
If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause in the sentence, a comma must connect it to the independent clause. Depending on where they are in the sentence, there are specific ways that they have to be connected with punctuation. How do dependent clauses connect to independent clauses?ĭependent clauses can come either before or after an independent clause in a sentence. Since the noun clause, what he had done is acting as the subject of the sentence, the entire sentence is one independent clause. Here is an example where a noun clause is not dependent: In the sentence above, the underlined noun clause is acting as the direct object of the verb, demanded.
The Red Queen demanded to know who painted the roses red. Noun clauses can begin with either interrogative pronouns ( who, what, when, where, how, why) or expletives ( that, whether, if ). However, if the noun clause is taking the place of an object, it is a dependent clause. If the noun clause is acting as the subject of the sentence, it is not dependent. Noun clauses can take the role of literally any noun in the sentence, so we have to be careful when identifying these clauses.
Noun dependent clauses are a little different than adverb or relative clauses.
The quaint bookstore that is located downtown has the fluffiest shop cat in residence. If you are not sure whether the dependent clause is acting as an adverb or as an adjective, ask if the clause answers one of these two questions: which one or what kind? Relative dependent clauses start with relative pronouns such as that, which, who, whom, or whose. This noun could be the subject or an object, but it has to be in the independent clause. Relative dependent clauses act like adjectives and give more detail about a noun that is included in the independent clause. This adverbial clause answers the question, when did the subject realize the bravery of bears ? After our trip to the mountains, I realized just how brave black bears can be. If you are unsure whether the dependent clause is acting like an adverb, see if it answers one of these questions: where, why, how, when, or to what degree was the action performed? Just like you would not think that a single adverb could make up an entire sentence on its own, these clauses also cannot exist by themselves in your writing.Īdverbial dependent clauses start with subordinating conjunctions such as after, even though, because, if, as soon as, etc. What is the moral of the story? What does the writer intend the reader to understand? There are arguably several themes in "The Martian": the ability of humans to overcome problems, the stodginess of bureaucrats, the willingness of scientists to overcome political differences, the dangers of space travel, and the power of flexibility as a scientific method.What are the three types of dependent clauses?Īdverbial dependent clauses act like adverbs, which means that as a clause, they give more information about the main verb that is found in the independent clause. Most important and least explicit is the theme. #Reminisce in a sentence how to
The conflict in "The Martian" is that Watney needs to figure out how to survive and eventually leave the planet's surface. Plots need a moment of tension, which involves some difficulty that requires resolution. The conflict is the problem that is being resolved.The characters in "The Martian" include Mark Watney, his shipmates, the people at NASA resolving the issue, and even his parents who are only mentioned in the story but still are impacted by the situation and in turn impact Mark's decisions. The characters are the people in the story who drive the plot, are impacted by the plot, or may even be bystanders to the plot.
"The Martian" is set on Mars in the not-too-distant future. The setting is the location of the events in time and place.Weir's plot is about a man who gets accidentally abandoned on the surface of Mars. The plot is the thread of events that occur in a story.