It makes a lot more sense when you hear examples. I’m going to need more examples to explain this one. It’s the same with dependent clauses they need their main clauses.ĭependent clause fragments usually start with a subordinating conjunction such as opens in a new window because, opens in a new window although, or opens in a new window if. If you’re dependent on your parents, then you need them. Ack! This happens when your fragment is a opens in a new windowdependent clause, meaning that it depends on the other part of the sentence: the main clause. So you can make imperative sentences such as “Run! “ with one verb, and you can make simple complete sentences such as “Squiggly hurried, “ with a subject and a verb, but there is also a case where you have a subject and a verb, but you still don’t have a complete sentence. It’s such a strong command that he knows it is imperative for him to run. If Squiggly looks at the aardvark and says, “Run!,” Aardvark knows that he’s the one who should be running. There’s even a sentence form called the imperative that lets you make one-word sentences such as “Run!” Imperative sentences are commands, and the subject is always assumed to be the person you are talking to. No, Sir Fragalot, it would be “Squiggly hurried onward.” “Squiggly” is the subject he’s the one hurrying. You can make a complete sentence with just two words: “Squiggly hurried.” “Squiggly,” our beloved snail, is the subject, and “hurried” is the verb. It would be “I am leaving town” or “ opens in a new windowHe is leaving town.”Ī verb is an action word that tells the reader what’s happening, and a subject does the action of the verb. No, Sir Fragalot, you don’t have a subject or a verb. In the most basic form, a complete sentence must have a opens in a new windowsubject and a verb. Oh dear! Poor Sir Fragalot doesn’t know that you can’t magically make any set of words a sentence by starting with a opens in a new windowcapital letter and ending with a period (or an exclamation point). Over the next hill! A tree with wings! On DVD December 19! Welcome, Sir Fragalot! Sir Fragalot flounces around the countryside shouting sentence fragments at unsuspecting strangers. Entering stage left, we have a new podcast character. In this way, dependent clauses change the meaning of independent clauses.Unfortunately, when writers focus too much on brevity, sometimes they leave out important words and produce fragments instead of sentences. With a subordinating conjunction, a clause becomes a description of another clause. There are also quite a few less common subordinating conjunctions, so we recommend studying the list included in our subordinating conjunction post until you can recognize them on your own. You’re probably already familiar with some common subordinating conjunctions, such as because, since, if, until, when, even though, in case, while, now that, and certain uses of the prepositions before and after. In a way, these subordinating conjunctions turn independent clauses into dependent ones. The short answer is that dependent clauses always start with subordinating conjunctions. However, both kinds of clause contain a subject and a verb, so why is one a complete sentence but not the other? Basically, independent clauses are complete sentences on their own, but dependent clauses are not. The key to using complex sentences is understanding the difference between independent and dependent clauses. dependent clauses: What’s the difference? “If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” -Maya Angelou Independent vs. In conditional sentences, one clause is true only if both clauses are true. One of the most common types of complex sentence is conditional sentences, which discuss imaginary situations, often using an if-then structure. When I grow up, I’ll use complete sentences. Without an independent clause, a dependent clause is just a sentence fragment. Their distinction is that they contain a dependent clause only complex sentences and complex-compound sentences have these.Ī dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, is a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Complex sentences are easy to spot as they often use subordinating conjunctions like because, since, or until to connect clauses.Ĭomplex sentences are one of the four types of sentences based on structure (simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex). It works best when you need to provide more information to explain or modify your sentence’s main point. A complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Grammarly helps give your sentences extra polish Write with Grammarly What is a complex sentence?
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