An independent clause expresses a complete idea that can stand alone (example: “Tony jumped the fence.”).
A dependent clause does not express a complete idea; although it has a subject and a verb, it needs additional information to complete the thought (example: “Although Tony jumped the fence,”).
A phrase consists of two or more words that act as a part of speech; phrases don’t have a subject and a verb (example: “The brown wooden fence”; this phrase functions as a noun).
