Clauses & Phrases

Intermediate · Foundations

This is a small idea that unlocks a lot of grammar. A clause has a subject and a verb. A phrase does not.

"She smiled" is a clause (subject "she" + verb "smiled"). "in the morning" is a phrase (no verb). Knowing the difference tells you whether a group of words can stand alone.

Rules & examples

  1. Independent clause = a complete thought that can be a sentence by itself.

    It has a subject and a verb and makes full sense alone.

    • She smiled.
    • The dog barked loudly.
  2. Dependent (subordinate) clause = has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone.

    It starts with a word like because, when, if, although, that — and leaves you expecting more.

    • ...because she was happy
    • ...when the sun rose
  3. Phrase = a group of words with no subject-verb pair.

    It adds detail but is not a mini-sentence.

    • in the morning (prepositional)
    • running fast (participle)
    • to win the game (infinitive)
  4. Join a dependent clause to an independent one to make a complete sentence.

    The dependent part needs the independent part to be "finished".

    • Because she was happy, she smiled.

Tips to remember

  • Quick test: read the group of words aloud. If it feels finished, it is an independent clause. If you are still waiting for the rest, it is dependent.

Common mistakes

  • ✗ When I arrived. The show started. → ✓ When I arrived, the show started. — "When I arrived" is a dependent clause and cannot be a sentence by itself — connect it with a comma.