Understanding Clauses
Basic sentences are independent clauses that stand alone, like "Molly and Flor ride their bikes to school." However, many sentences include dependent clauses that add information but can't stand alone as complete thoughts.
Dependent clauses often begin with subordinate conjunctions like since, while, as, because, or if. For example: "While other kids wait for the bus, Molly and Flor ride their bikes to school." The first part can't stand alone—it depends on the rest of the sentence.
There are many subordinating conjunctions to know, including after, although, because, before, even though, unless, until, when, and whenever. These words signal that the clause needs more information to make complete sense.
Pro Writing Move: Using dependent clauses adds sophistication to your writing by showing relationships between ideas. Try starting some sentences with "because," "although," or "when" to vary your style!