What makes the two clauses in this sentence independent clauses?

Question

As I understand it, an independent clause can make sense without depending on another clause or sentence.

However, in the example I'm looking at, they've stated that these are independent clauses, but they do not appear to be:

Mr. Potato Head eats them for breakfast every day, but I don't see the attraction.

It appears to me that the above sentence is not filled with two independent clauses, because:

1. What Mr. Potato Head eats for breakfast (the direct object of eats) is not stated.
2. It is not stated who "I" is.

Unless there is another sentence somewhere, before this sentence, these two clauses are not independent ones.

Am I missing something?

Answer 1

"What makes the two clauses in this sentence independent clauses?"

Both have the subject: Mr.Potato / I

and the predicate: eats them for breakfast every day / don't see the attraction

Both express the complete thought. He eats them for breakfast every day. I don't see the attraction.

Predicate - the part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject.

but - coordinating conjunction connecting independent clauses; for dependent clauses we use subordinating conjunctions (while, although, as, etc ...).