Embedded Thoughts Inside This Chapter Begin here to navigate through each section. Your Writing: Describing and Explaining a Pet Peeve From Independent to Dependent Clause Recognizing Dependent Clauses From Verb to Verbal Recognizing Verbal Phrases Combining Sentences by Embedding Thoughts Combining Sentences by Compounding Embedded Thoughts Review & Practice: Part 1 and Part 2 Fun With Grammar: The Champion Verbalizer Return to Your Writing Mastery Test on Embedded Thoughts Some groups of words that look like sentences are really dependent clauses. Some words that look like verbs are really verbals. A dependent clause or a verbal phrase may express a thought that is not able to stand on its own but has become embedded in a larger sentence structure. Understanding how thoughts become embedded will help you to combine ideas and discover relationships among them through your writing. In Chapter 5, you will learn that: a clause is a group of related words containing a subject + verb. an independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself as a complete sentence (Everyone can write). a dependent clause is a clause that has given up its independence and can no longer stand by itself (that everyone can write) . a phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject + verb combination. (in spite of your writing). a verbal is a verb form that has lost its power to play the role of verb in a sentence (to write; writing; written). a verbal phrase is a group of words containing a verbal and the verbal's completers or modifiers (to write a clear essay). sentences can be combined by embedding clauses or verbals. sentences can be combined by compounding clauses or verbals.