Three Cheers for the Nanny State

Sarah Conly
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. An independent clause has a subject and a verb and is a complete sentence that can stand by itself.
A dependent, or subordinate, clause has a subject and a verb, but it does nol
have complete meaning. The following chart lists several types of clauses.
CLAUSE
ABOUT THE CLAUSE
Independent clause
Adverb clause
• Can stand by itself as a sentence

• Acts as an adverb
• Begins with a subordinating conjunction such as if, although, when, or because
Relative clause
• Acts as an adjective
• Usually begins with a relative pronoun, such as who, whom, whose, which, or that
Noun clause
• Acts as a noun
• Begins with a word such as what, whatever, when, where, why, or how
You may need to insert a comma between two or more clauses in a sentence. For example, you usually need a comma between an adverb clause and an independent clause.
DIRECTIONS: Identify each underlined clause by writing IND for independent clause or
SUB for subordinate clause.
1.
That is what is at risk, the ability to buy a large soda
2. _ Do we really need a ban on soda, when people can make their own
decisions?
3.
Some say the ban on soda could lead to worse laws, so we must be
careful.
4.
5.
I agree that banning large-size sodas is a good idea.
Even if it is for good reasons, some people do not like the idea of a ban.

1 answer

  1. IND
  2. SUB
  3. IND
  4. SUB
  5. SUB