Which description defines a dependent clause?
• It expresses a complete thought.
• It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone.
• It is a group of words containing a subject or a verb but not both
• It can stand alone as a sentence
It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone.
A dependent clause is like a teenager who can't function without their parents. It contains a subject and a verb, but it just can't stand alone! It always needs the support of an independent clause to make a complete thought. So, the definition that best fits is: "It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone."
The correct description that defines a dependent clause is:
- It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone.
The correct answer is: "It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone."
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand what a dependent clause is. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. In other words, it relies on an independent clause to form a complete thought.
Option 1, "It expresses a complete thought," describes an independent clause. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a complete thought.
Option 3, "It is a group of words containing a subject or a verb but not both," is not accurate. A dependent clause must contain both a subject and a verb, although it cannot stand alone.
Option 4, "It can stand alone as a sentence," is incorrect because this describes an independent clause, not a dependent clause.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 2, "It contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone."