Definition · Plain-language
Independent clause
An independent clause is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.
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What makes a clause independent
A clause is a group of words with at least a subject and a finite verb. What makes a clause independent is that it expresses a complete thought and needs nothing else to be grammatically whole. "The researcher completed the study" — researcher is the subject, completed is the verb, and the meaning is self-contained. Contrast this with "although the researcher completed the study", where the subordinating conjunction although makes the clause dependent: the meaning is left hanging and requires a main clause to complete it. Identifying independent clauses is a foundational skill because they are the building blocks of all sentence types — simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.
How to join independent clauses correctly
English gives writers several ways to join two independent clauses. A semicolon joins them with no conjunction: "She studied all night; she sat the exam at dawn." A comma plus one of the seven co-ordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) is also correct: "She studied all night, but she still felt unprepared." A colon can introduce the second clause when it explains, expands or illustrates the first: "The conclusion was clear: the hypothesis had been disproved." A dash may also be used for informality or dramatic effect. What is not acceptable is omitting the connector between two independent clauses — that produces a fused (run-on) sentence. Using a comma alone, without a conjunction, is a comma splice.
Common errors: run-on sentences and comma splices
The two most frequent punctuation errors involving independent clauses are the run-on sentence and the comma splice. A run-on — more precisely called a fused sentence — joins two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction: "I wrote the report I sent it yesterday." A comma splice uses only a comma, without a conjunction: "I wrote the report, I sent it yesterday." Both are repaired by adding the correct connector: a semicolon, a comma plus a co-ordinating conjunction, or a period and a new sentence. Note that transitional adverbs such as however, therefore and moreover are not conjunctions; they cannot join independent clauses with only a comma — they need a semicolon before them or a period to start a new sentence.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: a clause with a subject + predicate that expresses a complete thought
- Can stand alone: yes — as a simple sentence
- Join with semicolon: no conjunction needed (She ran; she won)
- Join with comma + FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
- Join with colon: when second clause explains or illustrates the first
- Fused sentence: two independent clauses with no connector — an error
- Comma splice: two independent clauses joined by comma alone — an error
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: Any sentence is an independent clause.
Actually: A sentence is a complete grammatical unit; an independent clause is a specific grammatical structure — a subject-predicate unit expressing a complete thought. A sentence can contain one or more independent clauses plus dependent clauses.
Often heard: You can use a comma to join two independent clauses.
Actually: A comma alone between two independent clauses is a comma splice — an error. A comma may join independent clauses only when it is followed by a co-ordinating conjunction (and, but, so, yet, or, nor, for).
Often heard: "However" and "therefore" can follow a comma to join independent clauses.
Actually: Conjunctive adverbs such as however, therefore, moreover and consequently are not co-ordinating conjunctions. To join two independent clauses with them, use a semicolon before the adverb: "She studied; however, she failed.".
Going deeper
