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{{Clause (grammar)}}
'''Clause'''
* = a '''part of a sentence''' that has a '''subject''' and a '''verb'''
** and may or may not be a complete sentence or thought
 
=== What a clause is and is not ===
* a clause is part of a sentence
** a ''sentence'' is a grammatically correct and complete thought
*** i.e., it contains a subject and a verb and completes a thought
**** ex. "I go." = a sentence bc it contains and subject and verb and completes a thought
**** whereas, "I send" contains a subject and verb but is not a complete thought
***** "send" is a transitive verb that requires an object, as in "I send a letter"
*** a sentence may contain one or more clauses
** ''phrase'' = a part of a sentence that has two or more words but <u>does not have both a subject and a verb</u>
*** if a sentence part contains a subject and a verb, it is a clause
* note: Santa is not a clause
 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:0.8em; width:80%; margin-left:20px;"
|+
!Description
!Grammatical unit
!Is a clause
!Is not a clause
|-
|a grammatically complete thought without another clause
|Sentence
|
| &#10008;
|-
|a grammatically complete thought that is part of a larger sentence that contains another clause
|independent clause
| &#10003;
|
|-
|the main clause of a sentence is
|independent clause
| &#10003;
|
|-
|two independent clauses combined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)
|coordinate clauses (both independent)
| &#10003;
|
|-
|a part of a sentence that contains a subject & a verb but is not a complete thought
|dependent clause
| &#10003;
|
|-
|a part of a sentence that contains two or more words but does not have both a subject & verb (not a [[Vocabulary:Finite verb|finite verb]])
|phrase
|
| &#10008;
|-
|Rides a sleigh driven by reindeer through the air to deliver Christmas presents
|proper noun
|
| &#10008;
|}
 
* sources for clauses:
** [https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/grammar/phrases-clauses-and-sentences/types-of-clauses Types of Clauses (cliffnotes.com)]
** [[http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaClauses__Restrictive_and_Nonrest.htm Clauses - Restrictive and Nonrestrictive (kentlaw.edu)]
*** this source is interesting as it addresses precision in language in terms of the law and court cases
** ([https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/clauses#:~:text=Types%20of%20Clauses%201%20Independent%20Clause%202%20Dependent,Principal%20Clause%204%20Coordinate%20Clause%205%20Non-finite%20Clause Clauses: Definition, Types & Examples] (learngrammar.net)
 
=== main or dominant clause ===
* main or dominant clause = an IC (independent clause)
* the "main" clause is the clause the creates the "main idea" of the sentence
** = that part of the sentence that makes the complete and most important, or "dominant" thought of the phrase
*** i.e., the main clause or part of the sentence that states its primary purpose or idea
** everything else is additional information
* for the SAT test, the "dominant /main clause" is that core idea of a sentence that is the focus of the sentence
** SAT tests measure [[#Emphasis shift]]
** emphasis shift measures if the correct form of the sentence "emphasizes" the core or main idea of the sentence
** passive voice de-emphasizes the dominant clause
*** i.e. OBJECT VERB SUBJECT
** dominant /main clauses employ direct voice, i.e. SVO
 
=== independent clause ===
* ''Independent Clause (IC)
* = a ''sentence part'' that can stand as a complete sentence and thought
** it is a clause because it is attached to or has another clause/s attached to it (otherwise it'd just be a sentence)
* IC contains SUBJECT + VERB at a minimum (SV)
* IC usually contains SUBJECT VERB OBJECT (SVO)
* since SUBJECT VERB OBJECT form the core of a sentence there is no punctuation separating them, with the following exceptions:
# parenthetical information (commas, dashes and parentheses) can separate SVO from each other
** i.e., S (parenthetical info) V (parenthetical info) O
* click EXPAND for examples of parenthetical separation of S from V and O:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
------------------------------------------------------
* parentheses: S (parenthetical info) V (parenthetical info) O
* commas: S, parenthetical info, V, parenthetical info, O
* dashes: S -- parenthetical info -- V -- parenthetical info -- O
* ex. "Alex, an experienced pilot, landed the plane expertly."
*** S= Alex V= landed O= plane
** other parenthetical punctuation:
** "Alex (an experienced pilot) landed the plane expertly."
*** "Alex -- an experienced pilot -- landed the plane expertly."
** two commas, two dashes or two parentheses = parenthetical phrase
*** ex. Alex, and experienced pilot, landed, for the second time that day, the plane expertly.
***** this is an awkward sentence but using it here to demonstrate how commas can separate a SUBJECT VERB OBJECT if used parenthetically
*** compare this construction:
**** "Alex, an experienced pilot, landed the plane expertly." to:
**** "The experienced pilot, Alex, landed the plane expertly"
**** "The experienced pilot Alex landed the plane expertly"
*** each form creates a different emphasis
**** in this case, the parenthetical construction emphasizes that it was Alex who landed the plane and that
*** if, for example, Alex was an inexperienced pilot, we might prefer a construction that emphasizes it, so,
**** instead of, "Alex, an inexperienced pilot, landed the plane expertly."
**** we might say, "The inexperienced pilot, Alex, landed the plane expertly" or "The inexperienced pilot Alex landed the plane expertly"
------------------------------------------------------
</div>
* click EXPAND for example of SVO lists:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
------------------------------------------------------
* S, S V O
* S, S and S V and V O
* S, S and S V, and V O
* S, S and S V, V and V O and O
* S, S and S V, V and V O, O and O
** note that with commas that separate a subject, verb, and/or object the final word in the list must not be separated from the related S V or O
*ex.
** "Alex, Nia, and Joan are all experienced pilots"
** "Alex, Nia, and Joan relied on, used, and proved their skills by landing their planes expertly"
------------------------------------------------------
</div>
 
=== dependent clause ===
* "Dependent Clause" (DC) is a sentence part that contains a subject and a verb but does not complete a thought
* also called "subordinate clause" (see below)
* DC clauses are attached to an IC
** DC clauses add information to ''but are not necessary for'' the IC to make sense
* Note: a sentence part that does not contain both a noun and a verb is a phrase
** yet some sources call non-IC sentence parts "dependent clauses" when they are actually "phrases" since they do not contain a subject + verb
*types of DC:
*#'''subordinate clause''': an IC that has been "subordinated" into a DC by a "subordinating conjunction"
*#'''adverb or adverbial clause''': a subordinate clause that specifically modifies a verb, usually in terms of time, duration, extent, or condition (if)
*# '''noun clause''': acts as a noun
*# '''relative clause''': acts as an adjective to define a noun; can be restrictive or non-restrictive (see below)
**
Click EXPAND for examples of DC:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
------------------------------------------------------
* "Since I ate breakfast late, I'll skip lunch"
** "Since I ate" = an incomplete thought and so not an IC
* example of a phrase that is '''not''' a clause as it does not contain a verb:
** "Going to the store, I realized I left my wallet at home."
*** ''going'' = an -ing verb acting as a modifier or adjective and known as a "participal"
*** therefore, "going to the store" = a "participial phrase" and is not a DC
*** see
**** [https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar/sentences/participial-phrases.html Participial Phrases (yourdictionary.com)]
**** [https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/gerund-phrase/ gerund-phrase (gingersoftware.com)]
------------------------------------------------------
</div>
* Dependent clauses are introduced by a "dependent word"
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Type of Dependent Clause
!Dependent word
!Dependent word type
|-
|Subordinate or Adverb clause
|''after, although, since, etc.''
|subordinating conjunction (adverb)
|-
|Relative clause
|''that, which, who, whom, whose''
|relative pronoun
|-
|Noun clause
|''that, what, whatever, who, whoever''
|pronoun
|}
* see:
** [https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/independent_and_dependent_clauses/index.html Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses (owl.purdue.edu)]
** [https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/difference-between-dependent-independent-clause The Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses (merriam-webster.com)]
 
=== subordinate clause ===
* a clause that is formed by adding a ''subordinating conjunction''
** which "subordinates" or turns an IC clause into a dependent clause
* some sources refer to all dependent clauses as "subordinate clauses"
** in the sense that a subordinate clause is "subordinate" to an independent clause
* here will refer to subordinate clauses as those that add additional and not required, or requisite, information to the main clause
** in this sense, subordinate clauses are preceded by "subordinating conjunctions" (see below)
* note also that "adverb clauses" are subordinate clauses
 
=== subordinating conjunction ===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="vertical-align:top"; style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; width:40%;"
|+Subordinating Conjunctions
|
after
although
as
as if
as long as
as much as
as though
because
before
by the time
even
even if
even though
|
if
if only
if when
if then
in case
in order to
just
just as
now
now that
|
once
provided that
rather than
since
so that
supposing
than
though
till
unless
|
when
whenever
were
whereas
where if
whenever
wherever
whether
while
whose
whoever
why
|-
| colspan="4" |note: ''that, which and who'' are relative pronouns that can act as subordinating conjunctions in some cases
|}
* subordinating conjunction "subordinates" an IC into a DC
** i.e, (SC) renders or turns an IC into a DC
** the reason is the the SC creates the need for additional information after the SVO
** ex. "I love baseball" = a complete sentence and thought
** by adding a SC to the sentence, it is no longer a complete thought:
** ex. "Since I love baseball"
*** "Since" = SC and it "subordinates the IC "I love baseball" by creating the need for additional information in order to complete the thought:
*** "Since I love baseball, I watch it every chance I get."
 
=== relative or "adjective" clause ===
* = a dependent clause that contains a subject-verb, but provides additional information and is not a complete sentence of thought by itself
* the "subject" of the clause is a pronoun (thus "relative," as pronouns relate to a noun)
* relative clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun (see table)
* relative clauses can be either restrictive or non-restrictive, per below
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; width:40%"
|+ relative pronouns
! Pronoun !! For !! Rule
|-
| that || people or things  || <small>- subject or object: adds required information (restrictive, so no punctuation)</small>
<small>- acts as the subject of the relative clause</small>
|-
|what
|things
| <small>- object (acted upon)</small>
|-
| which || things  || <small>- subject or object: adds additional information (can be restrictive or non-restrictive)</small>
<small>- acts as the subject of the relative clause</small>
|-
| who || people || <small>subject (does the action): ''he, she, we, they'' (restrictive, so no punctuation)</small>
<small>- acts as the subject of the relative clause</small>
|-
|whoever
|people
| <small>- subject or object of the relative clause</small>
|-
| whom || people || <small>- object (acted upon): ''him, her, us, them''</small>
<small>- creates but is not the subject of the relative clause</small>
|-
| whose || people or things || <small>possessive form of whom: ''his, her, us, their''</small>
|-
| colspan="3" | <small>* Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/relative-clauses/</small>
|}
** ex.
*** "Sue, who is always late, showed up on time."
*** "The PG-13 movie scared me, which was surprising."
* restrictive relative clauses can be replaced by an adjective:
** ''The thing '''that scares me about horror movies''' is the suspense''
*** (relative clause '''in bold''')
** is equivalent to
*** ''The '''scary''' thing about horror movies is the suspense''
**** (adjective '''in bold''')
** the choice to use the restrictive relative clause or an adjective depends upon the extent the writer wishes to emphasize the action (verb) in the relative clause
* Sources:
** [https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/relative-clauses/ Relative Clauses (unc.edu)]
** [https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/clauses Grammar: Relative, Restrictive, and Nonrestrictive Clauses (walenu.edu)]
** [https://www.grammarly.com/blog/using-that-and-which-is-all-about-restrictive-and-non-restrictive-clauses/ Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses—What’s the Difference?(grammarly.com)]
** [https://thewordcounter.com/blog-comma-before-which/ Comma before which (thewordcounter.com)]
** [https://www.softschools.com/examples/grammar/essential_and_nonessential_adjective_clauses_examples/81/# Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples (softschools.com)]
 
 
=== restrictive relative clause ===
* goes by various names: adjective, necessary, requisite or defining clause
** "adjective clause" since it describes a previously stated (antecedent) noun or idea
** "necessary" or "requisite" = the idea is the clause or phrase is necessary
** "defining" = the meaning of the sentence is defined by the clause
*** or: the sentence is not a complete thought without the clause
* restrictive clauses are not separated by punctuation
** i.e.: since the information is necessary, there is no pause
** ex.: "Glue that sticks to both my fingers and the paper is a pain"
*** vs. "Glue, that sticks to both my fingers and the paper, is a pain"
**** since the parenthetical phrase is "non-defining" (can be removed), that would leave us with only "Glue is a pain" which lacks the defining information as to what type of glue is a pain, the kind "that sticks to both my fingers and the paper"
*** "Dogs ''that are friendly'' are nice"
**** ''that are friendly'' is restrictive because the sentence would otherwise be "Dogs are nice"
***** by adding ''that are friendly'', we have necessary information to make a meaningful sentence
** non-restrictive clauses do not change the meaning of the sentence:
*** "Friendly dogs, which I like, are nice"
**** the main clause, 'Friendly dogs are nice" is meaning.
***** adding "which I like" does not change the meaning of the sentence
==== because: when to use a comma ====
* ''because'' is a subordinating conjunction and not a relative pronoun
** normally, a subordinate clause preceding the main clause would be separated by a comma:
*** ''Because it rained, we stayed inside"
** and, normally, a subordinate clause following the main clause would not be separated by a comma:
*** ''We stayed inside because it rained''
*** the reason is because the subordinate clause is requisite (necessary) information
** however, there are times with the subordinate clause starting with because and following the main (independent) clause can be separated by a comma
*** if the information following the because is distinct and not directly explanatory (normally, "because" offers an explanation, making it requisite)
*** ex. ''We didn't play in the rain, because Mom said we might catch a cold''
**** here, the speaker may wish for the subordinate clause following "because" to offer additional and not requisite information
*** other examples of because preceded by a comma:
**** ''Even if it's scary, don't close your eyes, because you'll miss the best part!''
**** ''Playing tennis is fun, because it means the weather is good''
 
==== non-restrictive relative clause ====
* or "Non-defining relative clause"
* or "non-essential" clause
** = the additional information added by the clause is not necessary (or essential) for a complete sentence or thought
* ex.: "Glue, which I hate to use, always sticks to my hands."
** "which I hate to use" is not essential to the idea that "Glue always sticks to my hands"
* see Restrictive relative clauses for sources
 
=== Other types of clauses ===
 
==== adjective clause ====
* = a dependent clause that contains a subject and verb but acts as a modifier or adjective
* see "relative clause"
 
==== adverb clause (or adverbial clause) ====
* = a subordinate clause created by a subordinating conjunction and adding information to the action of a sentence:
* adverbial clauses define or add information as to ''how, how much, when, where, why (cause/effect):''
* examples:
** ''I'm staying '''until the park closes'''''
** '''''As my grades sank''', my heart sank, as well''
** ''I will bring my umbrella '''since''' it is raining''
** ''I got a good grade because I studied hard''
* adjunct v. disjuncts
** adjuncts are integrated in a phrase or clause
***
** disjuncts are peripheral (outside or, or on the edge of)
 
==== finite and non-finite clauses ====
* distinguishes between clauses with finite verbs (subject-verb) and those with an implied but not present verb (represented by a non-finite verb)
** the verbs in a finite clause show tense (as would any finite verb)
** the verbs in a non-finite clause do not show tense (as with a non-finite verb)
*** by "tense" we mean its conjugation
**** the non-finite verb will be in the simple present
**** ex. ''A streetcar named 'Desire' is not necessarily the one you want to take''
* grammarians refer to these clauses in the context of "tense"
* a finite clause shows tense and is usually an IC
** ex. "Trey sent that text yesterday"
* non-finite clause does not show tense and is usually a DC
** non-finite clause adds information to the main clause (IC), but without marking "tense" (past, present or future)
*** it is the IC that shows the tense:
**** "She watched the little girl play with a hoolahoop"
***** "She watched" = finite-clause
***** "little girl play with a hoolahoop" = non-finite clause
**** note that this non-finite clause may also be expressed as a participial phrase:
***** "She watched the little girl playing with a hoolahoop"
****** (which also creates a potential misplaced modifier, as in this case it becomes unclear who was "playing with the hoolahop, "she" (who watched) or the "girl"
* for more:
** see https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/clauses-finite-and-non-finite
** [https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/532617/non-finite-clause-vs-phrase#:~:text=Not%20in%20grammatical%20terms.%20A%20clause%20is%20not,have%20a%20predicate%20consisting%20of%20a%20verb%20phrase. Non-finite clause vs phrase] (stackexchange)
 
==== noun clause ====
* = a clause that functions as a thing or idea (noun)
* = usually introduced by ''what, when, where, wherever, who, whoever''
* = a clause that acts as a subject, object, subject complement or object of a preposition, ex.:
** <u>subject</u>: "'''What ''I love to eat the most''''' is steak"
*** "''What I love to eat the most''" = a clause that operates as the subject to the verb "is"
*** '''"Wherever ''we end up''''' is fine with me"
** <u>subject complement or object</u>:
*** ''"The teacher liked '''what Johnny said'''"''
*** ''"I taught '''whoever would listen'''"''
** <u>preposition</u>:
*** ''"She recognized him for '''who he really is'''"''
*** ''"Saddened by '''what he read''', he cried"''
*** ''"He was startled by '''what she said'''"''
**** "for" and "by" = prepositions, so the noun clause is the object of the preposition
* pronouns introducing noun clause
** pronouns such as ''that, who, whoever'', can introduce a noun clause
*** whereas "that" and "who" would be a relative pronoun, introducing a relative clause
** if it creates a clause that acts as a noun and not an adjective, it is a noun clause
** ex.:
*** ''Whoever wants it the most gets it''
*** [noun clause=subject        ] verb
** note the difference between "who" and "whoever" in these sentences:
*** ''Jesus saves him who believes''
**** "who believes" = relative or adjective clause that describes "him"
*** ''Jesus saves whoever believes''
**** "whoever believes" = noun clause acting as direct object of "saves"
** such noun clauses can also be used in "apposition"
*** appositive = a noun phrase that describes another noun or sentence part
**** so the "apposition" essentially provides a definition or example
***** ''Mr. Jones, a farmer, hates rabbits''
****** "a farmer" = a noun phrase that tells us who is Mr. Jones
***** ''George Washington, the first president, lived in Virginia''
*** using the pronoun "that'
** see
*** [https://parentingpatch.com/using-noun-clauses-as-appositives/#:~:text=In%20grammar%2C%20an%20appositive%20is%20a%20word%2C%20phrase%2C,clauses%20also%20perform%20the%20grammatical%20function%20of%20appositive. Using Noun Clauses as Appositives (Parenting Patch)]
**** note that this article provides examples of a noun clause within a preposition are incorrect:
**** such as, ''My decision, <u>for you to leave the day after us</u>, stands.''
***** "for" is a preposition and "to leave" is an infinitive, so this is not a clause
****** "for you" is a prepositional phrase
****** that is further modified by the infinitive adjective "to leave" and its object, "the day after us"
 
[[category:grammar]]
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