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.

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.

Dependent Clause Infographic

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Last Updated on February 2, 2020