The Building Blocks
Understanding Clauses
Every sentence is built from clauses — groups of words containing a subject and a verb.
- Independent Clause
A complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence.
“The cat slept.” - Dependent Clause
An incomplete thought that relies on an independent clause for meaning. Often begins with a subordinating conjunction like because, although, or when.
“…because it was tired.”
Structure 1: The Simple Sentence Key Definition
A simple sentence contains one independent clause — one subject, one verb, one complete idea. Despite its name, it can be a powerful, punchy tool in any writer’s toolkit.
Examples
