The Clause
Recognize a clause when you see one.
Clauses come in four
types: main [or independent], subordinate [or dependent],adjective [or relative], and noun. Every clause has at least a subject and a verb. Other characteristics will help you distinguish one type of
clause from another.
Main Clauses
Every main clause will follow this pattern:
subject + verb = complete
thought.
Here are some examples:
Lazy students play.
Students = subject; play = verb.
My dog loves pizza.
Dog = subject; loves = verb.
The important point to
remember is that every sentence must have at least one main clause. Otherwise, you have a fragment, a major error.
Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate
clause will follow this
pattern:
subordinate
conjunction + subject + verb = incomplete
thought..
Here are some examples:
1. Whenever lazy students play
Whenever = subordinate
conjunction; students = subject; play= verb.
2. Because my dog loves pizza
Because = subordinate
conjunction; dog = subject; loves = verb.
The important point to remember
about subordinate clauses is that they can never stand alone as complete sentences. To complete
the thought, you must attach each subordinate clause to a main clause.
Generally, the punctuation looks like this:
main clause + Ø + subordinate
clause.
subordinate clause + , + main clause.
Check out these
revisions to the subordinate clauses above:
1. Whenever lazy students play, The teacher throws chalk erasers at their heads.
2. Because my dog loves pizza crusts, he never barks at the deliveryman.
Relative Clauses
A relative
clause will begin with a relative
pronoun [such as who, whom, whose, which, or that] or a relative adverb [when, where,
or why].
The patterns look like these:
relative
pronoun or adverb + subject + verb =incomplete thought.
relative pronoun
as subject + verb =
= incomplete thought.
Here are some examples:
1. Whom The teacher hit in the head with a chalk eraser
Whom = relative pronoun; The teacher = subject; hit = verb.
2. Where he chews and drools with great enthusiasm
Where = relative adverb; he = subject; chews, drools = verbs.
3. Who loves pizza
Who = relative pronoun; loves = verb.
Like subordinate
clauses, relative clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences. You must
connect them to main clauses to finish the thought. Look at these revisions of
the relative clauses above:
The lazy students whom The teacher hit in the head with a chalk eraser soon learned to keep their complaints to
themselves.
My dog Siba, who loves pizza, eats
them under the kitchen table, where
he chews and drools with great enthusiasm.
Punctuating relative
clauses can be tricky. You have to decide if the relative clause is essential or nonessential and then use commas accordingly.
Essential relative clauses do not require commas. A relative clause is essential when you need the
information it provides. Look at this example:
A dog that eats too much pizza will be strong.
Dog is nonspecific. To know
which dog we are talking about, we must have the information in the relative
clause. Thus, the relative clause is essential and requires no commas.
If, however, we revise dog and choose more specific words instead, the
relative clause becomes nonessential and does require commas to separate it from the rest of
the sentence. Read this revision:
My dog Siba, who eats too much pizza, will be strong.
Noun Clauses
Any clause that
functions as a noun becomes a noun clause. Look at this example:
You really do not want to know the ingredients in
Aunt Maya's stew.
Ingredients = noun.
If we replace the noun ingredients with a clause, we have a noun clause:
You really do not want to know what Aunt Maya adds to her stew.
What Aunt Nancy adds to her stew = noun clause.
Using
Clauses as Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs
If a clause can stand alone as
a sentence, it is an independent clause, as in
the following example:
Independent
The
Prime Minister is in Sri lanka.
Some clauses, however, cannot stand alone as sentences: in this
case, they are dependent
clauses or subordinate clauses. Consider the same clause with the subordinating
conjunction "because" added to the beginning:
Dependent
when
the Prime Minister is in Sri lanka
In this case, the clause could not be a sentence by itself,
since the conjunction "because" suggests that the
clause is providing an explanation for something else. Since this dependent
clause answers the question "when," just like an adverb, it is
called a dependent
adverb clause (or
simply an adverb clause, since adverb clauses are always dependent clauses).
Note how the clause can replace the adverb "tomorrow" in the
following examples:
adverb
The
committee will meet tomorrow.
adverb clause
The
committee will meet when the Prime Minister is in Sri lanka.
Dependent clauses can stand not only for adverbs, but also for nouns and
for adjectives.
A noun clause is an entire clause
which takes the place of a noun in another clause or phrase. Like
a noun, a noun clause acts as the subject or object of
a verb or the object of a preposition,
answering the questions "who(m)?" or "what?". Consider the
following examples:
noun
I know Sihala.
noun clause
I know that
Sinhala is no longer spoken as a native
language.
In the first example, the noun "Sinhala" acts as the direct
object of the verb "know." In the second example, the
entire clause "that Sinhala ..." is the direct object.
In fact, many noun clauses are indirect
questions:
noun
Their destination is
unknown.
noun clause
Where
they are going is unknown.
The question "Where are they going?," with a slight
change in word order, becomes a noun clause when used as part of a larger unit
-- like the noun "destination," the clause is the subject of the verb
"is."
Here are some more examples of noun clauses:
about what
you bought at the mall
This noun clause is the object of the preposition
"about," and answers the question "about what?"
Whoever
broke the vase will have to pay for it.
This noun clause is the subject of the verb "will have to
pay," and answers the question "who will have to
pay?"
An adjective
clause is
a dependent clause which takes the place of an adjective in another clause or
phrase. Like an adjective, an adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun,
answering questions like "which?" or "what kind of?"
Consider the following examples:
Adjective
The red coat
Adjective clause
The
coat which I bought yesterday
Like the word "red" in the first example, the
dependent clause "which I bought yesterday" in the second example
modifies the noun "coat." Note that an adjective clause usually comes after what
it modifies, while an adjective usually comes before.
In formal writing, an adjective clause begins with the relative
pronouns "who(m)," "that," or "which." In
informal writing or speech, you may leave out the relative pronoun when it is
not the subject of the adjective clause, but you should usually include the
relative pronoun in formal, academic writing:
informal
The
books people read were mainly religious.
formal
The
books that people read were mainly religious.
informal
Some
firefighters never meet the people they save.
formal
Some
firefighters never meet the people whom they save.
Here are some more examples of adjective clauses:
The
meat which they ate was tainted
This clause modifies the noun "meat" and answers the
question "which meat?".
about
the movie which made him cry
This clause modifies the noun "movie" and answers the
question "which movie?".
they
are searching for the one who borrowed the book
The clause modifies the pronoun "one" and answers the
question "which one?".
Did I
tell you about the author whom I met?
The clause modifies the noun "author" and answers the
question "which author?".
An adverb
clause is
a dependent clause which takes the place of an adverb in another clause or
phrase. An adverb clause answers questions such as "when?",
"where?", "why?", "with what goal/result?", and
"under what conditions?".
Note how an adverb clause can replace an adverb in the following
example:
adverb
The
premier gave a speech here.
adverb clause
The
premier gave a speech where the workers were striking.
Usually, a subordinating conjunction like "because,"
"when(ever)," "where(ever)," "since,"
"after," and "so that," will introduce an adverb clause.
Note that a dependent adverb clause can never stand alone as a
complete sentence:
independent clause
they
left the locker room
dependent adverb clause
after
they left the locker room
The first example can easily stand alone as a sentence, but the
second cannot -- the reader will ask what happened "after
they left the locker room". Here are some more examples of adverb clauses
expressing the relationships of cause, effect, space, time, and condition:
cause
Hamlet
wanted to kill his uncle because the uncle had murdered Hamlet's father.
The adverb clause answers the question "why?".
effect
Hamlet
wanted to kill his uncle so that his father's murder would be avenged.
The adverb clause answers the question "with what
goal/result?".
time
After
Hamlet's uncle Claudius married Hamlet's mother,
Hamlet wanted to kill him.
The adverb clause answers the question "when?". Note
the change in word order -- an adverb clause can often appear either before or
after the main part of the sentence.
place
Where
the whole Danish court was assembled, Hamlet ordered a play
in an attempt to prove his uncle's guilt.
The adverb clause answers the question "where?".
condition
If the
British co-operate, the Europeans may achieve monetary union.
The adverb clause answers the question "under what conditions?"
Conditional Sentences / If-Clauses Type I, II and III
Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If
Clauses. They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if)
can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if)
is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.
Conditional Sentence Type 1
→ It is
possible and also very
likely that
the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Present, will-Future
Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her
an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In
this case, don't use a comma.
Example: I will
send her an invitation if I find her address.
Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be
negative. See Simple Present and will-Future on how to form negative sentences.
Example: If I
don’t see him this afternoon, I will phone him in the evening.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type I refer to the future. An action in the
future will only happen if a certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We
don't know for sure whether the condition actually will be fulfilled or not,
but the conditions seems rather realistic – so we think it is likely to
happen.
Example: If I
find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.
I want to send an invitation to a
friend. I just have to find her address. I am quite sure, however, that I will
find it.
Example: If John
has the money, he will buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know
that he earns a lot of money and that he loves Ferraris. So I think it is very
likely that sooner or later he will have the money to buy a Ferrari.
Conditional Sentence Type 2
→ It is
possible but very
unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send
her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In
this case, don't use a comma.
Example: I would
send her an invitation if I found her address.
Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be
negative. See Simple Past and Conditional on
how to form negative sentences.
Example: If I
had a lot of money, I wouldn’t stay here.
Were instead of Was
In IF Clauses Type II, we usually use ‚were‘ – even if the pronoun
is I, he, she or it –.
Example: If I were you, I would not do this.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type II refer to situations in the present.
An action could happen if the present situation were different. I don't really
expect the situation to change, however. I just imagine „what
would happen if …“
Example: If I
found her address, I would send her an invitation.
I would like to send an
invitation to a friend. I have looked everywhere for her address, but I cannot
find it. So now I think it is rather unlikely that I will eventually find her
address.
Example: If John
had the money, he would buy a Ferrari.
I know John very well and I know
that he doesn't have much money, but he loves Ferraris. He would like to own a
Ferrari (in his dreams). But I think it is very unlikely that he will have the
money to buy one in the near future.
Conditional Sentence Type 3
→ It is impossible that the condition will be
fulfilled because it refers to the past.
Form: if + Past Perfect, Conditional II (= would + have + Past Participle)
Example: If I had found her address, I would
have sent her an invitation.
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In
this case, don't use a comma.
Example: I would
have sent her an invitation if I had found her address.
Note: Main clause and / or if clause might be
negative. See Past Perfect and Conditional
on how to form negative sentences.
Example: If I
hadn’t studied, I wouldn’t have passed my exams.
Use
Conditional Sentences Type III refer to situations in the past. An
action could have happened in the past if a certain condition had been
fulfilled. Things were different then, however. We just imagine, what would
have happened if the situation had been fulfilled.
Example: If I
had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.
Sometime in the past, I wanted to
send an invitation to a friend. I didn't find her address, however. So in the
end I didn't send her an invitation.
Example: If John
had had the money, he would have bought a Ferrari.
I
knew John very well and I know that he never had much money, but he loved
Ferraris. He would have loved to own a Ferrari, but he never had the money to
buy one.
