Independent Clauses
Essential Question
How are independent clauses the essential building blocks of most sentences?
Grammar in the World
What Do I Know?
What do you already know about clauses that make sense all on their own?
Directions: Read each sentence and identify an independent clause.
Building Blocks
Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time, but it’s often helpful to see how a skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:
Learn About Independent Clauses
Most sentences are made up of independent clauses or a combination of independent and dependent clauses. All clauses have a subject and a predicate (verb). An independent clause is powerful because it can stand alone as a complete sentence. An independent clause has a subject, a predicate, and it makes sense all on its own.
Independent clauses can be very short or long. Adding phrases and descriptive words makes an independent clause longer. Notice how each of these sentences has one subject and one predicate and varies in length from other simple sentences.
- Ferrets are lanky and fluffy.
- Ferrets have long, lanky bodies and smooth, silky fur.
- I own a ferret.
- My pet ferret enjoys curling up around my legs.
- Ferrets often steal objects.
- These furry little thieves hide socks, keys, and toys in small spaces.
Independent clauses can work all by themselves, or they can join with other independent clauses and dependent clauses to get a message across.
|
Simple Sentence one independent clause |
Compound Sentence two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction |
Complex Sentence an independent and a dependent clause joined together by a subordinating conjunction |
|
Ferrets are lanky and fluffy. |
Ferrets are long and lanky, and they also have smooth, silky fur. |
Because ferrets have smooth fur, they are fun to pet. |
|
Some ferrets look like they are wearing a mask. |
Some ferrets have mask-like markings, and they tend to steal and hide objects. |
We refer to ferrets as little thieves because they tend to steal and hide objects. |
|
Ferrets sleep over 16 hours a day. |
Ferrets are active and energetic, but they sleep over 16 hours a day. |
Although ferrets are active and energetic, they sleep about 16 hours a day. |
As a writer and communicator, you get to decide how to design your sentences. As you can learn in our simple, compound, and complex sentences modules, mixing types of sentences helps you create variety and hold others’ attention and create interest in your message. No matter what kind of sentence you design, it will almost always have at least one independent clause.
Exceptions
For the most part, you’ll want to use complete sentences made of at least one independent clause. As always, there are some exceptions to the rules.
Knowing when to use an independent clause on its own and when to mix it with other clauses will help you develop your message. This creates sentence variety to help you keep listeners interested in what you’re saying.
Do I Get It?
What have you learned about independent clauses? Take this short quiz to check your understanding.