What defines an independent clause?

An independent clause is defined by its ability to stand alone as a complete sentence. This means it expresses a complete thought, having both a subject and a predicate. For example, in the sentence "She reads daily," there is a subject ("She") and a verb ("reads"), making it a complete thought that does not depend on any other clauses.

The other options provide characteristics that don't fit the definition of an independent clause. A clause that contains only a verb is incomplete, lacking a subject, and therefore cannot stand alone. Including a subordinating conjunction indicates that the clause is dependent, which means it cannot stand alone. Finally, starting with a relative pronoun typically signifies a dependent clause, as it introduces additional information that cannot function independently as a sentence.