The Clause…No Antlers!

1. The Clause…No Antlers! • A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. • There are two major types: • An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, beginning with a capital letter and ending with terminal punctuation such as a period. • A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence; instead it must be attached to an independent clause. (G. Lutz and D. Stevenson, The Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference, 2005)

2. Clause…No Santa Here! • Independent • "The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.(H.L. Mencken) • "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.(Ernest Hemingway) • "What's another word for 'thesaurus'?"(Steven Wright) http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/independterm.htm • Dependent • "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."(Philo) • "Never forget me, because if I thought you would, I'd never leave." (A. A. Milne) • "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"(Albert Einstein) http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/dependclterm.htm

3. Clauses in Action • With a partner: • Each will write 3 independent clauses. • Each will write 3 dependent clauses. • Trade papers. • Each will use the partner’s clauses to create 6 new sentences. • To independent clauses, add a dependent clause. • To dependent clauses, add an independent clause.