This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Published on September 9, 2019, a reader sought to know the difference between independent and dependent clauses after reading a previous column on the use of commas, semi-colons, and full colons.
A sentence is a group of words that convey a full meaning. Clauses are the building blocks of sentences, and they can be independent or dependent. Independent clauses express complete thoughts and can stand on their own, while dependent clauses contain subjects and verbs but do not express complete thoughts.
Independent clauses are word groups that can stand on their own and be understood. They do not need additional wordings to make them understood. For example, the sentence 'Jesus wept' is an independent clause because it expresses a complete thought and can stand on its own.
Dependent clauses, on the other hand, are groups of words that contain subjects and verbs but do not express complete thoughts. They cannot stand on their own and need independent clauses to form sentences. Dependent clauses are broken into three types: adjective (or relative), adverb, and noun clauses.
Adjectival clauses, which contain a subject and verb, begin with relative adverbs or pronouns like 'where,' 'when,' 'who,' 'whom,' 'whose,' 'that,' or 'which.' They normally describe the noun in the sentence. For example, the sentence 'When he appeared before the parliamentary committee' is an adjectival clause because it describes the noun 'he' and contains a subject and verb.
Noun clauses are basically dependent clauses that function like nouns in sentences. They normally begin with relative pronouns like 'what,' 'which,' 'who,' 'whoever,' 'whose,' etc. For example, the sentence 'Whoever fixed it is an expert' is a noun clause because it functions like a noun and contains a subject and verb.
Adverbial clauses are subordinate clauses that function as adverbs in sentences. They normally begin with subordinating conjunctions like 'unless,' 'after,' 'if,' 'because,' and 'although.' For example, the sentence 'Unless one has the stubbornness of a donkey, politics is not for him/her' is an adverbial clause because it functions as an adverb and contains a subject and verb.
