So, like, what is a clause, Dude?

A clause is any group of words with a subject and a verb working together

to express a thought.

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE:

Has a subject/verb;

expresses a complete thought; stands alone as a simple sentence.

DEPENDENT CLAUSE:

Has a subject/verb, but DOES NOT express a complete thought; can’t stand alone as a sentence.

• A clause that makes sense by itself is an independent clause.

• A clause that does not make sense by itself is a dependent clause.

• A complex sentence contains an independent and dependent clause.

• A clause that makes sense by itself is an independent clause.

• A clause that does not make sense by itself is a dependent clause.

• A complex sentence contains an independent and dependent clause.

Independent clause

Native Americans lived on the island until they were attacked.

Dependent clause

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES!

INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

• We saw the plane land.• A serious person

sometimes has difficulty relaxing.

• Doing my homework always pays dividends!

• The new TV season features many new programs.

DEPENDENT CLAUSES• After we saw the plane

land . . .• Because a serious person

sometimes has difficulty relaxing . . .

• Although doing my homework always pays dividends . . .

• When the new TV season features many new programs . . .

Write I or D for independent or dependent clause.

• 1. if you live on an island______• 2. the tides affect your life______• 3. the water level rises_____• 4. when the tide comes in_____• 5. much of the beach disappears under

water_____• 6. until the tide goes out_____

So, what can you do with a dependent clause?

Correct run-on sentences! Run-On:

The plane was late the passengers were angry.

Fix the run-on: When the plane was late, the passengers were

angry. Because the plane was late, the passengers

were angry.

Improve your sentence structure!

• When you know how to write dependent clauses, you can turn two short, choppy sentences into one smooth sentence:

Choppy: The plane was late. The passengers were angry.

Better: Because the plane was late, the passengers were angry.

How do you write a dependent clause?

Very easily . . .1.Start with a perfectly good

independent clause (a complete thought).

2.Add an appropriate subordinating conjunction at the beginning.

Which words act as subordinating conjunctions?

Here are some common subordinating conjunctions (also known as “subordinators”).

When During Where Until While After Why Before Although Because

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

WHEN YOU WRITE A DEPENDENT CLAUSE,

YOU MUST “ATTACH” IT TO A COMPLETE SENTENCE!

WHY?

BECAUSE IT IS DEPENDENT!

BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXPRESS A COMPLETE THOUGHT!

BECAUSE IF YOU LEAVE IT STANDING THERE ALL BY ITSELF, IT WILL BECOME A SENTENCE FRAGMENT!

A QUICK REVIEW . . .

1. A CLAUSE HAS A SUBJECT/VERB.

2. SOME CLAUSES CAN STAND ALONE AS COMPLETE SENTENCES (INDEPENDENT CLAUSES).

3. SOME CLAUSES CANNOT STAND ALONE AS COMPLETE SENTENCES (DEPENDENT CLAUSES).

4. DEPENDENT CLAUSES BEGIN WITH SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (AKA “SUBORDINATORS”).

5. DEPENDENT CLAUSES CAN BE WRITTEN TO FIX RUN-ON SENTENCES.

6. DEPENDENT CLAUSES CAN BE WRITTEN TO IMPROVE SENTENCE STRUCTURE BY ELIMINATING SHORT, CHOPPY SENTENCES.

4. Now that you have a dependent clause, put a comma after it.

5. Now write a complete sentence to follow it so that it is not standing there all by itself.

6. Now be amazed . . . You have just written a complex sentence!

Now do it again, 4 more times, using a different subordinating

conjunction each time!

Now do it again, 4 more times, using a different subordinating

conjunction each time!

FOUR TYPES OF SENTENCE STRUCTUREFOUR TYPES OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE

• A SIMPLE SENTENCE = ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

• A COMPOUND SENTENCE = TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

• A COMPLEX SENTENCE = ONE INDEPENDENT CLAUSE + ONE (OR MORE) DEPENDENT CLAUSES

• A COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE = TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES + AT LEAST ONE DEPENDENT CLAUSE.

SO . . .

• IF YOU CAN WRITE AN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (WHICH YOU CAN) AND IF YOU CAN WRITE A DEPENDENT CLAUSE (WHICH YOU CAN), THEN YOU CAN STRUCTURE YOUR SENTENCES IN FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS OF WAYS.

• BEING ABLE TO CONSTRUCT SIMPLE, COMPOUND, COMPLEX, AND COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES WILL ADD VARIETY AND STYLE TO YOUR WRITING!