What is an independent clause?
A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb, or recognized as a part of a sentence. A group of words that can stand by itself, have a subject and verb, and make a complete statement in a sentence is defined as an Independent Clause. Other groups of words that cannot stand-alone or does not have a subject and verb are dependant clauses. One way to help distinguish between an independent and dependant clause is to ask who, what, when or where after reading the sentence.
Example:
Micheal Vick surpassed all expectation in the National Football League, but could not make it to the Superbowl.
- If you ask, “Who surpassed all expectations?” your answer will be Micheal Vick. Therefore, the first group of words is an independent clause and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
- In the second group of words, ask yourself, “Who is he?” The only way to find out who “he is” is to look back into the first group of words (he is Micheal Vick). Therefore, the last group of words is dependant on the first group; the last group would be considered a dependent clause.
Here are some links that may be helpful with any type of writing. [1]