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Bepleased Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
"independent clause" its being independent for what reason
Hello,To.{When I saw what you had done, I was sad.}, I have a question that has lived in mind for a long time.Why is {I was sad} called "independent clause"? What is the reason for its being independent? That clause is really as the result of {When I saw what you had done} .Thank you for your help.
Top answer
Do not confuse semantics with grammar. 'Independent' is a grammar term. The clause is independent because it can stand alone as a good grammatical sentence: I was sad.
- Do not confuse semantics with grammar.
- 'Independent' is a grammar term.
- The clause is independent because it can stand alone as a good grammatical sentence: I was sad.
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2 Answers
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Do not confuse semantics with grammar. 'Independent' is a grammar term. The clause is independent because it can stand alone as a good grammatical sentence: I was sad.
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I was sad.
It is a complete sentence on its own. It is comprehensible as it is, without further utterances. That's why it is independent.
When I saw...
This leaves the listener or reader waiting for a continuation. Therefore this clause is dependent. You can also call it a temporal subordinate clause, which is the term I am accustomed to.
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It is a complete sentence on its own. It is comprehensible as it is, without further utterances. That's why it is independent.
When I saw...
This leaves the listener or reader waiting for a continuation. Therefore this clause is dependent. You can also call it a temporal subordinate clause, which is the term I am accustomed to.
..
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