Tag: complex sentences

A Review of Clauses

Posted on by metbaseball

In review, an independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb, and expresses a complete thought, which enables it to stand alone as a sentence; whereas, a dependent clause is a group of words that, though it contains a subject and a verb, does not express a complete thought because it begins with a subordinating conjunction.

Here are the types of sentences that can be constructed from independent and dependent clauses.

  • A simple sentence contains one independent clause.
    • She threw the ball.
  • A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses.
    • She threw the ball, and he caught it.
  • A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
    • When she threw the ball to him, he dropped it.
    • When she threw the ball, he dropped it because he lost it in the sun.
  • A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
    • He wanted to ask her to go to the dance when he saw her yesterday, but he was too nervous.

Complex Sentences

Posted on by metbaseball

A complex sentence contains both an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Example: After she ate the spaghetti, she went for a walk.

The dependent clause can either precede or follow the independent clause. In the above example, it precedes it. In the next example, it follows it.

Example: She went for a walk after she ate the spaghetti.

Rule: When the dependent clause precedes the independent clause, the dependent clause needs to end with a comma; however, when the dependent clause follows the independent clause, the independent clause is not followed by a comma.

In addition, one dependent clause can precede the independent clause and another can follow it.

Example: After the batter struck out, he threw the bat into the stands because his strikeout cost his team the pennant.

Test your skill:
(The following questions are for the example immediately above.)

1. What’s the subject of the first dependent clause?
2. What’s the verb in the second dependent clause?
3. What is the subject and verb in the independent clause?

The answers will be in the next grammar post.