Independent and Dependent Clause

Clauses

• What’s a clause?
• clause: related group of words with a SUBJECT and a predicate
• That means it has both who/what AND a verb
• Independent Clause = a clause that makes sense by itself
• ex: they came to the island in canoes.
• Dependent clause = a clause that does not make sense by itself
• ex: even though it was a long trip.

Complex Sentences

• complex sentence = contains an independent and dependent clause
• If the dependent clause comes first, set it off with a comma
• Until they attacked, Native Americans lived on the island.
• If the independent clause comes first, no comma is needed
• Native Americans lived on the island until they were attacked.

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Remember: “because” cannot start a sentence unless you add a independent clause after it!

RWN �p. 65, 72, 100