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Sentence Grammar |
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Phrases and Clauses |
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Clauses are groups of related words that have at least one subject The part of the sentence that names the person, place, or thing the sentence is about. Subjects are usually nouns or pronouns. The word firefighters is the subject of the following sentence: A verb indicates the meaning of a sentence as it shows action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs change form to show time, voice, number, person, and mood. In the following sentence, the verb have is used correctly: Seven firefighters were injured in the apartment fire.
and verb. Ben and Ted have so many friends.
There are two types of clauses: dependent and independent.
Dependent clauses cannot stand as sentences. In the following sentences, the word groups in italics are examples of dependent clauses:
Travelers who carry their own luggage learn to pack efficiently.Government regulations limit what a person can take aboard an airplane.
You can use dependent clauses to do the work of nounsA noun is simply any word that names a person, place, or thing., adjectivesAn adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. The following sentence uses an adjective correctly: An adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb. The following sentence uses an adverb correctly: Melinda looks beautiful.
, and adverbsSarah danced beautifully.
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In the following sentences, dependent clauses function as nouns:
Can you tell me how to get to the airport?I wish I knew what has become of my luggage.
In the following sentences, dependent clauses function as adjectives:
The man who was speaking to me just now is our tour guide.The plaza where we saw the fountain had a few outdoor cafés.
In the following sentences, dependent clauses function as adverbs:
I got some good snapshots while our plane was approaching the city.We missed our connecting flight because bad weather delayed our plane.
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Which of the following italicized word groups is a dependent clause? |
| Yes. This is a dependent clause functioning as an adjective. |
| No. This is an independent clause. It could stand on its own as a sentence. |
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