A clause that can stand alone as a sentence.

A clause that can stand alone as a sentence.

• A. Independent clause
• B. Dependent clause
• C. Runon sentence
• D. Compound sentence

Answer: (A)

An independent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought, so it can stand alone as a sentence. For example, “The sun shines.” This works by itself because it conveys a whole idea. The statement in the question is describing this kind of unit, which is why it’s the correct choice. A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot stand alone because it leaves the thought incomplete, like “Because the sun shines.” It needs to attach to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. A run-on sentence isn’t about a single type of clause; it’s a punctuation error where two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction. A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses joined together, not a single one.

An independent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought, so it can stand alone as a sentence. For example, “The sun shines.” This works by itself because it conveys a whole idea. The statement in the question is describing this kind of unit, which is why it’s the correct choice.

A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot stand alone because it leaves the thought incomplete, like “Because the sun shines.” It needs to attach to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

A run-on sentence isn’t about a single type of clause; it’s a punctuation error where two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction.

A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses joined together, not a single one.