Clause

A clause can be defined as the largest grammatical unit.

Minor vs Major Clauses
A minor clause has no Predicator; major clause do.
The principal types of minor clause are as follows:
Address (vocative) Rhonda, sweety cakes.
# vocative is the word that people call each other.
Example in the clause.
Dani, do you want to go to the concert with me?
Thank you so much, honey, for doing that for me.
Professor, I have a question.
Well, doctor, what’s your conclusion?
Greeting Hi! Good day!
Exclamations Oh my god! Streuth!
None of the above has a Predicator, and so each one is a minor clause.
On the other hand, a major clause is a clause which has a predicator.
Ana invited Wanda to the party, but she didn’t come. I don’t like fish or I don’t
like meat

Major Clauses: Independent vs Dependent

Independent clause ‘can stand alone’. Dependent clauses ‘can’t stand alone’.
Example: Although Tony is intelligent, he failed the exam.

Independent Clauses: Non-Elliptical vs Elliptical

Non-Elliptical Elliptical
Who is the best man? Michael Jones (is the best man)
Are they having a reception? Yes (they are having a reception)
Joanne’s mother began to cry and (she) was handed a hanky

Major: Dependent Clauses FANBOYS (for,and

A major dependent clause must EITHER be initiated by a
Subordinating relator: e.g. since, if, although, because
e.g. as he had thought

A relator Wh-word: e.g. who, which, when

 e.g. which made John rather indignant, I didn’t know who stole his wallet
Relative word that--- I know that he called her last night.
e.g. (that) he was doing them a favour
or She bought a new pet that is very cute.
the verbal group functioning as the Predicator of the dependent clause must be
in one of the following forms:
perceptive (infinitive) to to + verb
imperfective (participial) ing verb + ing
He called the man who helped him yesterday.--------helping him yesterday.
I go to school afterI eat bread -eating bread
Independent Dependent
It’s my invention to keep sandwiches in
She stood there cooking meals from dawn to dusk
I needed somethingto keep sandwiches in
The prisoner (who hid in the thicket) escaped
He didn’t come to the meeting missing the train.
She can’t take the phone taking a bath
He didn’t come to the party invited

THE CLAUSE AS MESSAGE

In this chapter we look at how we structure information in English, what, we put
where and why. To do this we will consider each clause as a message, which is
in turn part of a larger message, the text. Each clause, if you like, in a stream of
messages is related either to the preceding or following discourse or to the
context. A message comes from somewhere and leads to somewhere.
I wrote the poem
In the rainy season the farmer grows the rice plant
Theme and Rheme
In an English clause there are two points of prominence, the beginning and the
end.

# In English the Theme can be identified as that or those element(s) which

come(s) first in the clause. This represents the point of departure of this message
from the previous one. The rest of the clause is called the Rheme. New
information is tipically contained in the Rheme.

In terms of Theme and Rheme, Theme represents ‘This is what I’m talking
about’ and the Rheme is ‘This is what I’m saying about it’.
Farmers are growing the rice plants (Petani sedang menanam padi)
Farmers (petani) are growing the rice plants (Menanam
 padi)
theme rheme

Types of Theme
The Theme can be divided into a number of categories: Ideational, Textual and
Interpersonal.

Ideational
The Ideational, or Topical Theme is usually but not always the first nominal
group in the clause. Topical Themes may also be nominal group complexes,
adverbial groups, prepositional phrases or embedded clauses.
In the unmarked case the Topical Theme is also the Subject. A Topical Theme
which is not the Subject is called a Marked Topical Theme.

Unmarked Topical Themes

Nominal group as Theme

Jack went up the hill

Jack went up the hill

Theme Rheme

Nominal group complex as Theme

Jack and Jill went up the hill

Jack and Jill went up the hill
Theme Rheme

Embedded clause

((What Jack and Jill did)) was going up the hill

What Jack and Jill did going up the hill
Theme Rheme

Marked Topical Themes

Adverbial as Theme
Down Jack fell
Down Jack fell
Theme Rheme
Prepositional phrase as Theme

Up the hill Jack and Jill went

Up the hill Jack and Jill went
Theme Rheme

Complement as Theme

His crown he broke

His crow he broke
Theme Rheme

The Themeof a clause extends to and includes the Topical Theme. Therefore,
elements which precede the Topical Theme are also thematic but elements
which come after the Topical Theme are not.

Textual Themes
Textual Themes relate the clause to its context.
They can be Continuatives and/or Conjunctive Adjuncts and Conjunctions.
The line between Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adjuncts is often a fine one.
One difference is that Conjunctive Adjuncts are more free tomove in a clause
whereas Conjunctions are pretty well restricted to being at the beginning.
Thus, in the example below, the Conjunction ‘but’ remains at the beginning of
the second clause in each pair. The Conjunctive Adjunct ‘nevertheless’ can
occur in various positions in the clause:

The procedure was simple

but, nevertheless was very effective.

The procedure was simple,

but was, nevertheless, very effective.

The procedure was simple

but was very effective nevertheless.

Conjuntions tend to provide Textual Themes within a clause complex and are
called Structural Themes. Conjunctive Adjuncts, on the other hand, tend to (but
don’t always) join text outside of clause complexes. They tend to have more of
a text-organising function.
Continuatives are a small set of items which, if they are there, are always at the
beginning of the clause and signal that a new move is beginning. For example:
well, right, OK, now, anyway, of course.

Right, what we need to do today is revise for our test.

Right what we need to do today is revise for our test.
Cont Topical
Theme Rheme

These relate to the context of speaking in that they signal to the listeners
that someone is about to start, resume or continue speaking.

Conjunctives relate the clause to the preceeding text by providing a logical link
between the messages.

Well, on the other hand, we could wait

Well on the other hand we could wait

Cont conjunctive Topical

Theme Rheme

Likewise Conjunctions almost always occur at the beginning of a clause and

carry the logico-semantic relations between clauses.

Well, on the other hand, if we wait until Tuesday...

Well on the other if we wait until
hand Tuesday...
Cont Conjunctive Conjunction/Structural Topical
Theme Rheme

Interpersonal Themes
Interpersonal elements occuring before the Topical Theme are also thematic.
They may be Modal Adjuncts, Vocatives, Finite or Wh-elements.

Modal Adjunct:

Perhaps we can wait until next week

Perhaps we can wait until next week
Modal
Interper. Topical
Rheme
Theme
Vocatives (a name or nickname used to address someone) are only thematic if
they occur before the Topical Theme, a Finite verb or a Modal Adjunct.

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today

Dearly beloved we are gathered here
today
Vocative Topical
Theme Rheme

Mary, we decided to wait until next week

Mary we decided to wait until
next week
vocative topical
theme Rheme

In the clause below the person’s name is not used as a Vocative; therefore it is
Topical and not Interpersonal.

Mary decided to wait untilnext week

Mary decided to wait untilnext week
Topical
Theme Rheme

Anyway, Mary, we decided to wait until next week?

Anyway Mary we decided to wait until next
week?
Cont Vocative Topical
Text Interpersonal Topical
Rheme
Theme

Mary, didn’t we decide to wait until next week?

Mary didn’t we decide to wait until next
week?
Vocative Finite Topical
Interpersonal Topical
Rheme
Theme
But, Mary, surely we can wait until next week
But Mary surely we can wait until next week
Conjunction Vocative Modal Topical Rheme
Text Interpersonal Topical
Theme Rheme

The maximum possible Theme in a clause would be something like:

Well, but aternatively Mary surely wouldn’t the best thing be to wait?
Well but aternati Mary surely would the be to
vely n’t best wait?
thing
Continu Conju Conjunct Vocativ Modal Finite Topical
ative nction/ ive e
Struct
ural
Textual interpersonal Topical Rheme
Theme