The Grammar Doctor

dependent clause

A dependent clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb but lacking a complete thought. Here are some examples:

When you go into the house
If you want to get ahead in this business
What you did last summer
Who never worked a day in his life.

Even though these clauses each contain a subject and a verb, something has clearly been left out. To make sense a dependent clause has to be joined to an independent clause. An independent clause can be a sentence by itself.

Here are the dependent clauses from above joined to an independent clause to make complete statement:

When you go into the house, you'll see what I mean.
If you want to get ahead in this business, you'll learn the rules.
I know what you did last summer
He is a man who never worked a day in his life.

more about dependent clauses

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