TSA CBT Practice Test

What type of clause is "As she was laughing"?

1. Independent clause

2. Dependent clause

3. Restrictive clause

4. Nonrestrictive clause

The correct answer is: Dependent clause

The phrase "As she was laughing" is indeed a dependent clause. A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. In this case, the word "as" functions as a subordinating conjunction, indicating that this clause provides additional information about another action or time frame, which would typically come from an independent clause. In contrast, an independent clause expresses a complete idea and can function on its own as a sentence, which is not the case here. A restrictive clause is a type of dependent clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence, while a nonrestrictive clause adds extra, non-essential information and is usually set off by commas. Since "As she was laughing" does not fulfill the criteria for either restrictive or nonrestrictive clauses, its classification as a dependent clause is accurate.