Clauses and the Building Blocks of Sentences

1. Clauses and the Building Blocks of Sentences

2. Clauses

3. Independent Clause • Has both a subject and a verb. • Makes up a complete thought, with no missing elements. • Is the same as a sentence. • Example: People like this school. • Dependent Clause • Does not make a complete thought. • When on its own, is the same as a fragment. If joined to an independent clause, can made a complete sentence. • Is missing either a subject or a verb, or it has some other element that makes it incomplete. • Example: Because it has many beautiful trees. • Running on empty. • People like this school because it has many beautiful trees.

4. the pieces of an independent clause • He loves computer games. • Dave and Tina are peaceful people. Verb Subject Verb Subject Subject

5. The pieces of a dependent clause (both of these are alone, so they are fragments) • Waiting for my mom. • The television and radio. No Subject! Kind of a verb, kind of not. Has two subjects but no verb.

6. Another type of dependent clause/fragment might have a subject and verb but also contains a word that makes it incomplete. • Because you already know me. • If Miguel flies in from Cancun. • As though the fall had hurt.

7. There are six types of fragments (see more about these in Writing with Confidence.)

8. Fragments are not acceptable in college or professional writing. They must be fixed. Identify the fragment (in other words, the dependent clause on its own, masquerading as a sentence). Add the missing subject or verb or independent clause, or subtract a word that makes the clause dependent.

9. Identify a fragment by its missing subject or verb, or its general incompleteness. Then fix it in one of two ways.