independent clause
Stands alone grammatically
An independent clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence: The dog barked.
It expresses a complete thought without needing additional grammatical support.
Multiple independent clauses can be joined with conjunctions or semicolons: The dog barked, and the cat hid.
Matter under discussion
- predicateSentence's non-subject portion
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- standaloneComplete without attachments
- grammaticalFollowing language rules
syntax · compound sentence · complex sentence · semicolon · period · declarative · interrogative · imperative
Complete without attachments
- self-containedWhole without external parts
- freestandingNot attached to anything
- unembeddedNot placed inside something
- autonomousSelf-directed and free
Confident statement of fact
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- statementExpressed claim or fact
- declarationFormal public announcement
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
idea · thought · message · content · sense · communication · discourse · utterance
subject
Matter under discussion
- predicateSentence's non-subject portion
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- standaloneComplete without attachments
grammatical · syntax · compound sentence · complex sentence · semicolon · period · declarative · interrogative · imperative · exclamatory
standalone
Complete without attachments
- self-containedWhole without external parts
- freestandingNot attached to anything
- unembeddedNot placed inside something
assertion
Confident statement of fact
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- statementExpressed claim or fact
- declarationFormal public announcement
expression · idea · thought · message · content · sense · communication · discourse · utterance · truth value
- grammardeclension, pronouns, adjectives, conjugation, nouns
- grammar termsnoun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun
- syntaxsentence, verb, noun, adjective, adverb
- clausesmain clauses, dependent clauses, subordinate clauses, embedded clauses, if clauses
- grammar partsnoun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun
- subordinationsubordination, because, although, while, when
independent clausedependent clause
Incomplete grammatical unit needing support
subordinate clause · relative clause · noun clause · adjective clause · that-clause
independent clausesentence fragment
Grammatically incomplete unit
dependent clause · subordinate clause · incomplete sentence · phrase
independent, independence, clause, independently, interdependent, interdependence, interdependently