject and a verb:

• George went home.
• I bought shoes.
• The cat plays with the ball.

These basic clauses may seem so simple that they can be confused with phrases, but there’s a key difference: a clause can stand on its own as a grammatically accurate sentence, unlike a phrase, which cannot. Consider the differences between these examples:

• Phrase: Too loud
• Clause: The car is too loud.

When you add descriptors, form complete and compound sentences, or string clauses together, you’re building off these basic elements to add detail and complexity to your own writing.

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Differences between independent and dependent clauses

An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence:

• I eat pistachios.
• Emily bought a new car.
• Mike is a good bowler.

Conversely, a dependent or subordinate clause is a phrase that forms part of an idea in a sentence and relies on an independent clause to form a complete sentence. These incomplete sentences are dependent clauses:

• When I want a healthy snack
• The red SUV in the driveway
• But not as good as Steve

Combining the independent and dependent clauses transforms them into complete sentences. By fusing these examples, you can express a complete thought:

• I eat pistachios when I want a healthy snack.
• Emily bought a new car, the red SUV in the driveway.
• Mike is a good bowler, but not as good as Steve.

How to combine clauses to form sentences

When you write a sentence, you’re including at least one independent clause. What happens if you want to join two or more clauses together?

A sentence with multiple clauses is known as a compound sentence. These clauses are joined together by conjunction words, which are so commonplace that you may already be familiar with them:

• And
• Or
• But
• Nor
• Yet

Other ways to connect clauses include colons or semicolons, which are used to combine independent clauses. The result is known as a coordination, and here are some examples of how they work:

• She loves to read, and he enjoys video games.
• The cat is sleeping on the windowsill, yet the dog is barking outside.
• Robert is a talented musician; he can play multiple instruments.
• I might go to the supermarket, or I might order takeout.
• The horror movie was truly scary: the audience was cowering the entire time.
• Jane wants to travel to Europe, but she needs to save more money.

Notice how the conjunctions work with the commas to delineate two complete thoughts, in the form of independent clauses.

Combining independent and dependent clauses results in a compound-complex sentence. Here, a dependent clause—an incomplete sentence fragment—can go before or after an independent clause, adding further details to what is otherwise a simple sentence:

• After I finish my work, I can meet you for a coffee.
• Denise didn’t perform well on the test because she was feeling ill that morning.
• Since the weather was bad, we had to wait at the airport for two hours.
• While the sun was shining brightly, we decided to go for a hike.
• The team lost the championship game, which was disappointing.
• Remember to take a gift bag before you leave the party.

By understanding these sentence building blocks, you can spot errors when you’re editing or revising your work, while building a strong foundation for grammatical accuracy. Expand your know-how by following some editing advice, use the STOP and DARE technique in persuasive writing, or overcome writer’s block with AI technology.