TOPIC 1: Clauses
Independent Clauses
An independent clause can stand on its own as a sentence. It requires…
1. A subject
2. A conjugated verb
3. A complete thought
Subject
The subject of a sentence is who or what is doing the action (verb) of the sentence.
The cow jumped over the fence.
Jackie tutors for the SAT.
An apple sat on top of my desk.
Conjugated Verb
CONJUGATED UNCONJUGATED
A conjugated verb is a verb that is modified to An unconjugated verb is NOT modified to fit a subject.
“fit” or “match” a subject. Therefore, it cannot be the only verb in the sentence.
She eats dinner at 7PM. She eating dinner at 7PM.
- “eats” is modified to match subject “she” - “eating” is NOT modified to match subject “she”
They create jewelry and sell it at local events. She to eat dinner at 7PM.
- “create” and “sell” are modified to match - “to eat” is NOT modified to match subject “she”
subject “they”
*Verbs that start with “to” or end with “-ing” are NOT
conjugated.
*Note: The verbs ________ or ______________ are very rarely correct
(>99% wrong). Cross them out if you see them in an answer choice.
Complete Thought
- Dependent Word: a word that makes an independent clause a dependent clause
o Examples: although, because, before, when, if, etc.
o I cannot play soccer (I) à If I cannot play soccer (D)…
o Melissa is in the play (I) à Because Melissa is in the play (D)…
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Examples of Independent Clauses
She drinks coffee every morning.
The sky was blue.
*Note: For a clause to be independent, we do NOT need to know who or
what the pronouns in the clause refer to. Pronouns are valid subjects.
Pronouns like they, it, she, those, some, both, most, and many are subjects.
Both versions shown below are indeed sentences.
Noun Version Pronoun Version
Cookies are good. They are good.
School makes me tired. It makes me tired.
The girls enjoy school. Both enjoy school.
Dependent Clauses
A dependent clause CANNOT stand on its own as a sentence.
- A dependent clause lacks one or more of the three elements of an independent
clause.
o No subject: (_______) cannot survive without water
o No conjugated verb: She drinking coffee every morning
o No complete thought: Although she forgot to study
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Exercise 1: Identifying Clauses
Instructions: Identify the type of clause for each example listed below. If dependent, state what
the clause is lacking (subject, conjugated verb, and/or complete thought).
1. Because she had good grades. _____________________
2. Both girls were very tall. ______________________
3. I read. __________________
4. It was blue. __________________
5. The door creaks open. __________________
6. Where she found her husband. ______________________
7. A granola bar being the only snack she had. ________________________
8. These are used for baking. ________________________
9. Looking around last night. ____________________
Separating Clauses
Independent/Independent:
1. Period (“.”)
Ex: Jane went to the store. Henry went to the beach. and but yet
2. Semicolon (“;”)
Ex: Jane went to the store; Henry went to the beach. F A N B O Y S
3. Comma + FANBOYS
for nor or so
Ex: Jane went to the store, and Henry went to the beach.
SAT Strategy:
Because ____________, _______________, and
_____________________ have the same grammatical
function, if we see multiple answer choices with the same
wording and two or more of these equivalent forms of
punctuation, we can cross those answer choices out.
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4. Colon (:)
A colon can also separate two independent clauses but only when the second
clause explains or expands upon the first.
She wasn’t having a good day: She just failed a quiz and forgot her lunch at home.
The study showed that most individuals cannot multitask: It found that 94% of
participants lost focus when asked to talk on the phone while performing another
task.
Independent/Dependent:
1. Use a comma
Although she was tired, she still managed to be relatively productive.
D I
2. Use FANBOYS without a comma
She liked the beach but didn’t like to go in the water.
I D
Dependent/Dependent: Do not use any punctuation.
I gave my brother / a chocolate cake for his birthday.
It would be inappropriate to put any punctuation where the slash is in the above
sentence – we would be creating two dependent clauses if we did so. If neither
clause can stand on its own, then both clauses need to remain together as a single
unit to make sense.
Starting Sentences
Contrary to popular belief, you CAN start a sentence with ________________,
_______________, or ________________.
Because I was bored, I couldn’t pay much attention.
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Exercise 2: SAT Questions
Changing the Punctuation
Changing the Wording
Important Note: Cross out any answer choice with the word being!
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Changing the Punctuation and Wording
Making the Full Sentence an Independent Clause
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