Which word or phrase in the following sentence is the dependent clause?
I asked Joan to help me repair the door because I′ve never done it before.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause does not express a complete thought and therefore cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
I asked Joan to help me repair the door is an independent clause because it is a complete thought and could be a sentence on its own.
The other half of the sentence, "because I′ve never done it before" is not a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. It needs the independent clause ("I asked Joan to help me repair the door") in front of it to make it a complete thought. We are able to combine both clauses in this sentence using the subordinating conjunction "because."

Which Word or Phrase in the Following Sentence Is the Dependent