Remember that a dependent clause always contains a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand by itself. 1  Adverb clauses provide information about what is going on in the main (independent) clause: where, when, or why. 2  Adjective clauses work like multi-word adjectives. 3  Noun clauses can do anything that nouns can do.
An alternate juror is a spare, not unlike the spare tire for your car that rides along with you wherever you drive but is only used if one of your regular tires fails. Similarly, an alternate juror sits and listens to evidence just like the other jurors but only deliberates and votes if one of the sitting jury members is unable to serve.
Most jurors are selected to serve on a petit jury, a jury that hears and decides a particular case. For a criminal trial involving a felony (a more serious type of crime), the law requires 12 jurors. A civil trial requires only eight jurors. In municipal and county courts, where misdemeanors (a less-serious level of crime) are brought to trial, juries consist of eight persons. If a trial is expected to last more than one day, alternate jurors may be selected in case a juror must be excused during the trial.