Clause (grammar)

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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[edit | edit source]

  • 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 does not have both a subject and a verb
      • if a sentence part contains a subject and a verb, it is a clause
  • note: Santa is not a clause
Description Grammatical unit Is a clause Is not a clause
a grammatically complete thought Sentence X
a grammatically complete though

that is part of a larger sentence

independent clause Y
a part of a sentence that contains

a subject & a verb but is not a complete thought

dependent clause Y
a part of a sentence that contains two

or more words but does not have both a subject & verb

phrase X

main or dominant clause[edit | edit source]

  • 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[edit | edit source]

  • 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:
  1. 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:
  • 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"
  • click EXPAND for example of SVO lists:
  • 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"

dependent clause[edit | edit source]

  • "Dependent Clause" (DC) is a sentence part that contains a subject and a verb but does not complete a thought
  • also called "subordinate clause"
    • DC clauses are therefore attached to an IC that completes the clause as a complete sentence and/or thought
    • DC clauses add information to but are not necessary for the IC to make sense
  • Note: technically, a sentence part that does not contain both a noun and a verb is a phrase
    • yet non-IC sentence parts are commonly referred to as "dependent clauses" when they are actually "phrases" if they do not contain a subject + verb

Click EXPAND for examples of DC:

  • "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:

subordinate clause[edit | edit source]

  • subordinate clause is another name for a DC
    • we usually think of a subordinate clause as one that is formed by adding a subordinating conjunction
    • however, technically there are three types of subordinate clauses:
      1. adverbial clause: defines a verb, usually in terms of time, duration, extent, or condition (if)
      2. noun clause: acts as a noun
      3. relative clause: acts as an adjective to define a noun; can be restrictive or non-restrictive (see below)
  • however, here will think of 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)

subordinating conjunction[edit | edit source]

  • 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."
  • Click here for list of and more on Grammar#subordinating_conjunctions (see Grammar entry)

Relative clause[edit | edit source]

relative pronouns
Pronoun For Rule
who people subject (does the action): he, she, we, they
whom people object (acted upon): him, her, us, them
whose people or things possessive form of whom: his, her, us, their
that people or things subject or object: adds required information (no punctuation)
which things subject or object: adds additional information (usually non-restrictive, ie. with a comma)
* Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/relative-clauses/

restrictive relative clause[edit | edit source]

  • goes by various names: necessary, requisite or defining clause
    • technically, also an "adjective clause" since it describes a previously stated (antecedent) noun
  • "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"

because: when to use a comma[edit | edit source]

  • 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[edit | edit source]

  • 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[edit | edit source]

adjective clause[edit | edit source]

  • = a dependent clause that contains a subject and verb but acts as a modifier or adjective
  • see "relative clause"

adverbial clause[edit | edit source]

  • = 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
  • examples:
    • I'm staying until the park closes
    • As my grades sank, my heart sank, as well

finite and non-finite clauses[edit | edit source]

  • refer to types of clauses with verbs that either show or do not show "tense" (past, present future)
    • = not an important category, but one that grammarians refer to in the context of "tense"
  • a finite clause shows tense and is usually an ICs
    • 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:
    • ex. Working hard, Jeremiah finished his project on time last night"
  • the utility of these
  • see https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/clauses-finite-and-non-finite

noun clause[edit | edit source]

  • = a clause that functions as a thing or idea (nouns)
    • ex.: "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"