Dependent Clauses: A Complete Guide

A dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause, is a grammatical construction with a subject and a predicate — but it doesn’t express a complete thought. 

These clauses are called dependent because they must be tied to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. When properly supported by an independent clause, dependent clauses add detail, complexity, and context to sentences.

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What Makes a Clause Dependent?

A clause is a grammatical construction with a subject and a predicate. 

• Independent clauses are complete on their own and can stand as a sentence.
• Dependent clauses contain a subordinating word, which makes them dependent (or subordinate) clauses. 
• Subordinating words are introductory words, such as because, when, if, and although.

Independent clause: 

• You can borrow my espresso machine. (subject: you, predicate: can borrow my espresso machine.
• You want great coffee. (subject: you, predicate: want great coffee)

Dependent clause: 

• If you want great coffee (subject: you, predicate: want great coffee, subordinating word: if)

Dependent clause + independent clause:

• If you want great coffee, you can borrow my espresso machine.

Dependent clauses vs. sentence fragments

Dependent clauses must be attached to an independent clause to be part of a complete sentence. Still, they are not sentence fragments, which often lack a subordinating word and have something else that makes the thought incomplete:

Sentence Fragment: You want great 

This isn’t a subordinate clause. It’s a fragment because it has a subject (you) and a predicate (great), but “great” is left hanging without a noun to modify. That is what makes it a fragment; the thought is incomplete. 

Why Are Independent Clauses Necessary?

Since dependent clauses can’t function alone, one might think they are weak or unnecessary in writing. Not so. Dependent clauses might not be able to stand alone, but they combine with independent clauses to undertake some important roles in grammar. 

Adding cause and effect

Some subordinating words make a clause dependent or subordinate, including because, since, as, and so that. 

Those same words show cause and effect. They add the “why” to many sentences, providing valuable information, detail and context to writing:

• You should borrow my espresso machine because it makes great coffee.
• Since I drank too much coffee, I was unable to sleep last night.
• I took a nap so that I wouldn’t need to drink more coffee. 
• As the coffee brewed, the house filled with a wonderful aroma.

Expressing temporal relationships 

Other subordinating conjunctions — when, before, after, since, while, until — help a dependent clause to express the relationship in time between two events or actions. 

• I was hiking for miles before I finally tired out.
• I’ll keep working until it’s time to go out for coffee. 
• After two hours in class, I just couldn’t focus anymore.

Dependent clauses add to the story by bringing context and connection.

Expressing conditions 

Subordinating conjunctions like if, in case, even if and unless help express conditions:

• If you bring me a coffee, I’ll go with you to the early meeting.
• I won’t go to that meeting unless you bring me coffee. 
• I won’t go to that meeting even if you bring me coffee.

It’s easy to see how the dependent clauses add detail and complexity to a thought by adding conditions.

Showing contrast

Dependent clauses with although, even though, though and whereas reveal the contrast between things:

• Although the meeting was early, it was pretty engaging.
• Though it starred my favorite actor, the movie was terrible.
• Even though I drank coffee, I couldn’t stay awake.

Dependent clauses contribute to sentence variety

Dependent clauses are also important because they are essential in building more complex sentences. They can connect with independent clauses to form complex and compound-complex sentences, providing the variation in sentence length and structure that makes language interesting. In this way, dependent clauses add depth and flow to writing.

Dependent Clauses in Compound and Complex Sentences

Without a dependent clause, a writer cannot form a complex or compound-complex sentence. 

To form a complex sentence, a dependent clause needs an independent clause to hold onto. 

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To form a compound-complex sentence, a dependent clause needs two or more independent clauses connected with a “coordinating conjunction” (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

The independent clause, “She won’t go to the meeting” has more context when dependent clauses are brought in to provide information.

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Final Thoughts

While the concept of a dependent clause may seem basic, it’s easy to see just how much this grammatical structure brings to writing. 

Without dependent clauses, writers would only have simple and compound sentences. Writing would sound choppier, have less flow, and lose the layers of meaning and connection that dependent clauses add. 

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Then, get more insight into proper grammar practices in our guides:

• Independent Clauses: A Complete Guide
• What Are Verb Tenses? 12 Types of Verb Tenses
• Declarative Sentences: A Complete Guide
• What Is Punctuation? An Overview