Grammar Power

I can show respect for my readers and for my own ideas by writing in formal American English.

Phrases and Clauses

Overview:
Phrases are groups of words that, when they are written together, have a single meaning. Clauses are also groups of words with a single meaning. But one of the words must be a verb, and that verb must be marked in some way to tell you WHEN the verb happened: in the past, present, or future, or in a possible future. Clauses can be independent as long as there is no word in them that makes them dependent.

Meet Phoebe. I like to spend hours putting outfits together with my friends.
For Phoebe, the best weekend ever is a weekend she can spend with a bunch of friends as long as theres no time pressure.

Meet Claudia. I love being with friends, too. But youd better come on time, or dont come at all.
Claudias a little more strict than Phoebe.

Phoebe, the easygoing one, is a phrase.

A phrase is a group of words that go together to create meaning.
multiple bangles

There are NO VERBS in phrases, so theres no sense of WHEN anything happens.

red skinny jeans glittery top with a green vest over it

Claudia, the strict one, is a clause.

I love You were wearing
the red skinny jeans the multiple bangles

a glittery top a green vest over it

Love and were wearing are verbs that are marked for tense. Marking lets us know that I love is in the present tense (its happening now) and You were wearing is in the past tense (it happened already).

Independent Clauses . . .
. . . have a subject and a marked verb.

will love the new phone

hate too much homework

Claudia and Phoebe

had a great weekend

wish they could go to the party

Sentences . . .
. . . are independent clauses that end with a period and express a complete idea.
They wish they could go to the party.

They had a great weekend.

They hate too much homework.

Meet Claudias little sister.

Her name is Even. When Claudia has to babysit for her, she cant always do what she wants. Shes not independent anymore, as long as Evens around.

Dependent clauses . . .
Are marked by words like, even, when, where, and after, so that they cannot make sense on their own.
even when we

where

you

want

after

it

rains

Some words and phrases that create dependency:

after although as as if because before even if even though if in order to

since though unless until whatever when whenever whether while

Phrase & Clause Target

Phrase

+ Marked Verb =
Clause (incomplete sentence)

+ Subject =
Independent Clause (sentence)

+ Dependency
Word = Dependent Clause (fragment)

Summary
Phrases are groups of words that have meaning and DO NOT contain a verb that is marked for tense. Clauses are groups of words that have meaning and DO contain a verb that is marked for tense. Independent clauses have a subject and a marked verb. If they end with a period and express an idea, they are sentences. Dependent clauses have a subject and a marked verb PLUS a word that marks the clause for dependency. If they ended with a period, they would not make sense because the marking word would need another phrase to explain it.