The Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses

A subject, verb and some form of predicate are both required for a sentence segment to be referred to as a clause.

Both “the rain ceased” and “we went out on our bikes” are considered to be independent clauses in the context of the sentence

 “After the rain stopped, we went out on our bikes.”

 It starts to rain, and then we are given something to do, which brings the whole concept full circle.

A group of words known as a dependent clause is characterised by the presence of a subject and a verb, but it does not convey an entire notion.

Dependent clause

A dependent clause, by its own nature, cannot stand alone to make a simple phrase on its own. 

It is related to the main clause of a sentence by a sentence conjunction such as that or when.

 Another name for this type of clause is a subordinate clause.

 I rode out on the bike is the primary clause of the sentence.

It contains a complete thought and can function adequately as the only clause in a sentence on its own. 

The phrase “that Mary gave me for my birthday” is an example of a dependent clause, which means that it performs an action that is subordinate to the main clause.

 They have a subject and a verb that corresponds to the subject (“Mary gave”), but the presence of the subordinating conjunction indicates that the clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence. 

This is because the clause contains a complete notion in its own right. 

It is dependent on the main phrase because the main clause contains the object (the “bike”) that the verb that targets that object (the “give”) in the dependent clause targets.

The opposite of a dependent clause is an independent clause, which, despite typically working as part of a larger sentence,

 is capable of functioning on its own as a simple and complete statement. 

The phrase “She sighed” is an example of a full sentence because it contains both a subject and a verb.

 There is no component of the sentence that is dependent on a factor that is expressed outside of the sentence.

In a great number of instances, in point of fact, the presence of a subordinating conjunction is the one and only factor that serves to differentiate an independent clause from a dependent clause. 

Subject

The person or thing that is the focus of attention in an uncomplicated English sentence is referred to as the topic of the sentence.

As an illustration, the subject of the phrase is “John” in the sentences “John runs,” “John is a teacher,” and “John was run over by an automobile.”

The word or phrase that controls the action of the verb in the clause—that is to say, 

the word or phrase with which the verb is in agreement—is considered to be the subject of the clause, 

in accordance with the usual definition of the term (John is but John and Mary are).

If there is no verb, as in “John is such an idiot,” the sentence is incomplete.

Or if the verb involves a subject other than the noun, as in the sentence “John – I just can’t bear him! “

If this is the case, “John” cannot be the subject of the sentence from a grammatical perspective.

On the other hand, one may say that it is the subject of the sentence.

In languages such as Latin and German, the form of the subject of a verb is denoted by a designation that is referred to as the nominative case.

For example, the pronoun ‘he’ (and not ‘his’ or ‘his’) is used in sentences such as “he ran,”

 “he shattered the glass,” “he is a teacher,” and “he was hit by a car.” 

These phrases do not employ the possessive pronouns “his” or “his.”

However, in some other languages, such as Basque and Greenlandic, 

the form of a noun or a pronoun will change depending on whether the verb that is being used is transitive or intransitive.

For instance, the phrase “he went” is written in a different manner from “he ran” (he broke the window).

These languages, which are categorised as ergative languages as a whole,

 may not even make use of the idea of a subject at all because of the way their grammar is structured.

Predicate

Within the realm of linguistics and its several subfields, the word “predicate” can be utilised in either of two distinct meanings.

According to the first definition, a predicate is everything in a conventional declarative sentence other than the subject.

 According to the second definition, on the other hand, 

a predicate is simply the main content verb or accompanying predicative expression of a phrase. 

According to the first meaning, the word “enjoys” should be considered the predicate of the sentence 

“Frank likes cake.”

 According to the second definition, the predicate of the identical phrase is simply the content verb loves, 

and the arguments of this predicate are Frank and cake. 

Confusion can arise as a result of the differences between these two meanings.

The predicate must have a verb, and that verb must either require, permit,

 or allow other components to finish the predicate, 

or it must prevent those components from accomplishing one of those things.

 These components include predicatives, adjuncts, and objects (direct, indirect, and prepositional). 

Conclusion

You may instantly increase the quality of your writing as well as your ability to communicate with an audience by making correct use of the various sorts of clauses. 

To ensure that your phrases are comprehended by the reader, 

using clauses to draw their attention is helpful. 

Sentence fragments and run-on phrases are to be avoided at all costs.

Proper usage will help you do just that. 

Make sure you are familiar with the correct way to punctuate sentences with a variety of clauses so that you can avoid making any punctuation errors.