What is a sentence for the word clause

1. What is a Clause?

A clause is a set of words containing a subject and a predicate. Every full sentence has at least one clause—it is not possible to have a complete sentence without one. Sometimes, a clause is only two words, but it can be more. Because of this, it is the shortest way you can express a complete thought in English!

It’s easy to remember what a clause is—just use this simple “word equation”:

CLAUSE = SUBJECT + PREDICATE

2. Examples of Clauses

In the examples, subjects are purple and predicates are green. As mentioned, some clauses are only two words, a subject and a single verb predicate, like these:

• I see.
• He ran.
• We ate.
• They sang.

Other times, instead of a single verb, a predicate can be a verb phrase, so a clause can be longer, like these:

• I see you.
• He ran away.
• We ate popcorn.
• They sang beautifully.

3. Parts of a Clause

All clauses have two main things, a subject and a predicate.

a. Subject

A subject is the person, place, idea, or thing that a sentence is about. It’s the noun that is “doing” something in the sentence. Every sentence needs at least one to make sense. Sometimes a subject is only one word, but sometimes it includes modifiers, or can be a noun phrase or gerund.

b. Predicate

A predicate contains a sentence’s action—it tells what the subject does, and always needs a verb. Often the predicate is just a verb, but it can also be a verb phrase: a verb plus its objects or modifiers. Here are three examples of different types of predicates in clause:

• The dog ran.                      Single verb “ran” = predicate
• The dog ran quickly.          Verb + modifier “ran quickly” = predicate
• The dog ran home.            Verb + object “ran home” = predicate

4. Types of Clauses

There are two main types of clauses that we use in sentences. They are called independent clauses and dependent (or subordinate) clauses, and each works differently in a sentence and on its own.

a. Independent Clause

An independent clause is a clause that is as a complete sentence. Basically, it’s just a simple sentence. Like all clauses, it has a subject and a predicate, and makes sense on its own.

• The dog ate popcorn.
• He ate popcorn.
• The dog ate.
• He ate at the fair.

You can see that each sentence above is complete; you don’t need to add any other words for it to express a complete thought.

b. Dependent (Subordinate) Clause

A dependent clause has a subject and a predicate; BUT, unlike an independent clause, it can’t exist as a sentence. It doesn’t make sense on its own because it doesn’t share a complete thought. A dependent clause only gives extra information, and is “dependent” on other words to make a full sentence. Here are a few examples:

• After he went to the fair                        What did he do after?
• Since he ate popcorn                            Since he ate popcorn, what?
• While he was at the county fair             What happened?
• If the dog eats popcorn                         Then what?

Though all of the examples above contain subjects and clauses, none of them make sense on their own. So, dependent clauses are very important, but they need independent clauses to make a full sentence, which make complex sentences. Alone, a dependent clause makes a fragment sentence (see Section V).

Furthermore, there are several types of dependent clauses, like noun clauses, adjective (relative) clauses, and adverb clauses. In the sentences below, the clauses are underlined.

i. Noun Clause

A noun clause is a group of words that acts as a noun in a sentence. They begin with relative pronouns like “how,” “which,” “who,” or “what,” combined with a subject and predicate. For example:

The dog can eat what he wants.

Here, “what he wants” stands as a noun for what the dog can eat. It’s a clause because it has a subject (he) and a predicate (wants).

ii. Adjective (Relative) Clause

Adjective clauses are groups of words that act as an adjective in a sentence. They have a pronoun (who, that, which) or an adverb (what, where, why) and a verb; or, a pronoun or an adverb that serves as subject and a verb. Here are some examples:

The dog will eat whichever flavor of popcorn you have

Whichever (pronoun) + flavor (subject) + have (verb) is an adjective clause that describes the popcorn. As you can see, it’s not a full sentence.

The dog is the one who ate the popcorn.

“Who” (pronoun acting as subject) + “ate” (verb) is an adjective clause that describes the dog.

iii. Adverb Clause

An adverb clause is a group of words that work as an adverb in a sentence, answering questions asking “where?”, “when,” “how?” and “why?” They begin with a subordinate conjunction.

The dog ran until he got to the county fair.

This sentence answers the question “how long did the dog run?” with the adverb clause “until he got to the county fair.”

After the dog arrived he ate popcorn.

With the adverb clause “after the dog arrived,” this sentence answers, “when did the dog eat popcorn?”

REMEMBER: NO TYPE OF DEPENDENT CLAUSE CAN BE A SENTENCE BY ITSELF!

5. How to Avoid Mistakes

There are a couple of common mistakes that can happen when using clauses. First, you need to remember rules about subject-verb agreement. Second, it’s important to avoid fragment sentences. And of course, always remember: CLAUSE = SUBJECT + PREDICATE!

a. Subject-Verb Agreement

Each sentence has a subject and a verb, but as you know, subjects and verbs both have singular and plural forms. In order for them to function properly, they need to “agree” with each other, or match, which is called subject-verb agreement (SVA). Clauses rely on subject-verb agreement to make sense. Look at these two sentences:

The dog likes popcorn.             Correct SVA

The dog like popcorn.               Incorrect SVA

The dogs like popcorn.             Correct SVA

The dogs likes popcorn.            Incorrect SVA

Now, here are some key rules to remember:

1. Singular subjects need singular verbs
2. Plural subjects need plural verbs
3. A mix of singular and plural results in subject-verb disagreement.
4. Sometimes single and plural verbs are the same

You probably already know the difference between singular nouns and verbs and plural nouns and verbs. Here’s a chart to help you remember some:

b. Fragment Sentence

A “fragment” is a small piece of something. So, a fragment sentence is just a piece of a sentence: it is missing a subject, a predicate, or an independent clause. It’s simply an incomplete sentence. As mentioned, using a dependent clause on its own makes a fragment sentence because it doesn’t express a complete thought.

Let’s use the dependent clauses from above:

• After he went to the fair                        What did he do after?
• Since he ate popcorn                           Since he ate popcorn, what?
• While he was at the county fair             What happened?
• If he eats popcorn                                 Then what?

As you can see, each leaves an unanswered question. So, let’s complete the sentences them:

• The dog was tired after he went to the fair.
• Since he ate popcorn, the dog didn’t want dinner.
• While he was at the county fair, the dog ate popcorn.
• The dog will get a stomachache if he eats popcorn.

Here, the independent clauses are underlined. In each of the sentences above, the dependent clause is paired with an independent clause to make it complete. So, always remember: a dependent clause needs an independent clause!

What is a Clause

A clause is comprised of a group of words that include a subject and a finite verb. It contains only one subject and one verb. The subject of a clause can be mentioned or hidden, but the verb must be apparent and distinguishable.

A clause is “a group of words containing a subject and predicate and functioning as a member of a complex or compound sentence. ” – Merriam-Webster

Example:

• I graduated last year. (One clause sentence)
• When I came here, I saw him. (Two clause sentence)
• When I came here, I saw him, and he greeted me. (Three clause sentence)

Types of Clauses

• Independent Clause
• Dependent Clause
  • Adjective Clause
  • Noun Clause
  • Adverbial Clause
• Principal Clause
• Coordinate Clause
• Non-finite Clause

Independent Clause

It functions on its own to make a meaningful sentence and looks much like a regular sentence.

In a sentence two independent clauses can be connected by the coordinators: and, but, so, or, nor, for*, yet*.

Example:

• He is a wise man.
• I like him.
• Can you do it?
• Do it please. (Subject you is hidden)
• I read the whole story.
• I want to buy a phone, but I don’t have enough money. (Two independent clauses)
• He went to London and visited the Lords. (Subject of the second clause is ‘he,’ so “he visited the Lords” is an independent clause.)
• Alex smiles whenever he sees her. (One independent clause)

Dependent Clause

It cannot function on its own because it leaves an idea or thought unfinished. It is also called a subordinate clause. These help the independent clauses complete the sentence. Alone, it cannot form a complete sentence.

The subordinators do the work of connecting the dependent clause to another clause to complete the sentence. In each of the dependent clauses, the first word is a subordinator. Subordinators include relative pronouns, subordinating conjunctions, and noun clause markers.

Example:

• When I was dating Daina, I had an accident.
• I know the man who stole the watch.
• He bought a car which was too expensive.
• I know that he cannot do it.
• He does not know where he was born.
• If you don’t eat, I won’t go.
• He is a very talented player though he is out of form.

Dependent Clauses are divided into three types and they are –

1. Adjective Clause

It is a Dependent Clause that modifies a Noun. Basically, Adjective Clauses have similar qualities as Adjectives that are of modifying Nouns and hence the name, Adjective Clause. These are also called Relative Clauses and they usually sit right after the Nouns they modify. 

Examples:

• I’m looking for the red book that went missing last week.
• Finn is asking for the shoes which used to belong to his dad.
• You there, who is sitting quietly at the corner, come here and lead the class out. 

2. Noun Clause

Dependent Clauses acting as Nouns in sentences are called Noun Clauses or Nominal Clauses. These often start with “how,” “that,” other WH-words (What, Who, Where, When, Why, Which, Whose and Whom), if, whether etc. 

Examples:

• I like what I hear.
• You need to express that it’s crossing a line for you.
• He knows how things work around here. 

3. Adverbial Clause

By definition, these are Dependent Clauses acting as Adverbs. It means that these clauses have the power to modify Verbs, Adjectives and other Adverbs. 

Examples:

• Alice did the dishes till her legs gave up.
• Tina ran to the point of panting vehemently.
• I went through the book at a lightning speed.

Principal Clause

These have a Subject (Noun/Pronoun), Finite Verb and an Object and make full sentences that can stand alone or act as the main part of any Complex or Compound Sentence. Independent and Principal Clauses are functionally the same but named from different perspectives. 

Examples:

• I know that boy.
• He can jog every morning.
• Robin fishes like a pro. 

Coordinate Clause

Two or more similarly important Independent Clauses joined by Coordinating Conjunctions (and, or, but etc.) in terms of Compound Sentences are called Coordinate Clauses. 

Examples:

• I like taking photos and he loves posing for them.
• You prefer flying but she always wants to take a bus.
• We are going to visit Terry or he is coming over. 

Non-finite Clause

They contain a Participle or an Infinitive Verb that makes the Subject and Verb evident even though hidden. In terms of a Participle, the Participial Phrase takes place of the Subject or Object of the sentence. 

Examples:

• He saw the boy (who was) staring out of the window.
• She is the first person (who is) to enter the office.
• Hearing the fireworks, the children jumped up.

These three structures are a common part of English, and are all composed of groups of words. Clauses, phrases and sentences are very similar, but they do have different roles. Learning the difference between them will help you make a lot more sense of English grammar, and will be very useful to improve your written English.

What is a phrase?

Words can be grouped together, but without a subject or a verb. This is called a phrase.

Because a phrase has neither subject nor verb, it can’t form a ‘predicate’. This is a structure that must contain a verb, and it tells you something about what the subject is doing.

Phrases can be very short – or quite long. Two examples of phrases are:

“After dinner”

“Waiting for the rain to stop”.

Phrases can’t be used alone, but you can use them as part of a sentence, where they are used as parts of speech.

What is a clause?

Clauses are groups of words that have both subjects and predicates. Unlike phrases, a clause can sometimes act as a sentence – this type of clause is called an independent clause. This isn’t always the case, and some clauses can’t be used on their own – these are called subordinate clauses, and need to be used with an independent clause to complete their meaning.

An example of a subordinate clause is “When the man broke into the house”

An example of an independent clause is “the dog barked at him”

While the independent clause could be used by itself as a complete sentence, the subordinate clause could not. For it to be correct, it would need to be paired with another clause: “When the man broke into the house, the dog barked at him.”

What is a sentence?

A complete sentence has a subject and predicate, and can often be composed of more than one clause. As long as it has a subject and a predicate, a group of words can form a sentence, no matter how short.

E.g. “You ate fish.”

More complex sentences can combine multiple clauses or phrases to add additional information about what is described. Clauses may be combined using conjunctions – such as “and”, “but” and “or”.

E.g. “He went out to dinner but didn’t enjoy the meal.”

This example is composed of two independent clauses, “he went out to dinner” and “he didn’t enjoy the meal”, combined with a conjunction- “but”.

Your turn

While clauses, phrases and sentences might seem very similar at first, on closer look you can start to see how they function very differently. To make sure you use them correctly, it’s important to practice identifying them.

Try reading different materials, and spotting the phrases, clauses and complete sentences in a piece of text. Then try to write your own examples of them! And if you would like to learn English with people from all over the world — check out our range of language courses abroad at Eurocentres.com

Definition of Clause

A clause is a group of words containing a subject as well as a finite verb. A sentence can be fully called a clause only when it has a single subject and a single verb. A clause may Function as a noun or as an adjective or as an adverb. If it functions as a noun, it is a noun clause. If it functions as an adjective, it is an adjective clause. And if it functions as an adverb, it is an adverb clause.

Example:

• When I came here, I saw her. (Two clause sentence)
• I completed my graduation last year.  (One clause sentence)
• I like Mathematics, but my sister likes Biology, Because she wants to become a doctor.   (three clauses sentence)

Types of clauses

• Independent Clause
• Dependent Clause
• Principal Clause
• Coordinate Clause
• Non-finite Clause

1. Independent Clause

An Independent Clause is a clause that is a meaningful sentence itself. An independent clause contains a subject and a finite verb makes a complete sentence by itself.

In a sentence two independent clauses can be connected by the coordinator’s conjunction: and, but, or, nor, so, for, yet.

Example:

• I read the Novel. (One independent clause)
• Let’s go to the shop. (One independent clause)
• I want to buy a Laptop, but I don’t have enough money. (Two independent clauses)

2. Dependent Clause

A Dependent clause must require an object to be completely meaningful.  It is also called a subordinate clause or embedded clause. These help the independent clauses complete the sentence. independently, it cannot form a complete sentence.

Example:

• I know that she cannot do it.
• If you don’t eat, I won’t go.
• He takes medicine because he suffers from fever.
• The teacher asked a question but no one answered.

Dependent clauses are divided into three types:

A. Noun Clause

A noun clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb of its own and does the function of a noun.

A Dependent Clauses acting as Nouns in sentences are called Noun Clauses or Nominal Clauses.  A noun clause starts with that, how other WH-words (Which, What, Who, When, Where, Why, Whose and Whom), if, whether etc.

Examples:

• I hope that I will get a job.
• You need to express that it’s crossing a line for you.
• Please tell me who left his shoes on the floor.

B. Adjective Clause

An adjective clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and does the work of an adjective.

These are also called Relative Clauses and they usually sit right after the Nouns they modify. 

Examples:

• The house I own is very beautiful.
• Ali has a car which is very beautiful.
• I’m looking for the red book that went missing last week.
• I was wearing the dress that I bought to wear to Jo’s party.

C. Adverb Clause

An adverb clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and does the work of an adverb.

Examples:

• The path was so rough that I could not walk on it.
• Rina ran to the point of panting vehemently.
• She cried because her seashell was broken.

3. Principal Clause

A Principal Clause is an independent clause that can exist even without a subordinate clause.

Independent and Principal Clauses are functionally the same but named from different perspectives.

Examples:

• She is the best girl in the class.
• I know that girl.
• Robin fishes like a pro.
• He wrote a letter.

4. Coordinate Clause

A Coordinate Clause is two or more independent clauses in a sentence that are of equal importance and usually joined by Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, or, for, yet, nor, so, etc).

Examples:

• I am a vegetarian, so I don’t eat any meat.
• Thomas will be late to work, for he has a dental appointment.
• She is poor but she is honest.

5. Non-finite Clause

A non-finite clause is a type of subordinate clause that is based around on a principal clause and An infinitive verb. In terms of a Participle, the Participial Phrase takes place of the Subject or Object of the sentence.

Examples:

• The person to ask about going to Canada is Beck.
• She is the first person to enter the office.
• He was very lucky to be the only one to win a prize.

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