Clauses
A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb, but it may or may not express a complete thought.
A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but it is a group of words that cannot stand alone. Sometimes these are called subordinate clauses.
Example: when I cleaned my apartment
Example: so I cleaned my apartment
An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand on its own, or a basic sentence.
Types of Sentences
A basic sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
Example: I cleaned my apartment.
Example: She used her cellphone light.
Example: It sat unappreciated all winter.
A compound sentence is two or more sentences (or independent clauses) joined together with a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
The coordinating conjunctions are words that bring together two ideas and show the relationship between them: for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so.
FANBOYS is a way to remember all of the coordinating conjunctions, because this acronym is made from the first letter of each one.
Example: I went to school early, yet I was 10 minutes late!
Example: I don’t eat at McDonald’s anymore, nor do I eat at Jack in the Box.
Example: I like to be know what I’m eating, so I often cook for myself.
A complex sentence is made of at least one sentence (or independent clause) and at least one dependent (or subordinate) clause.
Example: When I was young, I went swimming all the time.
Example: After I got home from work, I made dinner.
Example: Until I was 33 years old, I didn’t know I wanted to teach in an adult school.
Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. A subordinating conjunction joins a dependent clause to an independent clause, and shows it’s subordinate relationship.
If a sentence starts with a subordinating conjunction, there will be a comma between that clause and the independent clause to follow. If a complex sentence has the subordinating conjunction in the middle, no comma is necessary.
Example: When I was young, I went swimming all the time.
Example: I went swimming all the time when I was young.