A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Clauses are essential building blocks of sentences, and understanding them can help you improve your writing and speaking skills.
Types of Clauses
Clauses can be divided into two main types:
- Independent Clauses: These can stand alone as complete sentences.
- Dependent Clauses: These cannot stand alone and need an independent clause to make sense.
What is an Independent Clause?
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can function as a sentence by itself.
Examples:
- She runs every morning.
- I love learning English.
- They went to the park.
- He finished his homework.
Independent Clauses in Longer Sentences
Independent clauses can be combined with other independent clauses using coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Example:
- I wanted to go for a walk, but it started raining.
(Two independent clauses joined by “but.”)
What is a Dependent Clause?
A dependent clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone. It depends on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.
Examples:
- Because it’s raining…
- After the movie ended…
Dependent Clauses in Sentences:
- I stayed home because it was raining.
- We went out after the movie ended.
Types of Dependent Clauses
Dependent clauses can function as adverbial, adjective, or noun clauses in a sentence.
1. Adverbial Clauses (Modify a verb, adjective, or adverb)
These answer questions like when, why, how, or under what conditions something happens.
Common subordinating conjunctions: because, although, since, when, if, while, after, before.
Examples:
- She stayed inside because it was cold. (Answers “why?”)
- I will call you when I arrive. (Answers “when?”)
2. Adjective Clauses (Modify a noun or pronoun)
These describe or give more information about a noun. They usually begin with who, whom, whose, which, or that.
Examples:
- The book that I borrowed was great.
- She met the teacher who helped her prepare for the exam.
3. Noun Clauses (Act as a noun in the sentence)
Noun clauses often start with what, that, who, or whom.
Examples:
- What she said surprised everyone. (The entire clause functions as the subject)
- I don’t know where he went. (The clause functions as the object)
Combining Independent and Dependent Clauses
Dependent clauses often appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
Examples:
- Because she was late, she missed the bus.
- She missed the bus because she was late.
- The book that I borrowed was very interesting.
Tip: If a dependent clause comes first, use a comma after it. If it comes after the independent clause, no comma is needed.
Understanding how clauses work will help you construct better sentences and express your ideas more clearly. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be using clauses effortlessly!
Clauses – A deeper look:
ADJECTIVE CLAUSE: An adjective clause is a type of clause that gives information about the noun or pronoun that it modifies. An adjective clause will generally start off with words like who, whom, whose, when, where, which, that, and why. An adjective clause is always a dependent clause, which means that by itself it would not form a complete sentence.
ADJECTIVE PHRASE: An adjective phrase, like we might expect, gives us information about the noun that it’s modifying. An adjective phrase contains a head word that is an adjective, and an intensifier, or basically just a chain of adjectives. An example of an adjective phrase would be, “very tall” or, “incredibly loud.” Now, an adjective phrase can be placed before the noun that it is modifying or after the noun that it is modifying.
NOUN PHRASE: A noun phrase is a word or group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object. (e.g. The glistening snow covered the field)
ADVERB PHRASE: An adverb phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb. An adverbial phrase of time states when something happens or how often. An adverbial phrase of place states where something happens. An adverbial phrase of manner states how something is done. An adverbial phrase of reason states why something is done. There are three common formats for adverbial phrases: a prepositional phrase, an infinitive phrase, and an adverb with an intensifier.