Here's a breakdown:
* Independent Clause: A complete sentence that can stand alone.
* Dependent Clause: A group of words that contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone as a complete thought. It depends on the independent clause for its meaning.
Examples:
* Noun clause: "What you said" is very important. (The dependent clause "What you said" functions as the subject of the sentence).
* Adjective clause: The book "that I borrowed from the library" is due tomorrow. (The dependent clause "that I borrowed from the library" modifies the noun "book").
* Adverb clause: I will go to the park "when it stops raining". (The dependent clause "when it stops raining" modifies the verb "will go").
Key takeaway: These sentences are often called complex sentences because they contain both a main idea (independent clause) and a supporting idea (dependent clause).