What is the definition of an independent clause?

An independent clause is defined as a clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence. This means it expresses a complete thought and has both a subject and a predicate. For instance, in the sentence "The cat sat on the mat," "The cat sat on the mat" is an independent clause because it can be understood without additional information and does not rely on another clause to make sense.

In this context, the other choices describe characteristics of different types of clauses or sentence structures. One describes a dependent clause, which cannot stand alone because it lacks a complete thought. Another option refers to a fragment, which is an incomplete sentence that usually lacks either a subject or a predicate, indicating that it doesn't fulfill the requirements to be an independent clause. Lastly, a description of a group of words that expresses an incomplete thought aligns with the notion of a sentence fragment, which also does not qualify as an independent clause. Thus, the correct answer captures the essence of what constitutes an independent clause.