Do you know what an independent clause is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on independent clause, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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December 13, 2021
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Common Questions
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What is an independent clause?
According to 7ESL, an independent clause is a complete thought that can stand on its own as its own sentence. In opposition to a dependent clause, independent clauses are a complete sentence or simple sentence on their own, while a group of words that formes a subordinate clause or predicate is a fragment. An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence, or it can be connected by a subordinating conjunction to form compound sentences or complex sentences. These clauses might be connected by a comma and coordinating conjunction, semicolon, colon, or more – but be careful not to cause a comma splice in a compound-complex sentence. There are numerous types of dependent clause in sentence structure, but if the second clause is a second independent clause, this means that the additional information can stand on its own as a sentence and is not a sentence fragment. At the end of the dependent clause, if the clause ends without a subject and a predicate, it is not an independent clause. The different parts of a sentence can be confusing with the number of independent clauses you might see, but don’t fret- you’ll understand this grammatical term in no time.Â
If you are going to put two independent clauses together to form a longer sentence, you need connectors. A connection word might be a conjunctive adverb, preposition, dependent marker word, or other compound elements that you might see at the beginning of an independent clause. The subject of the independent clause will always have a predicate or action. Examples of dependent clauses are not a complete idea or main idea, nor are they a full sentence – if this nonessential clause or sentence type stands on its own, it is a grammatical error. It may not have a main verb or subject. With the addition of a subordinating conjunction, you can make longer sentences with relative adverbs that are much more interesting than complete simple sentences.
What are examples of independent clauses?
Independent clauses can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or grammatical technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of independent clauses that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at these independent clause examples from Your Dictionary and see how many you can identify the independent clauses in!
- While Mike was on a hike looking at squirrels and foxes, Sarah was waiting for pizza in the mall.
- Jim fixed the leaky faucet despite the strong wind.
- David failed his chemistry quiz, and was not allowed to go to the sweet shop.
- Jennifer got a sunburn despite wearing sunscreen.
- I like to swim laps to stay in shape.
- The soprano sang the aria perfectly.
- We can hardly wait to see the movie.
- It is very important to brush your teeth twice a day.
- This fall’s television line-up is lacking in diversity.
- The brand new Italian restaurant is beautifully decorated.
- Hiking and biking are my favorite summertime activities.
- Andrew decided to buy a sundae instead of a double-scoop cone.
- Cheetahs are the fastest land animals.
- Our planets revolve around the sun.
- Peter and Elaine could not decide if they wanted to elope or have a big wedding.
- The squirrels are busy storing nuts for the winter.
- I enjoy sitting by the fireplace and reading.
- It is good to tackle the hardest chores first.
- Waiting to have my car’s oil changed is boring.
- Hurricanes strengthen over warm waters.
- The Alps in Switzerland are breathtaking.
- The team persevered and finally broke the tie.
- She wants to travel the world and see wonderful sights.
- Joan teaches science and algebra at the community college.
- The professor always comes to class fully prepared.
- There is a lot of apathy concerning the upcoming election.
What are other grammatical terms?
There are many different grammatical terms, punctuation, parts of speech, and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these terms because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of grammatical devices from OED and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you.Â
- masculine
- stem
- impersonal (impers.)
- absolute (absol.)
- protasis
- genitive
- conjunction (conj.)
- collocation | collocate
- sentence adverb |sentence adverbial
- passive infinitive
- modify | modifier
- possessive adjective
- demonstrative
- appositive
- complementary
- morpheme
- possessive
- indirect passive
- non-referential
- subject
- dative
- direct speech
- cataphoric
- intensifier
- suffix
- reflexive
- special use
- concrete
- number
- interjection
- comparative
- that-clause
- imperative (imper.)
- parenthetical | parenthetically
- compound | compounding
- determiner
- apposition
- attributive
- present tense
- personal pronoun
- combining form (comb. form)
- construction
- phrase (phr.)
- adverbial | adverbially
- locative
- proper noun | proper name
- agree | agreement
- antecedent
- similative
- predicative
- anaphoric
- second person
- count noun
- anticipatory
- parasynthetic
- pronoun (pron.)
- instrumental
- pleonasm | pleonastic
- agent noun
- gerund
- base form
- prefix
- accusative
- vocative
- gender
- intransitive
- preposition (prep.)
- direct object
- ellipsis | elliptical
- pro-form
- premodify | premodifier
- perfect
- feminine
- main clause
- subordinate clause
- adverb (adv.)
- bare infinitive
- postmodify | postmodifier
- indirect object
- indefinite
- zero
- participle | past participle | present participle
- apodosis and protasis
- noun phrase
- complement
- prepositional object
- periphrasis | periphrastic
- objective
- transitive
- optative
- indirect question
- to-infinitive
- abstract
- past participle
- noun (n.)
- declarative
- inflection | inflected | inflectional
- construed (const., constr.)
- simple
- indirect speech
- participial adjective
- verb (v.)
- subjective
- causative
- neuter
- adjective
- first person
- nominative
- person
- common noun
- verbal noun
- double object
- combination
- independent clause
- possessive pronoun
- interrogative
- unmarked genitive
- non-finite
- quasi-
- conditional
- present participle
- article
- prepositional passive
- element
- active
- third-person
- singular
- indicative
- progressive
- cognate object
- phrasal verb
- passive
- subjunctive
- mood
- collective noun
- mass noun
- plural
- tense
- nominal relative | nominal relative clause
- direct question
- dual
- relative
- part of speech
- object | direct object | indirect object
- case
- modal verb | modal auxiliary verb | modal auxiliary
- definite article
- clause
- auxiliary verb | auxiliary
- past tense
- infinitive
- prepositional phrase
- main verb
- finite
- head
- superlative
- copular verb | copula
- filler
- positive
Overall, an independent clause has a subject and a predicate and can stand on its own as a full sentence.Â
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