Fun Easy English - American English Grammar Dependent clause.

Learning objectives

In this lesson you will learn the definition of a dependent clause and study examples of dependent clauses.

Definition of a dependent clause

A dependent clause:
cannot stand alone as a sentence
usually begins with a subordinate conjunction
includes: noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses
the following should be noted:
a sentence with an independent clause and any number of dependent clauses is referred to as a complex sentence
a sentence with two or more independent clauses and any number of dependent clauses is referred to as a compound - complex sentence
clauses should not be confused with phrases which do not express complete thoughts through combinations of subjects and predicates

Examples of dependent clauses

That the kid was making so much money bothered me.
noun clause: That the kid was making so much money (functions as a subject)
Her eyes were a shade of blue that reminded me of the sea.
adjective clause: that reminded me of the sea
I have a tendency to cry when I'm upset.
adverb clause: when I'm upset
My sister cried because she scraped her knee. (complex sentence)
subjects: My sister, she
predicates: cried, scraped her knee
subordinate conjunction: because
When they told me I won the contest, I cried, but I didn't faint. (compound-complex sentence)
subjects: they, I, I, I
predicates: told me, won the contest, cried, didn't faint
coordinate conjunction: but
The above sentence actually contains two dependent clauses. "When they told me" is one; the other is "(that) I won the contest." The "that" is understood to precede the "I won" and functions as a subordinate conjunction.

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