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Clauses - Coggle Diagram
Clauses
A sentence can have just one clause or it can have multiple clauses. The only defining characteristic of a clause is that it must contain a related subject and verb. Clauses play a variety of roles in English and because of this, there are numerous ways to structure and combine them.
When it comes to expressing a complete thought, a clause falls between a phrase and a sentence. In many cases, a clause can function as its own sentence. A phrase, in contrast, can’t. Here’s a quick look at the difference between a phrase and a clause:
Phrase: Meows so loudly
Clause: That cat meows so loudly
Based on the other two categories, we bet you can guess how an adjective clause works. In case you can’t, here it is: An adjective clause acts as an adjective in its sentence. Here are a few examples with adjectives swapped in to illustrate them:
My friend who rides a motorcycle said it’s a great weekend to ride.
My motorcyclist friend said it’s a great weekend to ride.
Clauses can perform three distinct functions: They can operate as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns.
Here’s an example of a noun clause:
She completely understood everything he said.
In this example, everything he said is a dependent clause that acts as a noun because it communicates the specific “thing” that she, the subject of the sentence, understands. Everything he said can be replaced with his explanation and the sentence still makes perfect sense:
She completely understood his explanation.
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb that have a relationship. This relationship is crucial; a clause conveys information about what that subject is or is doing, rather than simply being a random grouping of words.
In this example, everything he said is a dependent clause that acts as a noun because it communicates the specific “thing” that she, the subject of the sentence, understands. Everything he said can be replaced with his explanation and the sentence still makes perfect sense:
She completely understood his explanation.
In this example, the clause can be an independent sentence. It can also be part of a complex sentence. For example:
That cat meows so loudly when she wants to eat.
As you can see, independent clauses aren’t long or complex sentences. They can certainly be part of complex sentences, but by definition, they are known as simple sentences. Other types of sentences include complex sentences, compound sentences, and compound-complex sentence
Clauses can perform three distinct functions: They can operate as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns.
Here’s an example of a noun clause:
She completely understood everything he said.
Independent clauses
An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a distinct sentence. Take a look at these examples:
I love eating cookies.
My dog barks a lot.
The kids ate lunch.
His truck is green.
To test whether a clause is a noun clause, try swapping it out for a noun. If your sentence still makes sense, you’ve got a noun clause. Here are two more examples of noun clauses illustrated through swapped-in nouns:
They remembered what the keynote speaker covered.
They remembered the keynote speaker’s presentation.
There are three types of objects based on grammatical function: Direct Object. Indirect Object. Object of a Preposition.
In this example, the clause can be an independent sentence. It can also be part of a complex sentence. For example:
That cat meows so loudly when she wants to eat.
Take a look at these three sentences and see if you can pick out the differences between the first two and the last one.
In the first two examples, the dependent clause comes before the independent clause and the two clauses are separated by commas. Keep this in mind when you’re writing: Whenever the dependent clause comes first in a complex sentence, it’s followed by a comma.
To turn these dependent clauses into full sentences, you need to combine them with independent clauses:
When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
Although he sings well, he hates karaoke.
I searched through the basement and found the mouse that was hiding.
Dependent clauses
In contrast, a dependent clause is not a complete sentence. Dependent clauses are sometimes known as subordinate clauses. As their name implies, these clauses depend on independent clauses to clearly express ideas. Here are a few examples of dependent clauses:
When I grow up
Although he sings well
The mouse that was hiding
Each type of sentence is created by a unique combination of independent and dependent clauses. We’ll get into the ways to combine clauses to create different kinds of sentences shortly.
Because a clause expresses an action or a state of being, a clause can often—but not always—function as an independent sentence.
Although you use clauses in your speech and writing every day, it can be easy to overlook the intricacies of clauses in English. Read on to learn how clauses are classified, the roles clauses play in sentences, how to combine clauses to express your thoughts, and the difference between independent and dependent clauses.
Just like a noun clause is a clause taking on a noun’s role, an adverbial clause is a clause acting as an adverb. For example:
She fixed the sink without facing difficulty.
She fixed the sink easily.