Clauses and Phrases | Language Arts Worksheets and Activities - Free Printable

Let's solve this step-by-step. The task is to:

1. Underline the subject (the noun or pronoun that performs the action).
2. Circle the predicate (the verb or verb phrase that tells what the subject does or is).
3. Draw a line between clauses (each clause has its own subject and predicate).
4. Count the number of clauses in each sentence.

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🔹 Definitions Recap:

- Subject: Who or what the sentence is about.
- Predicate: What the subject does or is.
- Clause: A group of words with a subject and a predicate.

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We'll go through each sentence one by one.

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1. My sister and I were at my grandma's house when the phone rang.

- Subjects: *My sister and I* (compound subject)
- Predicates: *were*, *rang*
- Clauses:
- "My sister and I were at my grandma's house" → one clause
- "when the phone rang" → dependent clause (introduced by "when")
- ✔ Two clauses

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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2. We were watching TV on the couch, the old brown one, and eating sandwiches.

- Subject: *We*
- Predicates: *were watching*, *eating*
- This is a compound predicate (two actions by the same subject). There’s only one subject and one main clause, even though there are two verbs.
- No separate clauses — both verbs belong to the same subject.

> Answer: # of Clauses: 1

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3. It was Jan, my sister's friend, and she wanted to talk to my sister.

- Subjects: *It*, *she*
- Predicates: *was*, *wanted*
- Two independent clauses joined by "and"
- Clause 1: "It was Jan..."
- Clause 2: "she wanted to talk..."

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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4. I said, "I'll go get her, Jan," and then I went to get her.

- Subjects: *I*, *I*
- Predicates: *said*, *went*
- Two independent clauses:
- "I said..." (includes a quoted sentence)
- "then I went..."
- The quote *"I'll go get her"* is part of the first clause (not a separate clause unless it's a complete thought).

> So:
- Clause 1: "I said, 'I'll go get her, Jan'"
- Clause 2: "and then I went to get her"

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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5. Jan told my sister that the new super group, the Dance Boys, was at the mall.

- Subject: *Jan*
- Predicate: *told*
- Then: "that the new super group... was at the mall" → subordinate clause (object of "told")

- So:
- Main clause: "Jan told my sister..."
- Subordinate clause: "that the new super group was at the mall"

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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6. My sister almost fainted because she's the biggest fan of the Dance Boys.

- Subject: *My sister*
- Predicate: *fainted*
- Dependent clause: "because she's the biggest fan..." → subject: *she*, predicate: *is*

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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7. "I love the Dance Boys," she said excitedly.

- Quote: "I love the Dance Boys" → independent clause
- Main clause: "she said excitedly" → subject: *she*, predicate: *said*
- The quote is not a separate clause; it's direct speech inside the sentence.

So:
- One clause: "she said excitedly"
- The quote is content of the speech

But note: The quoted sentence has its own subject and predicate ("I love"), so it's a separate clause.

However, since it's embedded as direct speech, we still count both:

- Clause 1: "I love the Dance Boys" (quoted)
- Clause 2: "she said excitedly"

Even though they're connected, both have subjects and predicates.

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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8. Jan, my sister, and I all hopped on the bus to the mall to see the Dance Boys.

- Subject: *Jan, my sister, and I* (compound subject)
- Predicate: *hopped*
- Only one verb, one subject group → one clause

> Answer: # of Clauses: 1

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9. I'm not really a fan of the Dance Boys, but I like to go to the mall, so I went.

- Three independent clauses:
1. "I'm not really a fan..."
2. "but I like to go..."
3. "so I went"

Each has its own subject (*I*) and predicate (*am*, *like*, *went*)

> Answer: # of Clauses: 3

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10. When we got there, the mall was packed with Dance Boy fans.

- Dependent clause: "When we got there" → subject: *we*, predicate: *got*
- Independent clause: "the mall was packed..." → subject: *mall*, predicate: *was*

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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11. Everyone wore Dance Boy shirts except me because I hate the Dance Boys.

- Main clause: "Everyone wore Dance Boy shirts except me"
- Subordinate clause: "because I hate the Dance Boys" → subject: *I*, predicate: *hate*

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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12. While the Dance Boys sang, Jan danced, but I played games on my cell phone.

- Three clauses:
1. "While the Dance Boys sang" → dependent (subject: *Dance Boys*, predicate: *sang*)
2. "Jan danced" → independent
3. "but I played games..." → independent

Note: "but" connects two independent clauses.

> Answer: # of Clauses: 3

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13. I challenged one of the Dance Boys to a dance battle but he was scared.

- Two independent clauses:
1. "I challenged..."
2. "he was scared"

Connected by "but"

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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14. Since we went to the mall, I've been working on my moves, but I'm still bad.

- Three clauses:
1. "Since we went to the mall" → dependent (subject: *we*, predicate: *went*)
2. "I've been working..." → independent
3. "but I'm still bad" → independent

> Answer: # of Clauses: 3

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15. If Jan, my sister, and I go to the mall again, I'll surely walk around and shop.

- Two clauses:
1. "If Jan, my sister, and I go to the mall again" → dependent (conditional)
2. "I'll surely walk around and shop" → independent

> Answer: # of Clauses: 2

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## ✔ Final Answers:

| Sentence | # of Clauses |
|--------|--------------|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 3 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 |
| 13 | 2 |
| 14 | 3 |
| 15 | 2 |

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📝 Try It Yourself (Example Sentences):

#### Three sentences with one clause:

1. She reads books every night.
- Subject: _She_
- Predicate: *(reads)*

2. The dog barked loudly.
- Subject: _The dog_
- Predicate: *(barked)*

3. They arrived late.
- Subject: _They_
- Predicate: *(arrived)*

#### Two sentences with two or more clauses:

1. I like pizza, but my brother prefers burgers.
- Subject: _I_, _my brother_
- Predicate: *(like)*, *(prefers)*
- Two clauses

2. Although it was raining, we went for a walk anyway.
- Subject: _it_, _we_
- Predicate: *(was raining)*, *(went)*
- Two clauses

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✔ Final Answer Summary:

1. 2
2. 1
3. 2
4. 2
5. 2
6. 2
7. 2
8. 1
9. 3
10. 2
11. 2
12. 3
13. 2
14. 3
15. 2

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