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Dependant or independant clause

Dependant or independant clause

Dependant or independant clause

(OP)
The rule is something  like;  if the clause depends on the sentence to make sense, then set it off by commas.  Or is it vice versa?

After many years away from school, I just re-read and see which way makes more sense but I should not be so lazy.

Comments, examples?

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Dependant or independant clause

IRstuff: I thought dependent and dependant are both acceptable, while only independent is correct. There are, of course, also dependance and dependence. Please comment.

RE: Dependant or independant clause

In British English, "dependant" is a noun, meaning "one who relies upon another for financial support". I believe "dependent" is the common US form.

In British English, "dependent" is an adjective, meaning "depending or conditional upon something or someone else". "Independent" is the antonym, meaning "not depending or conditional upon something or someone else". There is no such word as "independant", as far as I know.

"Dependence" is the noun form of "dependent" (the adjective), meaning "the state of depending upon something or someone else".

"Dependency" can also mean this, but more usually has the more specific meaning of "something, especially a country or province, that is dependent upon another".

RE: Dependant or independant clause

P.S.

I believe "dependance" is a non-word as well.

RE: Dependant or independant clause

To JulianHardy, dependance, as in trust, reliance, or dependence, is a word chiefly used in the U.S. Please, look it up in any good dictionary.

RE: Dependant or independant clause

OK, when I tried a more comprehensive on-line dictionary search, I find that "The American Heritage Dictionary" and "Webster's" list "dependance" as a variant of "dependence". Neither gives it a primary listing in its own right. I couldn't find any reputable other references.

None of my hard-copy dictionaries lists it as a valid word. Microsoft Encarta doesn't recognise it (except as a French word meaning "dependence"). Microsoft Word spell checker doesn't recognise it (in either "US English" or "Australian English" settings).

When I do a Google search for "dependence", only 3 of the first 10 pages listed are in English - the rest are in French. And all 3 of the English pages link to a hotel in Vienna called the "Mate Dependance" (whatever that means!) The hotel's web page also mis-spells "cosi" (for "cosy") and "reight" (for "right"), so I wouldn't be too confident that they know the correct spelling of their own premises, while the third indirect link can't seem to decide whether it is called the "Mate Dependance" or the "Mate Dependence".

Sorry, but I am not convinced that two on-line dictionaries qualify for the acid test of "any good dictionary". I will stick with "dependence".

RE: Dependant or independant clause

The Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary shows, I quote,  dependent also dependant.

The Reader's Digest Universal Dictionary shows two definitions for these words:

dependant (as a primary word) and adds, also chiefly U.S. dependent. One who relies on another for support, especially for financial support.

dependent (as a primary word) and adds, also chiefly U.S. dependant. 1. Contingent upon something or someone else. 2. Subordinate. 3. Unable to exist or function satisfactorily without the aid or use of someone or something. 4. Archaic. Hanging down.

These two examples were given to show that the word exists.
QED.

"I would rather have my own ignorance than another man's knowledge because I have got so much more of it." Mark Twain.

RE: Dependant or independant clause

I'll have to simply point out that the site I referenced uses the "-dent" variant.

TTFN

RE: Dependant or independant clause

Back to the original question, I don't think that punctuation rules are based on whether the clause is independent or dependent, other than two independent clauses should not be separated by just a comma.

I think that whether the clause is restrictive/defining or nonrestrictive/non-defining has more bearing.  Nonrestrictive clauses should be separated off with commas.

RE: Dependant or independant clause

25362,

You have demonstrated that your dictionaries contain both of the words "dependent" and "dependant". I never disputed this. If you recheck my original posting, you will see that I actually gave the definitions of both words (including the American variations).

However, your last posting does not demonstrate the existence of "dependance", which I had argued was an "unword".

"Dependance" does not exist at all in any of my dictionaries, but I have since acknowledged that it CAN indeed be found in a FEW on-line American dictionaries, it is a valid French word, and it is apparently also the name of a Viennese hotel.

Oh, and by the way, the Google search mentioned in my last posting was for "dependance", NOT "dependence". I passed my post through my spell checker, and I accidentally correcting this mis-spelling! When you do a Google search for "dependance", you will notice that even Google asks you:

"Did you mean: dependence?"

RE: Dependant or independant clause

(OP)
egads!  Would you believe that I actually looked up dependent to make sure that it was not dependant, after reading another "string", about ..en... vs ...an... endings, and then went right ahead and mispelled it (them really}?  Oh well -- we got some interesting mileage out of it anyway.

I distinctly recall an English teacher spewing out the rule one way or the other as originally stated.  Of course there are those other instances where I distinctly recollect something that turns out to be all wrong.

As an example from the first paragraph in this post we have the clause; "after reading another "string."  This to me is dependent because it cannot stand independently as a sentence.  If the rule says to leave out the commas then it makes for awkward reading.  Someone will probably state one of the options listed in IRs' link which is fine if one is writing a formal document but how much time should one devote to refined diction in all cases?  For example can y'all make sense of the aforementioned sentence or does it make yer head hurt so that I should'a reconstrued it?

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

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