Here's the breakdown:
* Independent Clause: A complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb.
* Dependent Clause: A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence. It relies on an independent clause for its complete meaning. It often begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, since, while, although).
Complex Sentence: A sentence containing one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Example:
* Independent Clause: The dog barked.
* Dependent Clause: Because he was hungry.
Complex Sentence: The dog barked because he was hungry.
Key takeaway: A complex sentence has one main idea (independent clause) and one or more supporting ideas (dependent clauses).