Final answer:
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone and require an additional independent clause to form a complete sentence, while independent clauses are complete sentences on their own. An example of a dependent clause is 'Although she was tired' which needs more information to make sense. An independent clause can stand alone, like 'She went to work'.
Step-by-step explanation:
In English grammar, dependent clauses rely on another clause to make sense while independent clauses are full thoughts and make sense on their own. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence. An independent clause, in contrast, can stand alone as a complete sentence and does not require additional information to be understood.
Examples of these clauses include:
- Dependent clause: Although she was tired (This clause cannot stand alone as it relies on another clause to complete the meaning.)
- Independent clause: She went to work (This clause is a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.)
A compound sentence combines two or more independent clauses, often linked by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon, to form a single sentence. A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.