Dependent Clause: Definition and Examples of Dependent Clauses

What is a dependent clause? One of the common grammatical elements you are likely to come across in the English language is a dependent clause. Hearing this phrase, it might be difficult to understand what exactly it is. In this article, we are going to take a look at the definition of what a dependent clause is as well as seeing some examples to show how this clause works within a sentence.

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Dependent Clause

What Is a Dependent Clause?

A dependent clause is one that relies on being used with another clause, usually another type of clause, the independent clause. When used on its own, a dependent clause will not create a full sentence and needs further information to turn it into one.

Dependent Clause Examples

We are now going to take a look at a few examples of these dependent clauses in order to further understand how they work. The following sentences will show the dependent clause highlighted in bold.

When the aeroplane lands we will get off it.
Because I cannot go to the concert, you can have my ticket.
He can write much more neatly than his girlfriend can.
If you work on Saturday, I will look after your children for you.
You can sleep in my spare room, whenever you are in town.
Though I had never thought about it until now the song did sound like one I had heard before.
I am not totally certain how he won the race.
This is the cat who has gone missing.
Autumn is the season when the leaves fall from the trees.
My sister is the one who lives in that cottage.
These are the people who we met on holiday.
My father didn’t tell me why he said those things.
They were lost and were not sure how they would find their way.
What she believed was not what happened.
My brother doesn’t know if he can drive there.
We will give the best seats to whoever arrives the earliest.
What the man did was not useful to the situation.
The prize will be given to whoever wins the race.
She finally finished her college course after many years of studying.
Where is the milk which was in the fridge?
The actor, who starred in the film, was very talented.
The bicycle which you saw belongs to my son.
Whenever I am in Rome I speak Italian.
If you can give me a good reason, I will let you borrow my car.
When the car returns, we can go home.
Because my alarm did not go off this morning, I was late for work.
When we arrived at the party, we were offered a drink.
If I do not pay my tax bill, I will be charged a fee.
If the weather is hot tomorrow we can go to the beach.
When I read this book I feel happy.
Does anybody know how long the train will be?
My husband no longer plays football because he hurt his leg.
The event cannot start until the president arrives.
I am trying to think about what will happen next in the drama series.