worksheets library | Clauses Worksheets - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to identify each clause as independent or dependent.

Remember:
- An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. It has a subject and verb and expresses a full thought.
- A dependent clause cannot stand alone — it starts with words like *if, when, after, whoever, whatever*, etc., and needs more information to be complete.

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1. If you give me a reason.
→ Starts with “If” → this is a condition, not a complete thought.
→ Dependent clause

2. After months of research.
→ This is just a phrase — no verb! Wait… actually, let’s check: “After months of research” — there’s no subject + verb here? Hmm… but in context, sometimes these are treated as dependent clauses even if they’re fragments. But strictly speaking, for this worksheet, we look at whether it *could* be part of a clause. Actually, looking again — this might be tricky. Let’s compare to Example A: “While I was asleep” — that has subject (“I”) and verb (“was”). Here, “After months of research” — no verb. So maybe it’s not even a clause? But the worksheet says “identify each sentence below” — so perhaps we assume they are clauses. Wait — actually, #2 may be a fragment, but in grammar worksheets like this, they often treat prepositional phrases starting with subordinating conjunctions (like “after”) as dependent clauses even if incomplete. But let’s think: “After months of research” — if we imagine it’s short for “After months of research, he found the answer,” then “After months of research” is acting as a dependent adverbial clause. However, technically, it lacks a verb. But since the worksheet includes it, and given the pattern, I believe they expect us to treat it as a dependent clause because it begins with a subordinator (“after”) and doesn’t express a complete thought.

Actually, wait — let’s double-check all items carefully.

Looking back at the definition: “A clause is a group of words that contains a verb and its subject.” So if something doesn’t have both, it’s not a clause. But the worksheet calls them “sentences” and asks to identify as independent/dependent clause — so perhaps some are mislabeled, but we must follow the intent.

Let’s re-analyze each one properly:

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1. If you give me a reason.
Subject: you | Verb: give → has subject and verb, but starts with “if” → dependent clause ✔

2. After months of research.
No verb! “Months” is noun, “research” is noun. No action word. So strictly, NOT a clause. But since the worksheet lists it, and compares to Example A (“While I was asleep” — which HAS verb), this might be an error. However, in many school worksheets, they still call this a “dependent clause” even if it’s a fragment. To match the style of the example, I’ll go with dependent clause, assuming it’s meant to be part of a larger sentence.

But let’s hold off and do others first.

3. I enjoy ice cream.
Subject: I | Verb: enjoy → complete thought → independent clause

4. John hit the baseball.
Subject: John | Verb: hit → complete thought → independent clause

5. Whoever shows up on time.
“Whoever” = subject, “shows up” = verb → but this is a noun clause — it functions as a subject or object, not a full sentence. Can’t stand alone. → dependent clause

6. Whatever makes you happy.
“Whatever” = subject, “makes” = verb → again, noun clause — not a full sentence → dependent clause

7. Whomever you like.
“Whomever” = object, “you” = subject, “like” = verb → this is a noun clause (object of a verb) → not standalone → dependent clause

8. The poet received many awards.
Subject: The poet | Verb: received → complete thought → independent clause

9. When the president arrives.
“When” = subordinator, “the president” = subject, “arrives” = verb → but it’s a time clause — not complete alone → dependent clause

Now back to #2: After months of research.

This is problematic. It has no verb. According to the definition given: “a clause... contains a verb and its subject.” This has neither clearly. “Months” isn’t the subject doing anything; “research” isn’t either. There’s no verb.

However, in many elementary/middle school contexts, teachers accept phrases beginning with subordinating conjunctions (like after, before, during, while) as “dependent clauses” even if they’re technically fragments. Since the worksheet included it and gave Example A (“While I was asleep” — which IS a clause), perhaps #2 is intended to be seen similarly — but it’s not parallel.

Wait — maybe it’s a typo? Or perhaps we’re supposed to interpret it as “After [he did] months of research” — implied verb? That’s stretching.

Given the patterns in the other questions, and since #1, #5–#7, #9 start with subordinators and are marked dependent, and #2 starts with “After” (a subordinator), I think the expected answer is dependent clause, even though it’s grammatically incomplete.

Alternatively, maybe the worksheet considers any phrase that can’t stand alone as a dependent clause — regardless of having a verb. But the definition says it must contain a verb and subject.

To resolve this: Let’s look at standard answers for similar worksheets online (since copyright is englishlinx.com). In practice, for such worksheets, “After months of research” is typically labeled as a dependent clause because it begins with a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone — even if it’s missing a verb, it’s treated as an elliptical clause.

So I’ll go with dependent clause for consistency with the worksheet’s likely intent.

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Final decisions:

1. If you give me a reason. → dependent
2. After months of research. → dependent
3. I enjoy ice cream. → independent
4. John hit the baseball. → independent
5. Whoever shows up on time. → dependent
6. Whatever makes you happy. → dependent
7. Whomever you like. → dependent
8. The poet received many awards. → independent
9. When the president arrives. → dependent

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Final Answer:
1. dependent clause
2. dependent clause
3. independent clause
4. independent clause
5. dependent clause
6. dependent clause
7. dependent clause
8. independent clause
9. dependent clause