English Grammar Clauses

CLAUSES

What are clauses?

Clauses are groups of words with a subject and a verb.

There are two main types.

1. Independent clause: (Main Clause)

These can stand alone and express complete thoughts.

e.g.:

The sun rises in the east.

I drink coffee.

These pizzas taste delicious.

2. Dependent clause: (Subordinate clause)

A subordinate is a group of words with a subject and a verb and they can’t stand alone because they don’t express complete thoughts.

e.g.:

Whenever the sun rises.

Since I drink coffee.

Because I love pizza.

Do you know that they act as one part of speech; all of the words come together to act as an adjective, adverb, or noun. We can divide these into categories on what part of speech they function as. When we do this we get three categories.

The three types of subordinate clauses are adjective, adverb, and noun.

·   Adjective Clause:

Adjective clauses (or relative clauses) are a type of subordinate clause that act as adjectives.

Quick refresher! Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Clauses are group of words with a subject and a verb. Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone.

The whole clause does the job of an adjective.

Let’s take a look at this sentence:

The happy man danced across the street.

Happy is an adjective modifying the noun man. It is

telling us which man.

Now, look at this sentence.

The man who looks happy danced across the street.

This time, whole clause is modifying the noun man!

Which man? The man who looks happy.

This clause is an adjective clause. It is a group of words with a subject and a verb, and it is acting as one part of speech – an adjective.

Relative pronouns can introduce adjective clauses

Most of the time, relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns.

Relative pronouns are words that introduce adjective clauses.

                            Who, whom, whose, that, which

Examples:

The person who made the mess needs to clean it.

The boy whom you teach is my brother.

People whose houses leak need waterproofing.

This is the house that Jack built.

The book which you gave me is torn.

Adverb clauses: Adverb clauses are subordinate clauses that act as adverbs!

The whole clause does the job of an adverb.

Quick refresher! Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. (How, When, Where) Clauses are group of words with a subject and a verb. Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone.

Let’s see how a whole clause acts as an adverb?

I walked today.

Today is an adverb modifying the verb walked.

It is telling us when I walked.

Now look at this sentence.

I walked today before the sun went down.

This time, a whole clause is modifying the verb walked!

When did I walk? I walked before the sun went down. This clause is an adverbial clause. It is a group of words with a subject and a verb, and it is acting as one part of speech an adverb.

Adverbial clauses are introduced by special words called subordinating conjunctions.

Subordinating conjunctions link adverb with the word in the independent clause that the adverb clause is modifying. Some of the subordinating conjunctions are listed below.

When, whenever, where, wherever, while, unless, until, than, that, though, till, since, so that, only if, although, as, as if, after, because, before etc…

No matter how many subordinating conjunctions are there, they all point to three basic questions of an Adverb HOW, WHEN, WHERE.

Look at these some Examples they all point to How, When & Where.

My mom smiled when I made dinner.

I walk faster than Sam walks.

I talk because it makes me feel good.

I know the place where you went.

He did as you told him.

Whenever I needed help he was there for me.

Noun Clause: Noun clauses are subordinate clauses that act or function as nouns. Now that’s obvious!

Let’s try to explore them acting as subjects, direct objects, object of the preposition, and predicate nouns.

Quick refresher! Clauses are group of words with a subject and a verb. Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone, they are dependent clause.

Look at this sentence.

Whatever you want is fine with me.

Now there is a whole clause acting as he subject.

Whatever you want is a noun clause acting as the

 subject of the sentence.

We know that whatever you want is a clause because

It has a Subject (You) and a verb (Want).

We also know that it is a subordinate clause because it does not express a complete thought.