•INDEPENDENT CLAUSES•DEPENDENT CLAUSE

The Clause

All Clauses

Group of related wordsContains a verb and its subjectUsed as part of a sentence.

Check for Understanding:Clause or Phrase or Complete Sentence?

Shopping by myself at Pine Tree MallWhere the first postal system was developedWho ran the first postal system of our

countryWhich one gave him that test?Inside the White House with Margret

ThatcherIf I can live as long as Uncle George.

INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

Is the main clause of the longer sentenceExpresses a complete thoughtCan stand by itself as a sentenceHas its own subject and verb

EXAMPLE: I want to be on American Idol.No matter what else I do, I want to be on

American Idol.

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

Also called subordinate clausesDo not express a complete thought by itselfMust be joined to at least one independent

clause to express a complete thought (Hint…Depend on a complete sentence to make sense!)

Introduced by who, whom, that, which, if, when, because, until, etc.

EXAMPLE (Incorrect): If I finish all of my lesson plans before Sunday/Who just graduated in May/Because she is not yet eighteen years old

EXAMPLE (Correct): If I finish all of my less plans before Sunday, we are taking a shopping trip to Green Bay.

Check for Understanding

P. 161, Ex. 1/evens-- English Workshop textbook

Example: Egypt is most likely where the first postal system was developed. (Independent or Subordinate (dependent) ?

Subordinate. Why?Cannot stand on itself as a complete

sentence because it depends on the first half of the sentence to make sense.

Improve Your Simple Sentences: Inserting Subordinating( Dependent)

Clauses

Adjective Clauses—Act like adjectives, modify nouns/pronouns and answer the questions which one/what kind/how many.

Adverb Clauses—Act like adverbs, modify verbs/adjectives and answer questions when/where/ why/ how something happened.

Noun Clauses-Do what any noun can do: subject/direct object/indirect object/object of preposition

Adjective Clauses

A subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. (Begins with which/that/who/whom)

Example: The pond, which is a landing place for migrating birds, lies in a protected area.

Example: Baseball is the sport that I like best.

Usually introduced by pronouns: that, which, who, whom, whose.

The relative pronoun may be omitted

Here is the video (that ) you ordered. ( Answers question “which video…”

There is the person (whom) you were looking for. (Which person?)

Adverb Clauses

Modifies a verb, adjective, and adverb.Tells how, when, where, why, how much,

to what extent, or under what condition something happened.

Examples: after, although, as, as if, as long as, as soon as, because, before, even though, if, in order that, once, since, so that, than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether, while…something happened.

Examples

While we were camping in August, we saw a meteor shower.

Everyone needs to be at the bus station by 8:45 so that the bus can leave at nine o’clock.

Once Mrs. Kahles starts talking, the class quietly begins taking notes.

My teacher keeps a jar of Tootsie Rolls on her desk in case someone answers a bonus question.

Used as a nounBegins with: that, what, whatever, who,

whoever, whom, whomever.Can be replaced by the word it. Subject of the sentence: What changed her

mindwas the boy’s admission of wrong doing.

Noun Clause

Predicate Nominative: She didn’t know who could help her.

Direct Object: We thought we knew what Joe’s gift would be.

Indirect Object: Please tell whoever needs to know yet the directions to Mary’s house.

Object of a Preposition: Give this bag of toys to whomever you saw buy them at this counter.

Examples: Finish the noun clause

That…is a sad fact.Whoever…had better tell me the truth.What…is a good idea for a prom theme.Where…will probably always be a mystery to

me.We all wanted to know who….