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dependent clause

British  

noun

  1. grammar another term for subordinate clause

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dependent clause Cultural  
  1. A clause that does not stand alone as a sentence but depends on another clause to complete its meaning: “When I get my braces off, I will be very happy.” Dependent clauses are also known as subordinate clauses. (Compare independent clause.)


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Or you can combine the shorter sentences into a complex sentence with a dependent clause, as in the second example.

From Textbooks Dec. 21, 2021

Perhaps knowing the difference between a main clause and a dependent clause doesn’t matter so much so long as you can intuit the difference.

From The Guardian May 13, 2017

That touch pitch is a modifier of they because it limits the meaning of they; the dependent clause is connected by its subject that to they.

From Higher Lessons in English A work on English grammar and composition by Brainerd Kellogg

A man will be honored is the independent clause; who is wise is the dependent clause.

From Graded Lessons in English An Elementary English Grammar Consisting of One Hundred Practical Lessons, Carefully Graded and Adapted to the Class-Room by Alonzo Reed

The dependent clause, introduced by that, is equivalent to a noun, and is the +Object Complement+ of believe.

From Higher Lessons in English A work on English grammar and composition by Brainerd Kellogg

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