Incomplete Independent Clause

1. INCOMPLETE INDEPENDENT
CLAUSES

2. A. Clauses
Every sentence has one or more clauses. One clause
makes up a basic statement.
 People need nutrition.
 The man ingested a vitamin tablet.
 Roy is a resident of northern California.
 Tom takes a summertime stroll to his workplace.

3. A compound sentence
A compound sentence consists of two independent
clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as
and and but).
 The man took a vitamin pill, and drank a glass of
orange juice.
 Roy lives in northern California now, but she was raised
in Ohio.

4. A complex sentence
A complex sentence consists of an independent clause (called
the main clause) and a dependent (subordinate) clause.
Subordinate clauses may be adverb clauses, noun clauses, or
adjective clauses. In the sentences below, the independent
clauses are italicized.

5. A complex sentence
◦ The man took a vitamin pill because he had a cold.
(independent clause + adverb clause)
◦ I didn't realize that Nancy was here.
(independent clause + noun clause)
◦ Tom walks to his office, which is located on Broadway, every day
during the summer.
(independent clause + adjective clause)

6. B. Missing Subjects, Verbs, Objects, and
Complements
◦ All clauses have a subject and a verb. Clauses with an action verb often
take a direct object as well.
◦ Subject Verb Object
◦ People need nutrition.
The verb missing from an independent clause may be a single-word verb
(need, was, took, had, walked) or a verb phrase consisting of one or more
auxiliary verbs and a main verb (will need, has been, should take, would
have had, had walked). The verbs may be active (need, take) or passive (was
needed, is taken).

7. ◦ The missing subject and direct object may be a noun (people, nutrition,
Tom) a noun phrase (some famous people, a vitamin pill, my friend Tom), or a
pronoun. (He, she, it, and they are subject pronouns; him, her, it, and them
are object pronouns.)
◦ After the verb to be and certain other non-action verbs, a subject
complement is used rather than a direct object. (Subject complements are also
known as predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives.)
◦ Subject Verb Complement
◦ He is an architect.
◦ The teachers seemed upset.

8. ◦ Example
The art of storytelling _______ almost as old as humanity.
◦ (A) that is
◦ (B) is
◦ (C) it is
◦ (D) being

9. _______ a few of the sounds produced by insects
can be heard by humans.
◦(A) Only
◦(B) There are only
◦(C) That only
◦(D) With only

10. _______ when lava cools very rapidly.
◦(A) Because pumice is formed
◦(B) To form pumice
◦(C) Pumice is formed
◦(D) Forming pumice

11. Duke Ellington wrote _______ during his career.
◦(A) that over a thousand songs
◦(B) over a thousand songs
◦(C) over a thousand songs were
◦(D) there were over a thousand songs

12. Before the invention of the printing press, books
_______
◦(A) that were very rare
◦(B) were very rarely
◦(C) were very rare
◦(D) as very rare

13. C. Clauses with There and It
These sentences generally follow the pattern
there + verb to be + subject
◦ There are many skyscrapers in New York City.
◦ There was a good movie on television last night.

14. ◦ The expletive it is used in a number of different situations and
patterns:
◦ It is important to be punctual for appointments.
(with the verb to be + adjective + infinitive)
◦ It was in 1959 that Alaska became a state.
(with the verb to be + adverbial + noun clause)

15. ◦ It takes a long time to learn a language.
(with the verb to take + time phrase +
◦ It was David who did most of the work.
(with the verb to be + noun + relative clause)

16. Example
In Michigan, _______ over six hundred feet deep.
◦ (A) salt deposits
◦ B) where salt deposits are
◦ (C) having salt deposits
◦ (D) there are salt deposits

17. _______ a tomato plant from 75 to 85 days to develop into a
mature plant with ripe fruit.
◦ (A) It takes
◦ (B) To take
◦ (C) That takes
◦ (D) By taking