independent clause
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An independent clause (or main clause) is a
clause In language, a clause is a constituent that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb wi ...
that can stand by itself as a ''
simple sentence In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar. Typol ...
''. An independent clause contains a
subject Subject ( la, subiectus "lying beneath") may refer to: Philosophy *''Hypokeimenon'', or ''subiectum'', in metaphysics, the "internal", non-objective being of a thing **Subject (philosophy), a being that has subjective experiences, subjective cons ...
and a predicate and makes sense by itself. Independent clauses can be joined by using a semicolon or by using a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (''and'', ''but'', ''for'', ''or'', ''nor'', ''so'', ''yet'', etc.).


Examples

In the following example sentences, independent clauses are underlined, and conjunctions are in bold. Single independent clauses: *I have enough money to buy an ice cream cone. *My favourite flavour is chocolate. *Let's go to the shop. Multiple independent clauses: *I have enough money to buy an ice cream cone; my favourite flavour is chocolate. *I have enough money to buy an ice cream cone, so let's go to the shop.


See also

*
Comma splice In written English usage, a comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. For example: The comma splice is sometimes used in literary writing to convey a particular mood of informality. In the United States ...
* Conditional sentence *
Dependent clause A subordinate clause, dependent clause, subclause, or embedded clause is a clause that is embedded within a complex sentence. For instance, in the English sentence "I know that Bette is a dolphin", the clause "that Bette is a dolphin" occurs as t ...
*
Relative clause A relative clause is a clause that modifies a noun or noun phraseRodney D. Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum, ''A Student's Introduction to English Grammar'', CUP 2005, p. 183ff. and uses some grammatical device to indicate that one of the arguments ...
* Run-on sentence * Sentence clause structure


References

*


External links


Clauses: Independent
The Tongue Untied

Online Writing Lab
Independent & Dependent Clauses
My Schoolhouse Clauses {{Syntax-stub