Lesson · G.2.2

Clauses and phrases

Tell an independent clause from a dependent one, spot a phrase, and place the comma correctly, the three habits the HESI A2 grammar section tests most often.

ObjectiveG.2.2Read4 minExam weightSentence Structure ≈ 28% of Grammar

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What you will be able to do

Tell an independent clause from a dependent clause on sight.
Identify a phrase and explain why it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Place the comma correctly when a dependent clause opens or closes a sentence.

What the lesson concludes

An independent clause has a subject and a predicate and makes a complete thought on its own.
A dependent clause has a subject and a predicate too, but a subordinating word ties it to another clause and it cannot stand alone.
A phrase never has both a subject and a predicate, so it never claims to be a full sentence.
A dependent clause at the front of a sentence takes a comma after it. At the end, it usually takes none.
Punctuating a dependent clause as though it were complete produces a fragment, a common HESI trap.