A dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause, functions as part of a larger clause or sentence. On its own, it typically reads as a fragment in formal writing.
Three common jobs of dependent clauses
- Because the trail was icy, we turned back. The adverbial clause gives the reason we turned back.
- The hiker who found the keys brought them to the office. The relative clause identifies which hiker brought the keys.
- I heard that the trail reopened. The content clause tells what I heard.
Commas and dependent clauses
When an adverbial clause opens the sentence, put a comma after it. In Because the trail was icy, we turned back, the comma marks where the independent clause begins. When a following because clause gives the reason for the main action, the usual pattern is We turned back because the trail was icy.
See complex sentence for more ways a dependent clause can fit into a sentence.
