What is the key difference between a clause and a phrase?

A clause contains both a subject and a predicate, while a phrase is missing one or both of these elements.

Write a sentence that includes the independent clause 'The dog barked loudly'. Then, add a dependent clause to the beginning of the sentence.

Although it was late, the dog barked loudly.

An adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun. Example: The book that I borrowed from the library is due next week.

We arrived late after the play started.

Grade 11th Grade · ELA · 60 min

I can distinguish between dependent and independent clauses and use them correctly in complex sentences.

Socratica · 5:21

Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, & Phrases | Basic English Grammar Rules | ESL | SAT | TOEFL

3 key concepts

1
An independent clause contains both a subject and a predicate and can stand alone as a sentence.
2
Dependent clauses, also known as subordinate clauses, also contain a subject and a verb, but cannot stand alone and need an independent clause to make sense.
3
Unlike clauses, phrases do NOT contain both a subject and predicate, and examples of phrases include noun phrases, prepositional phrases, and verb phrases.

12 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Quick comprehension check

“Identify the independent clause and the dependent clause in the following sentence: Because it was raining, the game was cancelled.”

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