Independent clause
SAT glossary · Reading & Writing
Definition
A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence. Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone (a comma splice); they require a period, semicolon, or comma-plus-conjunction.
Independent clause in plain English
An independent clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb that's complete enough to stand on its own as a full sentence, with no missing pieces. This matters a lot for punctuation rules: you can NEVER join two independent clauses using just a plain comma by itself (that specific mistake is called a comma splice) — instead, joining them legally requires a period, a semicolon, or a comma paired together with a coordinating conjunction (like 'and' or 'but').
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