dependent clause
- noun
- /dɪˈpɛndənt klɔz/
- Specialized
:
cláusula dependiente
- A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Examples
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At younger ages, these words are nouns, verbs, and adjectives; the children do not get extra points for longer sentences, more complex sentence forms, or dependent clause structures.
Academic text (2015) -
Dependent clauses are predominantly relative clauses (66%) functioning as adjectives.
Academic text (2002) -
The syntax of the dependent clause is rather difficult to interpret.
Academic text (2006) -
They developed phrases that felt incomplete and called them dependent clauses.
Academic text (1997) -
A C-unit is typically an independent clause plus all of its dependent clauses (Loban, 1976).
Academic text (2015) -
More complicated sentences will follow as writing competence increases and will demand the use of commas, semicolons, and colons for independent and dependent clauses.
Academic text (2002) -
As described by Loban (1963), a C-unit consists of an independent clause plus any number of dependent clauses. That is, a C-unit can include a maximum of one independent clause.
Academic text (2015) -
" I had asked him to speak in classical style, and he was using an extremely complex Ciceronian style, with sentences that were a paragraph long, with several dependent clauses, and corresponding nouns, adjectives, and verbs miles apart from each other.
Academic text (1994) -
In the sentence 'Although it was raining, we went for a walk,' the part 'Although it was raining' is a dependent clause.
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Understanding how a dependent clause works helps improve your writing skills.
Synonyms
1
4.2
A part of a sentence that cannot stand alone and works like a noun, adjective, or adverb
A part of a sentence that needs the main part to make sense
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
4.0
A part of a sentence that can stand alone and give a complete idea
How Independent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'dependent' (relying on something else) modifies 'clause' (a unit with subject and predicate), so the combined meaning — a clause that relies on a main clause and cannot stand alone — follows straightforwardly from the parts. This construction and logic are cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Dependent clause paints a simple picture: the word dependent means someone who needs help, and a clause is a part of a sentence. So think of a small sentence piece that leans on a bigger one — it 'cannot stand alone', which is why a dependent clause must join a main clause.