Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses in Research Questions

When analyzing a complex sentence or research question, it's essential to identify the different components to understand the structure and meaning of the statement. In the given example, "What extent does texting decrease students’ grammatical competence?", we can simplify it to a declarative sentence for a clearer understanding. The sentence can be restated as "Texting decreases students’ grammatical competence to an extent."

Structure of the Simplified Sentence

The simplified sentence "Texting decreases students’ grammatical competence to an extent." consists of a single independent clause with a prepositional phrase. Let's break it down:

Subject: Texting Verb: decreases Object: students’ grammatical competence Prepositional Phrase: to an extent

Since there is only one clause in the sentence, it is a simple sentence and does not contain any dependent clauses. This means that the entire sentence is independent and does not rely on any additional clauses for its meaning.

Common Errors in Research Questions

When formulating research questions, it is crucial to use correct grammatical structure and punctuation. In the given example, there are several errors:

Adjective Usage: "Independent" and "dependent" are adjectives, and they should be modified to refer to clauses. Verb Agreement: The verb should be in the plural form "are" because multiple clauses are being referred to. Quotation Marks: The sentence to be analyzed should be set apart from the question using quotation marks. Possessive Noun: The possessive noun "students'” should include an apostrophe after the 's'.

The corrected question would read:

What are the independent and dependent clauses in the sentence "To what extent does texting decrease students’ grammatical competence?"

This revised sentence now not only adheres to grammatical standards but also clearly separates the question from the sentence to be analyzed.

Tips for Identifying Dependent and Independent Clauses

When analyzing a sentence for dependent and independent clauses, follow these basic steps:

Identify the Subject and Verb: Determine the subject and the main verb of the sentence. Check for Completeness: Ensure the sentence is a complete sentence (independent clause) if it expresses a complete thought without requiring additional information. Identify Clause Types: Dependent clauses cannot stand alone and begin with subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns. Independent clauses can stand alone as complete thoughts.

In the sentence "Texting decreases students’ grammatical competence to an extent," there is a single independent clause containing all the necessary elements to convey a complete thought.

Conclusion and Further Reading

Understanding the structure of sentences is crucial for effective communication, especially in research and academic writing. By identifying independent and dependent clauses, you can ensure your writing is clear and grammatically correct. Further reading on this topic can provide additional insights and help you master this skill.