Dependent clauses

Sentence fragments are often missing a subject or verb, and may be dependent clauses. They can also be phrases or parts of other sentences. Fragments are punctuated as sentences, so they can sometimes be difficult to identify. Even though they don t express complete thoughts, they can be long and appear to be correct. Here are a few examples ... 

Although she helped support each one of her brothers grand endeavors), followed by another dependent clause (but Orville and Wilbur Wright s sister Katherine was never truly perceived as a hero). Whenever a sentence starts with a dependent clause (your clue is it cannot stand alone and starts with although), it must be followed by an independent clause (a statement that grammatically can stand on its own). If it doesn t, this is called faulty subordination. By removing the but, as in choice d, your second clause becomes dependent, and the sentence is correct. 

You have a dependent clause followed by another dependent clause. By removing the so, you have corrected the problem. Some choices replace the so with another conjunction, which repeats the problem. The other choice changes the verb tense and makes the sentence awkward. 

Modifiers made up of phrases or dependent clauses can be added to simple sentences to indicate, for example, cause and effect, or time sequence, or comparison. 

Some sentences contain one main statement and one or more less emphasized elements the less important ideas are subordinate to, or are dependent on, the sentence s main idea. Subordinating conjunctions introducing dependent clauses show a variety of relationships between the clauses and the main part of the sentence. Here are four examples of subordinating conjunctions and their uses ... 

A complete sentence must contain a subject and a verb. A fragment is an incomplete sentence it is often a participial ( -ing ) phrase or dependent clause that belongs to the preceding sentence. To check for fragments, try reading your prose, one sentence at a time, starting at the end of your essay. If you find a sentence that makes no sense alone, it s probably a fragment that should either be rewritten or connected to another sentence. 

The sentence gains new energy with the use of dependent clauses that subordinate details with respect to their importance. 

This revision has zero prepositional phrases and two dependent clauses. It also exemplifies steps 2 and 3 in the paramedic method. See Section 28.2.2 for more about dependent clauses. Prepositional phrases are, of course, an integral part of writing and are not to be avoided. It is only their excessive use and without thought to what is being said that creates problems. The lack of such phrases in this sentence is only coincidental. 

The strings of prepositional phrases, mentioned above, are also often a signal that we haven t been paying attention. The solution is to emphasize the important details, such as by using dependent clauses to subordinate details with respect to their importance. 

Dependent clauses also act as adjectives and adverbs, and as nouns. 

Dependent clauses make sentences more informative. 

Sentence Combining. Look for short sentences, especially if related by information, and combine them. Common sense has to prevail here. The goal is not jnst to write long sentences. Balance is important, but usually a series of short statements indicates undeveloped ideas or ideas lacking proper emphasis. The use of dependent clauses is at the heart of improving style by sentence combining. The following sentences illustrate what is involved. 

Another sentence type is of complex form where an independent clause is joined by one or more dependent clauses by means of words as after , although , because , since , or when or a relative pronoun such as that , which or who . Some of the complex sentences are given below. 

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