Clause
A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either a sentence (an independent clause) or a sentence-like construction within a sentence (a dependent clause). clauses in English
clause = subject + verb
Clauses are the basic pieces of sentences in the English language.
A subject is the person or thing that is doing something or being something. The subject performs the verb. A verb is the action word in the sentence. Examples:
- The dog jumped over the fence.
(The dog jumped over the fence.)The subject of the sentence is the dog because the dog is performing the action. The verb is jumped because it is the action. - I have smiled at her.
(He smiled at her.)The subject of this sentence is He . The verb is smiled . - My teacher told us to read quietly.
(My teacher told us to read without making noise.)The subject of this sentence is My teacher . The verb is told .
A verb can also describe a state, such as: be , have , like , see , etc.
Example:
- Mom will be home soon. clauses in English
(Mom will be home soon.)The subject of this sentence is Mom . The verb is be .
Types of Clauses
Independent clauses
An independent clause is a group of related words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete idea .
Independent clauses are complete sentences. They begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark , such as a period. clauses in English
Examples:
- I picked a flower for you.
(I took a flower for you.) - My mom is nice.
(My mom is nice.) - The teacher taught me how to read.
(The teacher taught me to read.) - The woman sang.
(The woman sang.)
Dependent clauses
Dependent clauses contain a subject and a verb but do not express a complete idea.
A dependent clause is not a complete sentence.
The violet words below are called dependent marker words (words that show dependence) and will be explained in the next section. clauses in English
Examples:
- When I picked
a flower for youWhat happened when I picked the flower?
This is not an idea or a complete sentence. - If my mom is nice
(if my mom is nice)What if my mom is nice?
This is not an idea or a complete sentence. - While my teacher taught me to read
(What did my teacher teach me to read)What happened while my teacher taught me to read?
This is not an idea or a complete sentence. - Because the woman sang
(What did the woman sing)What happened because the woman sang?
This is not an idea or a complete sentence.
Restrictive Clauses
Restrictive clauses give essential information in a sentence. The sentence makes no sense without the clause. The restrictive clause is the red part in the examples below. Note in the examples below how the clause gives information to describe and define the noun. For example, in the first sentence it makes no sense to say only ” He’s the man.” They wouldn’t know what man you are talking about.
He’s the man that interviewed the president.
That’s the place where I lost my earring.
The man who stole the necklace is now in jail.
A restrictive clause begins with a relative pronoun.
| Relative Pronouns | ||
| Pronoun | Translation | The pronoun is used for. . . |
| that, who, whom * | who, who | a person |
| whose | whose | a possessive |
| that which | that which | one thing |
| where | where | a place |
| when | when | a time |
| why | why | one reason |
* Who is a subject pronoun and ” whom ” is an object pronoun.
Non-Restricting Clauses
Non-restrictive clauses give extra information (not essential to the meaning of the sentence). The non-restrictive clause is the red part in the examples below. Note that the clause is separated from the sentence with commas. John, who lives near my house , is in my Spanish class this year. clauses in English
He went on vacation to San Diego, which is in the United States .
Helen, whose mother is the school principal , volunteered to help with the program.
A non-restrictive clause also begins with a relative pronoun but with non-restrictive clauses the word ” that ” is not used .
| Relative Pronouns | ||
| Pronoun | Translation | The pronoun is used for. . . |
| who, who * | who who | a person |
| whose | whose | a possessive |
| which | which | one thing |
| where | where | a place |
| when | when | a time |
| why | why | one reason |
* Who is a subject pronoun and ” whom ” is an object pronoun.
