A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete idea and cannot stand alone as a simple sentence. The clause below does not express a complete idea because of the subordinator at the beginning of the clause. Subordinators are words that are commonly used to shift independent clauses into dependent clauses. These dependent clauses can help writers connect ideas together and see the relationship between clauses. Common subordinators include after, although, because, before, once, since, though, unless, until, when, where, and while.
