Lesson 8

Independentand Dependent Clauses

A sentence must have an indeperident clause which can stand alone. It
may have one or more dependent clauses as well. Dependent clauses
cannot stand alone.
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and is used as
part of a sentence. In the following sentences, notice that each of the italicized
groups of words could be punctuated as a separate sentence.
S V S V
[ opened the closet door, and a moth flew out.
I opened the closet door. A moth flew out.
S V S V
Malka went to the store, but she forgot the milk
Malka went to the store. She forgot the milk.
A clause that is complete and makes sense by itself is called an
independent (or maín) clause.
Notice that two independent clauses may be connected by a comma anda
coordinating conjunction, such as and, but, 01; yet, so, or fer.
Not all clauses, however, make sense by themselves.
S V
because he wanted to watch the game on television
S V
that her uncle had given her
Clauses líke these are called dependent (or subordinare) clauses. Because they
are incomplete by themselves, they must be attached to main clauses.
Rudy stayed home because he wanted to watch the game on television.
Lee Anne lost the rare coin that her uncle had given her.
A dependent clause often begins with one of these subordinate
conjunctíons: as, as ij; because, uiben, uibere, uibile, after, befare, since, if, unless,
that, because, although, euen though, though, whenever, or tobereuer: Look for one
of these conjunctions to identífy a dependent clause.
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"'~ Exerclse A
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o Write I for independent or D for dependent above each underlined clause.
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"' E l. I sat on the bench for three quarters because I had been injured during
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~ the first play of the second quarter.
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e 2. I get motíon sickness whenever I ride in a vehicle.
3. Because it was so heavy, Carlo couldn't lift the cage himself.
4. The workers were exhausted after cutting clowntrees all <lay.

Grade Nine SkillBook, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Skills 143

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5. After the mills closed, many people left Lawrence to find work elsewhere.
6. If you want to become a doctor, you will have to study for many years in
college and medical school.
7. General Robert E. Lee was a U.S. Army officer, but he joined the
Confederacy:at the start of the Civil War.
8. Ben will babysit the twins tomorrow although they often misbehave.
9. When the frog saw a mayfly, he caught it with hís tongue.
10. Mike can not go to the movies unless he does his work first.

Exercise B
Write whether the iterns below are independent or dependent clauses. If a
clause is dependent, rewrite it and add an independent clause to make a
complete sentence. If a clause is independent, rewrite it with the correct
capitalization and punctuation.
Example: since I was bored
Answer: dependent-Since I was bored, I went to a movie. or I went to a
movie since I was bored.
l. a show always entertains

2. because a friend recommended it

3. though the show was great

4. I kept quiet
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5. if it was a sad scene ~
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144 Grade Nine Skil!Book, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Skills

Name Class Date

Lesson 9
Independentand Dependent Clauses
An independentclause has a subject and a verb and makes sense by itself. If it
were standing alone, an independent clause would simply be called a complete
sentence.

S V
The policewornan gave the children an interview.
S V
The twins preregistered for their last semester in high school;
S V S V
Kerry will take six courses, and Mary will take five plus concert band.
The second sentence has three independent clauses. Each clause can stand
alone as a complete sentence.
The twins preregistered for their last semester in high school.
Kerry will take six courses.
Mary will take five plus concert band.
A dependentclause has a subject and a verb, but it does not make much
sense by itself. lt must be attached to an independcnt clause to form a
complete thought.

S V
If I were you, I would see a doctor right away.
S V
The people whom we invited to the partywere neighbors.
S V
I hope that the next bus comes by soon.
Dependent clauses begin with words such as who, which, that, because, f, when,
until, before, and after.
Exercise
Identify each independent clause by writing independenton the lines
provided. For each dependent clause, write a complete sentence that contains
the clause.
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Example: who emceed the show c.
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o
Answer: The comedian who emceed the show was not very funny. -o
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ro
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1. although the car slowed clown to turn a comer E
ro

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2. the article was not reliable

148 Grade Ten SkillBook, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

 Name Class Date

3. befare you add salt

4. if you are sorry

5. a rainbow arched above the clouds

6. no one answered Barbara's question

7. that you were the lucky one

8. that knocked on our door

9. have you met your new neighbors

10. because we were already late

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Grade Ten SkillBook, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics 149