Conventions:
Clauses and Phrases
A
complete sentence must have a
subject, a matching verb, and
express a complete thought.
 Phrase:
A group of words that is
missing either a subject, the
matching verb, or both.
 Examples:
 the
ancient oak tree (missing a verb)
 hitting the window (missing a subject and
verb)
 on a jet plane (missing a subject and
verb)
 Because
a phrase is missing one of the
two requirements for a complete
sentence, it is considered a fragment.
 There
are a variety of different types of
phrases (e.g. prepositional phrase,
adjective phrase, adverb phrase, verbal
phrases, etc.), which we will look at later
this year.
 Clause:
A group of related words
that has both a subject and a verb
that matches it
 Independent
Clauses: present complete
ideas and can stand by themselves as
sentences because they contain a
subject and a verb that matches it
 Examples:
I
went to the movies.
 You washed the dishes.
 Dependent
Clauses: cannot stand by
themselves as sentences
 (they depend on another clause to
complete the thought)
 Example:
 After
Stan went to the movies
 Since you have been so good

Even though a dependent clause contains a
subject and a matching verb, it also has an
additional word at the beginning of the clause
that makes you need more information.

These words are called subordinating
conjunctions.

The subordinate conjunction provides a necessary
transition between the two ideas in the sentence.
List of common SUBORDINATING
CONJUNCTIONS used in English language:
after
once
until
although
provided that
when
as
rather than
whenever
because
since
where
before
so that
whereas
even if
than
wherever
even though
that
whether
if
though
while
in order that
unless
why
PHRASE or CLAUSE?
 Is there a subject?





NO= Phrase
YES= Is there a complete verb?
NO= Phrase
YES=Does the verb express a complete
thought?
NO= Dependent Clause
YES= Independent Clause