Dependent Clauses

Lesson 3 Dependent Clauses

   Essential Question

How do we add important information while keeping the focus on the main point? 

 Grammar in the World

 What Do I Know?

What do you already know about clauses that provide extra, important information in a sentence? 

 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:

• Sentence Parts
• Subject-Verb Agreement (Singular and Plural Nouns)
• Independent Clauses
• Subordinating Conjunctions
• Complex Sentences

 Learn About Dependent Clauses

Almost all sentences are made up of independent clauses or a combination of independent and dependent clauses. All clauses have a subject and a predicate (verb). The independent clause carries the main weight of a sentence; it holds the primary information. A dependent clause supplements the independent clause and provides more information for us to understand. 

A dependent clause follows these guidelines:

• It is introduced by a subordinating conjunction
• It has a subject and a predicate
• It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence; it must be paired with at least one independent clause. 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 dependent clause. 

There are many subordinating conjunctions. You can remember the most common ones with the acronym AAAWWUBBIS.

Commas and Dependent Clauses

Let’s look again at the sentences you saw in the What Do You Know? The underlined words make up the dependent clause in each sentence. Look carefully. What do you notice about the difference between a dependent clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence and a dependent clause that comes at the end of a sentence? 

1. Although many people own dogs or cats, hamsters make great pets, too.
2. You will want to own just one hamster at a time since hamsters are territorial.
3. Even though they are small, hamsters can run as quickly forwards as they can backwards.
4. Hamsters are different from many other animals because they are born with a full set of teeth.
5. When you observe a hamster, you might see him stuff a lot of food in his mouth. 
6. He can store up to his own body weight of food in his cheeks until he can eat it later. 
7. Since hamsters are nocturnal, you’ll see them most active at night.
8. Unless hamsters gnaw on wood, their teeth will grow too long.

Did you notice that if the dependent clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma? If it comes at the end of a sentence, there is no comma. 

Use these two equations to help you form complex sentences with independent and dependent clauses:

Dependent Clause + Comma + Independent Clause

Example: Even if they are separated for years, hamsters will recognize their family members.  

Independent Clause + No Comma + Dependent Clause

Example: Hamsters will recognize their family members even if they are separated for years. 

As a writer, you can choose to write your sentences in any order. The order you use determines how readers will take in the information you share. 

• The independent clause carries the most weight in the sentence; it’s where the information you want to emphasize goes.
• A dependent clause that comes before an independent clause leads readers up to the most important information.
• A dependent clause that comes after an independent clause adds to, or bolsters, the important information we just read.

 Do I Get It?

What have you learned about dependent clauses? Use this interactive to check your understanding.