Understanding the Clauses

What are clauses?

Clauses are groups of words that contain a subject and a predicate. They can function as complete sentences on their own (independent clauses), or as part of a larger sentence (dependent clauses). Clauses can be used to add detail, provide information, or express complex ideas in a sentence.

Types of clauses

There are two main types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses.

Independent clauses are complete sentences that can stand alone and express a complete thought. They contain a subject and a predicate and do not depend on any other part of the sentence to be understood. Examples of independent clauses include:

- “She is studying for her exam.”
- “He likes to play tennis.”
- “They went to the store.”

Dependent clauses are incomplete sentences that cannot stand alone and must be connected to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. They contain a subject and a predicate, but they also begin with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun that signals that the clause is subordinate to the independent clause. Examples of dependent clauses include:

- “Although she studied hard, she did not pass the exam.”
- “When he plays tennis, he always wins.”
- “The book that she read was very interesting.”

Independent clauses

Independent clauses are complete sentences that can stand alone and express a complete thought. They contain a subject and a predicate and do not depend on any other part of the sentence to be understood.

Characteristics of independent clauses include:

They express a complete thought.
They contain a subject and a predicate.
They can stand alone as a sentence.
They are often joined together with other independent clauses or dependent clauses to form complex sentences.

Examples of independent clauses include:

“I love to read books.”
“She runs every morning.”
“He is a talented musician.”
“They are going on vacation next week.”
“The sun is shining brightly.”

To use independent clauses to form proper sentences, it’s important to follow the rules of grammar and punctuation. Here are some tips for using independent clauses correctly:

Use a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence.
Use proper punctuation at the end of the sentence, such as a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
Use a coordinating conjunction (such as “and,” “but,” or “or”) to connect two independent clauses.
Use a semicolon to separate two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Examples of how to use independent clauses to form proper sentences:

“I love to read books, and she loves to watch movies.”
“She runs every morning; he prefers to exercise in the evening.”
“He is a talented musician, but he still practices every day.”
“They are going on vacation next week, and they are very excited.”
“The sun is shining brightly, so we decided to go for a walk.”

Dependent clauses

Dependent clauses, also known as subordinate clauses, are incomplete sentences that cannot stand alone and must be connected to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. They contain a subject and a predicate, but they also begin with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun that signals that the clause is subordinate to the independent clause.

Characteristics of dependent clauses include:

They cannot stand alone as a sentence.
They depend on an independent clause to be a part of a complete sentence.
They begin with a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.
They modify or provide additional information about the independent clause.

Types of dependent clauses include:

Noun clauses: These function as a noun in a sentence, either as the subject, object, or complement. They begin with subordinating conjunctions such as “that,” “whether,” or “if.”

Example: “I don’t know whether he will come to the party.” (noun clause used as the object of the verb “know”)

Adjective clauses: These function as adjectives in a sentence and modify a noun or pronoun. They begin with relative pronouns such as “who,” “whom,” “whose,” “that,” or “which.”

Example: “The book that I read last week was very interesting.” (adjective clause modifying the noun “book”)

Adverbial clauses: These function as adverbs in a sentence and modify a verb, adjective, or adverb. They begin with subordinating conjunctions such as “because,” “since,” “although,” or “when.”

Example: “I went to bed early because I was tired.” (adverbial clause modifying the verb “went”)

Examples of dependent clauses:

“After I finish my homework” (adverbial clause modifying the verb)
“Whoever called this morning” (adjective clause modifying the pronoun)
“That she won the race” (noun clause used as the subject of the verb)

To use dependent clauses to form proper sentences, it’s important to connect them to an independent clause using proper punctuation and conjunctions. Here are some tips for using dependent clauses correctly:

Use a comma to separate the dependent clause from the independent clause.
Use a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun to signal that the clause is subordinate.
Place the dependent clause before or after the independent clause depending on the intended meaning.

Examples of how to use dependent clauses to form proper sentences:

“After I finish my homework, I will watch a movie.”
“The person who called this morning left a message.”
“That she won the race was a surprise to everyone.”

Conditional clause

A conditional clause, also known as an if-clause, is a type of dependent clause that expresses a condition that must be met for the rest of the sentence to be true. It typically begins with the word “if,” although other subordinating conjunctions such as “unless,” “provided that,” and “in case” can also be used to introduce a conditional clause.

The structure of a conditional clause includes a subordinate conjunction (such as “if”) followed by a subject and a verb. The verb in the conditional clause is usually in the present tense, although it can also be in the past tense or the future tense.

There are two main types of conditional clauses: real and unreal.

Real conditional clauses express a condition that is likely to happen or is possible to happen. They are also called first conditional clauses. These clauses use the present tense in the if-clause and will (or another modal verb) in the main clause.

Example: If it rains, I will stay at home.

Unreal conditional clauses express a condition that is hypothetical or unlikely to happen. They are also called second and third conditional clauses. These clauses use the past tense in the if-clause and would (or another modal verb) in the main clause.

Example: If I had more time, I would travel around the world.

Examples of conditional clauses:

If she studies hard, she will pass the exam. (real conditional)
Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus. (real conditional)
If he had known the truth, he would have acted differently. (unreal conditional)
In case of an emergency, call 911. (real conditional)

To use conditional clauses to form proper sentences, it’s important to follow the rules of grammar and punctuation. Here are some tips for using conditional clauses correctly:

Use a comma to separate the dependent clause from the independent clause.
Use the correct tense in both the if-clause and the main clause.
Use the appropriate modal verb (such as will, would, should, may, might, or can) in the main clause.

Examples of how to use conditional clauses to form proper sentences: