What is an independent clause?
An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and predicate (a subject and a verb) which may stand alone as a complete sentence and which expresses a complete thought. Example: We cannot go swimming today; the ocean is full of jellyfish. An independent clause is also called a principal clause or main clause. An independent clause is a clause that is not introduced by a subordinating term and it is not dependent on another clause for context and meaning. It does not modify anything, and it can stand alone as a complete sentence. Independent clauses in one sentence can be joined via a semicolon (He went to the store; he did not buy anything) or a coordinating conjunction (He went to the store, but he did not buy anything) or an independent marker word (He went to the mall; however, he did not buy anything).
