Educational worksheet teaching the difference between independent and dependent clauses with practice sentences.

Let’s go step by step to figure out whether each underlined clause is independent or dependent.

Remember:
- An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. It has a subject and verb and makes sense by itself.
- A dependent clause cannot stand alone — it needs more information to make sense. It often starts with words like *because, when, if, unless, until, as, wherever, so long as, whenever*.

Now let’s look at each one:

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1. Because he ran, he was able to catch the bus.
→ “Because he ran” starts with “because” — that’s a clue it’s dependent. Can you say just “Because he ran.”? No — it feels incomplete. So → Dependent

2. Until the sun sets, I will stay with you.
→ Starts with “until” — again, this is a time word that makes the clause need more info. “Until the sun sets.” isn’t a full thought. → Dependent

3. As the lights dim, I will say good-bye.
→ “As” here means “while” — still a dependent starter. “As the lights dim.” doesn’t stand alone. → Dependent

4. Wherever he might go, I will follow him.
→ “Wherever” introduces a condition/location — not a full sentence on its own. → Dependent

5. So long as you know, I will be waiting for you.
→ “So long as” = “as long as” — it’s setting a condition. Not a full sentence alone. → Dependent

7. If the dress is on sale, she will buy it.
→ “If” always starts a dependent clause (condition). “If the dress is on sale.” — not complete. → Dependent

8. Whenever you come to visit, make sure to bring food.
→ “Whenever” = any time — still dependent. “Whenever you come to visit.” — not a full sentence. → Dependent

9. Unless you have the right size, don’t try it on.
→ “Unless” = except if — conditional, so dependent. → Dependent

10. When we get snow, we will go sledding.
→ “When” tells us about time — but the clause “When we get snow” can’t stand alone. → Dependent

Wait — hold on! Let me double-check #2 and others… Actually, in all these cases, the underlined part is the first part of the sentence — and they ALL start with subordinating conjunctions (because, until, as, wherever, so long as, if, whenever, unless, when). That means they are ALL dependent clauses.

But wait — what about #2: “Until the sun sets” — yes, dependent.
What about #6? Oh — there’s no #6 listed. The worksheet skips from 5 to 7. Probably a typo, but we’ll work with what’s given.

Actually — let me check #2 again:
“Until the sun sets, I will stay with you.”
The underlined part is “Until the sun sets” — which is dependent. Correct.

Is there ANY independent clause among the underlined parts? Looking again...

Nope — every single underlined clause begins with a subordinating conjunction or relative adverb that makes it dependent.

BUT — wait! Let’s read the instructions again:
> Tell whether the underlined clause is independent or dependent.

In example A: “Because I can’t wait” → Dependent — correct.

So for all 1–10 (skipping 6), the underlined portion is the introductory clause — and all are dependent.

However — let’s test one: What if someone thinks “I will stay with you” is underlined? But no — looking at the formatting, in each case, the FIRST part is underlined. For example:

1. Because he ran, he was able to catch the bus. ← underlined: “Because he ran”

Same pattern for all.

Therefore, all answers should be Dependent.

But wait — let’s check #2 again carefully:
“Until the sun sets, I will stay with you.”
Underlined: “Until the sun sets” → dependent ✔

#3: “As the lights dim” → dependent ✔

#4: “Wherever he might go” → dependent ✔

#5: “So long as you know” → dependent ✔

#7: “If the dress is on sale” → dependent ✔

#8: “Whenever you come to visit” → dependent ✔

#9: “Unless you have the right size” → dependent ✔

#10: “When we get snow” → dependent ✔

All of them are dependent clauses.

But — is that possible? Maybe the teacher included some trick questions?

Wait — let’s think differently. Is there any chance that in some sentences, the underlined part is actually the MAIN clause?

Looking back at the original image description (even though I’m not supposed to mention it) — the user said the underlined parts are the ones before the comma in most cases.

For example, in #2: “Until the sun sets, I will stay with you.” — underlined is “Until the sun sets”

Similarly, in #10: “When we get snow, we will go sledding.” — underlined is “When we get snow”

None of those can stand alone.

BUT — what about #2? Could “I will stay with you” be underlined? No — based on standard worksheet design and the example, the first clause is underlined.

Actually — let me re-read the problem statement from the user: they didn’t specify which part is underlined, but in the context of such worksheets, and given Example A (“Because I can’t wait” is underlined), it’s safe to assume that in each numbered item, the clause BEFORE the comma is underlined — and that’s the one we’re evaluating.

And all of those begin with subordinating conjunctions → all dependent.

However — I recall that sometimes students get confused with “so long as” or “as” — but even then, they introduce dependent clauses.

One last check: Take #5 — “So long as you know, I will be waiting for you.”
“So long as you know” — this is equivalent to “provided that you know” — still dependent.

Yes — all are dependent.

But wait — what about #2? “Until the sun sets” — definitely dependent.

I think I was overthinking. All underlined clauses here are dependent.

Final confirmation:

Independent clause example: “He ran.” → complete thought.

Dependent: “Because he ran” → needs more.

All underlined parts here are like “Because he ran”, “Until the sun sets”, etc. → all dependent.

So answers:

1. Dependent
2. Dependent
3. Dependent
4. Dependent
5. Dependent
7. Dependent
8. Dependent
9. Dependent
10. Dependent

(Note: #6 is missing — probably a numbering error in the worksheet.)

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Final Answer:
1. Dependent
2. Dependent
3. Dependent
4. Dependent
5. Dependent
7. Dependent
8. Dependent
9. Dependent
10. Dependent