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Clauses - Types and Functions

This document provides an overview of clauses, including their definition and different types. It defines a clause as a group of words containing a subject and a verb. There are two main types of clauses: independent/main clauses, which can stand alone as a complete thought, and subordinate/dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone and require an independent clause. Some examples of each clause type are given. Subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns are discussed as introducing dependent clauses and indicating their relationship to the main clause.

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74 views

Clauses - Types and Functions

This document provides an overview of clauses, including their definition and different types. It defines a clause as a group of words containing a subject and a verb. There are two main types of clauses: independent/main clauses, which can stand alone as a complete thought, and subordinate/dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone and require an independent clause. Some examples of each clause type are given. Subordinating conjunctions and relative pronouns are discussed as introducing dependent clauses and indicating their relationship to the main clause.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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CYRIL POTTER COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
COURSE NOTES - CLAUSES - TYPES AND FUNCTION

A CLAUSE is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. For example: ‘The
deer swam in the river.’ is a clause because it contains a subject and a verb: deer
– subject, swam – verb.
Another clause is ‘who travels in the river’ because it contains a subject – verb
combination: who travels.
 However, there are some clauses in which the subject is understood as in
the case of commands: Dance. Close the door.
 The understood subject is the second person pronoun ‘you’. The clauses
would then read: You dance. You close the door.
Inserting the subject somewhat takes away from the effectiveness of the
commands.
 Here are some other examples of clauses. The subjects are underlined and
the verbs are bolded.
 We partied all night.
 Leave the house!
 They leave from home today.
 Because school re-opens tomorrow

TYPES OF CLAUSES
There are two main types of clauses.
THE MAIN/INDEPENDENT CLAUSE
A MAIN or INDEPENDENT clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by
itself as a sentence. In order to qualify as a sentence, a group of words must have
at least one independent clause.
Here are some of the ways that subjects and verbs can be combined to form an
independent clause:
1. Mr. Martin wants to read everything in the newspaper.
2. She shops at only Guyana stores.
3. Mary and Jane swim twelve laps every day
4. Stan pounded on the door.
5. Viola heard, jumped, ran and vanished.
6. John eats.
7. Run.

The above sentence examples reveal that independent clauses can be long or
short, they can have one subject or more, they can have one verb or more, and
they can even be a one-word command.
The important thing to remember is that independent clauses can stand alone.
They express a complete thought.

SUBORDINATE/DEPENDENT CLAUSES
A subordinate or dependent clause does not express a complete thought and
cannot stand alone. This type of clause leaves you wondering.
For example, in the following group of words, you can identify a subject and a
verb: “After he called”; – Subject – he; Verb – called.
However, the thought of the sentence is incomplete. We wonder ‘what happened
next?’
Adding an independent clause makes the thought complete: “The police arrived
after he called.” OR “After he called the police arrived.”

A dependent clause/subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it must be combined


with an independent clause to form a sentence.
A subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun links the
independent and dependent clauses and indicates the
relationship between them.
For example: After the town was evacuated, the hurricane began. The
independent clause is “The hurricane began” and the dependent clause is “after
the town was evacuated”.
Officials watched the storm, which threatened to destroy the town. The
independent clause is “officials watched the storm” and the dependent
clause is “which threatened to destroy the town”.
Sometimes a dependent clause may be embedded within an independent clause.
E.g. Town officials, who were very concerned, watched the storm.
Dependent clauses may function in a sentence either as adverb clauses or as
adjective clauses. Adverb clauses are introduced by subordinating
conjunctions, and adjective clauses are introduced by relative
pronouns.
Frequently used Subordinating conjunctions:
After; although; as; as if; as though; because; before; even though; if; in
order that; now that; once; rather than; since; so that; though;
unless; until; when; whenever; where; whereas; wherever; while;
- these are used to introduce adverb clauses.

Relative Pronouns
That; what; whatever; which; who; whose; whom; whoever; whomever.
The relative pronouns who, whose, whom, which and that introduce adjective
clauses which may qualify either the noun subject or the noun
object of the main clause. For example: Velma went to Spain with a
friend who spoke Spanish. “Who spoke Spanish” is an adjective
clause qualifying the noun (object) friend in the main clause.
The boy whose father came to see you has gone to New York. “Whose father
came to see you” is an adjective clause qualifying the noun (subject)
boy in the main clause.
The relative pronouns ‘that’ and ‘what’, ‘whatever’,’ whoever’, introduce noun
clauses (before or after the verb in the main or independent clause.)
E.g. He screamed that he was cheating. ‘That he was cheating’ is a
noun clause, object of the verb ‘screamed’ in the main clause.
Whatever he asks of me, I will give to him. ‘Whatever he asks of me’ is a noun
clause, subject of the verb ‘will give’ in the main clause.

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