Clause Spotting: Identifying Clauses Complex Sentences Quiz

The dependent clause starts with the subordinating conjunction 'If' and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses an incomplete thought.

The independent clause is the part of the sentence that can stand alone as a complete, logical thought, which is 'We stayed inside.'

This is false. A subordinating conjunction only introduces the dependent clause; the independent clause is grammatically complete on its own.

The phrase 'since I was hungry' begins with the subordinating conjunction 'since,' making it unable to stand alone as a complete thought, thus it is dependent.

Both 'The train arrived early' and 'I will meet you there' express a complete thought and contain a subject and a verb, meaning they can stand alone.

The independent clause is 'I bought the toy'; it makes perfect sense on its own and is the main idea of the sentence.

The word 'after' is the subordinating conjunction that turns the clause 'you finish your chores' into the dependent clause.

This is true. Both independent and dependent clauses must contain a subject and a verb; the difference is that the dependent clause starts with a subordinating word that makes it unable to stand alone.

The independent clause is 'he ate breakfast,' which comes at the end of the sentence and can stand alone as a complete thought.

Because' and 'While' are subordinating conjunctions that make the clause dependent. 'And' and 'But' are coordinating conjunctions that join independent clauses.

The dependent clause begins with the subordinating conjunction 'when' and cannot stand alone as a complete idea.

This is true. The independent clause is often called the main clause because it contains the sentence's central idea and can stand alone.

The clause 'she went to the game' can stand alone as a complete sentence and contains the main information, making it the independent clause.

The sentence starts with the subordinating conjunction 'If,' meaning the dependent clause 'If the forecast is correct' introduces the sentence.

This is false. The word 'Since' acts as a subordinating conjunction, making 'Since I am finished' a dependent clause (or sentence fragment) that requires an independent clause to complete its meaning.

In this complex sentence structure, the dependent clause, which starts with 'because,' provides the reason or cause for the action in the independent clause.

By removing the subordinating word, the dependent clause becomes a complete thought (it still has a subject and verb) and can stand alone as an independent clause.

A dependent clause always starts with a subordinating conjunction (A), cannot stand alone (B), but still contains a subject and a verb (D).

The independent clause is defined by its ability to express a complete thought and stand alone as a grammatically correct sentence.

An independent clause must contain a subject (C) and a verb (D) to be a complete thought, but it does not need a comma or a subordinating conjunction.