What the Heck is a Clause?
And, what’s the difference between an independent and a dependent clause?
A clause has a subject and a verb.
There are two types of clauses:
1. Independent Clause = complete sentence
(has a subject + verb and makes sense on its own)
Example: The fish swam in the river.
2. Dependent Clause = incomplete sentence
(has a subject + verb BUT does not make sense on its own)
Example: When the fish swam in the river
If a sentence begins with a dependent clause and ends with an independent clause, you’ll need to add a comma to separate them.
Example:
When it swam in the river, the fish wiggled its body like a mermaid. (DC, IC.)
If a sentence begins with an independent clause and ends with a dependent clause, no comma is necessary.
Example:
The fish wiggled its body like a mermaid when it swam in the river. (IC DC.)
If you join two independent clauses, you can connect them with a comma and a conjunction, or you can separate them with a period or semicolon.
Example:
The fish swam in the river, and it wiggled its body like a mermaid. (IC, and IC.)
The fish swam in the river; it wiggled its body like a mermaid. (IC; iC.)
The fish swam in the river. It wiggled its body like a mermaid. (IC. IC.)