Question

A _______ should follow a dependent clause when the dependent clause comes first in a sentence.

Answer 1

When a dependent clause comes first in a sentence, a comma should follow the dependent clause.

Answer 2

A comma should follow a dependent clause when the dependent clause comes first in a sentence.

A dependent clause is the clause which cannot stand alone in its meaning on the other hand independent clause refers to the phrase which can stand alone, though both have a subject and a verb.

For instance,

• Because she was eating
• Since the boys were playing

The above sentences are dependent clause since it doesn't convey complete meaning.

Hence, to complete the meaning we put a comma before the independent clause and after the dependent clause to convey its meaning.

Hence the above examples would be written as :

• Because she was eating, she didn't speak.
• Since the boys were playing, they missed their English class.

On the other hand, when an independent clause appears first in the sentence we don't put a comma between independent and dependent clauses. For example,

She didn't speak because she was eating.