Grammar Unit: How to write a dependent clause

So far, we've done our grammar practicing with independent clauses.

For example:

• He goes.
• You write.
• She smells.

Each of these contains a subject and a verb. Each of these expresses a complete thought.

A dependent clause is the same thing as an independent clause, but it has a subordinating conjunction stuck to the front of it. You can use Google to find a complete list of subordinating conjunctions

For example:

• Before he goes... notice that this is the same subject and verb combo I used above. I just added an AWUBIS on there. Without the AWUBIS ("He goes.") it makes sense on its own. It expresses a complete thought. With the AWUBIS, it no longer expresses a complete thought.
• Because you write... same deal, right? There's a subject and a verb, but because there's the word because (an AWUBIS) in front of it, it no longer makes sense on its own.
• Since she smells... same deal. There's a subject and verb, but it doesn't make sense now that since is there.

This is a Khan Academy video that explains the difference between independent and dependent clauses:

This is an excellent list of subordinating conjunctions (AWUBIS):