Choose whether the bold words in the sentence below make up a phrase, a dependent clause or an independent clause.

Legislators and activists should consider that there are alternative methods for raising revenue.

As we do not know which words are in bold, we cannot fully answer this question. However, we can still try to look at the meaning of phrases, dependent clauses and independent clauses.

Phrases are groups of words that do not form a complete sentence. Phrases usually lack an essential part of a sentence, such as a verb. On the other hand, clauses have both subjects and verbs. Nevertheless, clauses can be further divided into dependent and independent. Dependent clauses are those that do not express a complete thought, nor can they stand on their own. On the other hand, independent clauses are those that express a complete thought and can stand on their own.