What expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence?

What expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence?

• A. Clause
• B. Independent Clause
• C. Dependent Clause
• D. Sentence Predicate

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that a complete thought that can stand on its own as a sentence is an independent clause. A clause is any group of words with a subject and a verb. An independent clause expresses a full idea and can stand alone as a sentence because it has both a subject and a complete predicate that together convey a complete thought. A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it starts with a word that makes the thought incomplete (like because, when, if, although), so it cannot stand alone and needs another independent clause to complete the sentence. The term sentence predicate refers specifically to the part of the sentence that contains the verb and tells what the subject is doing or what is being said about the subject; by itself it doesn’t express a complete thought. For example, “She runs every morning” is an independent clause that can stand alone as a sentence, while “because she loves to stay healthy” is a dependent clause that needs an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

The main idea here is that a complete thought that can stand on its own as a sentence is an independent clause. A clause is any group of words with a subject and a verb. An independent clause expresses a full idea and can stand alone as a sentence because it has both a subject and a complete predicate that together convey a complete thought. A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it starts with a word that makes the thought incomplete (like because, when, if, although), so it cannot stand alone and needs another independent clause to complete the sentence. The term sentence predicate refers specifically to the part of the sentence that contains the verb and tells what the subject is doing or what is being said about the subject; by itself it doesn’t express a complete thought. For example, “She runs every morning” is an independent clause that can stand alone as a sentence, while “because she loves to stay healthy” is a dependent clause that needs an independent clause to form a complete sentence.