Grammar, Plain and Simple

We often talk about clauses and phrases in sentences, but you may be wondering about the difference between the two. It’s really a very simple difference: a clause is a groups of words with a verb in it; a phrase is a group of words with no verb.

There are two types of clauses. The first is an independent clause, a clause which makes sense all by itself.
A simple sentence is actually an independent clause. Look at these examples:
The dog wagged its tail.
Sam drew a picture for me.
The raindrops made a rainbow in the sky.
Each of these groups of words has a subject and a verb and tells a complete thought.

The second type of clause is a subordinate clause. A subordinate clause also has a subject doing something, but a subordinate clause does not make sense all by itself. Here are some subordinate clauses. Notice how each begins with a subordinate clause word.
When I patted its head.
Because he likes me.
As the storm ended.

In order for the subordinate clauses to make sense, we must attach each subordinate clause to an independent clause. Let’s join our independent clauses and our subordinate clauses to make good sentences.
The dog wagged its tail when I patted its head.
Sam drew a picture for me because he likes me.
As the storm ended, the raindrops made a rainbow in the sky.

Remember – a clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. A clause can be independent or subordinate. A single independent clause is a simple sentence. Two independent clauses joined by a conjunction make a compound sentence. A complex sentence is a subordinate clause joined with an independent clause.