8.1 Finite clauses: Independent and dependent

Finite clauses are the building blocks of sentences. They contain a subject and a finite verb, expressing a complete thought or action. Understanding their characteristics helps us construct clear and effective sentences.

Independent clauses can stand alone, while dependent clauses rely on others to form complete thoughts. Knowing how to combine these clauses allows us to create varied and complex sentence structures in our writing.

Understanding Finite Clauses

Characteristics of finite clauses

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• Contains subject and finite verb expressing complete thought or action
• Subject explicitly stated or implied (John ate, Eat your vegetables)
• Finite verb shows tense, person, and number (runs, ran, will run)
• Can stand alone as simple sentence (The cat sleeps)
• May include objects, complements, or modifiers (She gave him a book)
• Always has tense (present, past, future) (He sings, He sang, He will sing)
• Verb agrees with subject in person and number (She walks, They walk)

Independent vs dependent clauses

• Independent clauses stand alone as complete sentences (I love coffee)
• Independent clauses express complete thought without relying on other clauses
• Independent clauses do not begin with subordinating conjunctions
• Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences (Because I was late)
• Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns (who, which, that)
• Dependent clauses rely on independent clauses to form complete thought
• Independent clauses join with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or)
• Dependent clauses attach to independent clauses (I was tired, so I went to bed)

Structure of clause types

• Independent clause structure: Subject + Predicate (The dog barks)
• Independent clauses may include objects, complements, or modifiers (She quickly ate the apple)
• Dependent clause structure: Subordinating conjunction/relative pronoun + Subject + Predicate (While I was sleeping)
• Common components:
  • Subjects: nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases (The tall man, She, The red car)
  • Predicates: verbs or verb phrases (runs quickly, is singing)
  • Objects: direct or indirect (He gave her the book)
  • Complements: subject or object complements (She became a doctor, They painted the house red)
  • Modifiers: adjectives, adverbs, or phrases (The blue sky, She sang beautifully)

Sentence construction with clauses

• Compound sentences: Independent clause + Coordinating conjunction + Independent clause (I like coffee, and he prefers tea)
• Complex sentences: Independent clause + Dependent clause (Although it was raining, we went for a walk)
• Compound-complex sentences: Multiple independent clauses + One or more dependent clauses (I enjoy reading, but my sister prefers movies, while my brother likes both)
• Dependent clauses placement:
  1. Beginning of sentence (When it rains, the plants grow)
  2. Middle of sentence (The book, which I borrowed from the library, was interesting)
  3. End of sentence (I'll go to the party if you come with me)
• Punctuation rules:
  • Comma before coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences (I ran, and she walked)
  • Comma after introductory dependent clauses (After the storm, the sky cleared)
  • No comma for essential dependent clauses (The man who wore a red hat left early)