Contents
How do you teach independent and dependent clauses?
Teaching the Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses
- An independent clause can stand alone.
- A dependent clause cannot stand alone.
- A dependent clause often begins with a subordinating conjunction.
- A dependent clause is usually followed by a comma if it occurs at the beginning of a sentence.
How do you know if a clause is independent or dependent?
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence. Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought.
What are some examples of independent and dependent clauses?
If a dependent marker word is used, the clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. For example: “If she leaves” = not a complete sentence.
Do independent or dependent clauses come first?
If the dependent clause is first (again, rather like an introduction to the main clause), it is followed by a comma (like in this sentence and the next). If the independent clause comes first, no punctuation separates the two.
What is an example of an independent clause?
An independent clause is the combination of at least one subject and predicate. It expresses a complete thought. For example: The waves crashed onto the sandy shore.
What are examples of independent clauses?
Examples of Independent Clauses
- I enjoy sitting by the fireplace and reading.
- Waiting to have my car’s oil changed is boring.
- She wants to travel the world and see wonderful sights.
- Our planets revolve around the sun.
- The professor always comes to class fully prepared.
- Hurricanes strengthen over warm waters.
Is there a comma between two independent clauses?
Two independent clauses can also be joined into one compound sentence with a semicolon alone. Thus, it can separate two independent clauses by itself; a comma cannot separate two independent clauses unless it is followed by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
What words can start a dependent clause?
Subordinate clauses will often begin with subordinating conjunctions, which are words that link dependent clauses to independent clauses, such as for, as, since, therefore, hence, consequently, though, due to, provided that, because, unless, once, while, when, whenever, where, wherever, before, and after.
What is an example of a Dependant clause?
Examples of What is a Dependent Clause. The clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand on its own as a sentence.) Damian won’t be able to play in the game because he injured his foot. (Because he injured his foot is a dependent clause.
What is an example of two independent clauses?
Here are examples of two independent clauses joined in a sentence by a semicolon: I went to the Department of Motor vehicles today; I took the written driving test. Monica brought the drinks; Frank brought the main dish. This is one of my favorite books; Pride and Prejudice is another favorite.
How to teach students independent and dependent clauses?
When you start teaching students about dependent and independent clauses, you can start with the idea that an independent clause can stand alone. Write an independent clause on a piece of paper and have a student stand at the front of the room and hold it. The sentence makes sense by itself.
What does it mean to be a dependent student?
A dependent student is assumed to have the support of parents, so the parents’ information has to be assessed along with the student’s, in order to get a full picture of the family’s financial strength.
When is a dependent marker word added to an independent clause?
A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause. When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, it was very noisy.
When is a dependent clause separated from an independent clause?
The students acted differently whenever a substitute taught the class. Whenever a substitute taught the class, the students acted differently. Note that the clauses are separated with a comma when the dependent clause comes first. Some common subordinating conjunctions are: after, as, before, once, since, until, and while.