Clauses and its kind

 

Clause

A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. We use clauses to form sentences or parts of sentences. There are a number of different types of clauses including main clauses, subordinate clauses, coordinate clauses, and adjective (or relative) clauses.

What Are The Different Types of Clauses?

Now that we’ve answered the question of ‘what is a clause in English?’, it’s important to be aware that there are a number of clause types that can be used in a sentence. In this next bit, we’ll explain the main clause types and give you a couple of handy examples of them in action:

1. What is a main clause?

A main clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A main clause can form a complete sentence all on its own. Main clauses are also often referred to as independent clauses because they don't need any additional information to make sense. They can stand alone perfectly fine without the support of another clause. They express a complete thought.

Sentences can consist of two main clauses or a main clause and another type of clause. When there is only one main clause and another different type of clause, the second clause depends on the main clause to make sense.

Examples of main clauses include:

  • The cat mewed.
  • His car broke down at the station.
  • The girl laughed loudly.

2. What are subordinate clauses?

When we’re talking about ‘what is a clause in English?’, another important one to know about is the subordinate (or dependent) clause!

Unlike main clauses, subordinate clauses need a little help to make sense, and they are also often referred to as dependent clauses. A subordinate clause is a clause that can't stand alone as a complete sentence, even though it contains a subject and a verb. It doesn't contain a complete thought as a main clause does. It has to be linked to the main clause using a subordinating conjunction.

Examples of subordinate clauses include:

  • Sitting happily, the chicken laid eggs.
  • The chicken, who was busy laying eggs, sat happily.
  • Looking over the hill, she sighed wistfully.
  • She sighed wistfully, looking over the hill.
  • The girl, who was looking over the hill, sighed wistfully.

'Sitting happily' is a subordinate clause because it's not a complete thought. It needs the main clause, 'the chicken laid eggs', to make any sense to the reader.

3. What are coordinate clauses?

A coordinate clause is made when you connect two independent clauses that are of equal importance. These clauses are connected by coordinating conjunctions. Similar to subordinate clauses, coordinate clauses also combine two sentences, so it can be difficult to get the difference between them right.

A good way to remember the difference between the two is to first think of the meaning of 'coordinate'. To coordinate means to work together on equal standing. A coordinate clause contains two sentences with equal importance. So, just remember that in a coordinate clause, the two sentences are working together as a team to make one coordinate clause.

Examples of coordinate clauses include:

  • He wanted to go to the beach, but it started raining.
  • You can feed the dog, or you can wash the dishes.
  • They have homework to do, yet they keep putting it off.

These two clauses are connected by a coordinating conjunction.

  • I like chocolate and I like sweets.

Both 'I like chocolate' and 'I like sweets' are main clauses that can make sense independently. They've been joined together by the coordinating conjunction, 'and', to make coordinate clauses.

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