The English language is a finite system that can be manipulated in infinite ways. Anyone who marvels at the thought of exploring the language will greatly benefit from understanding grammar clauses. This can be particularly helpful for students, instructors, and professionals across various fields who hope to improve their formal writing and reading comprehension for better communication.
Think about all the different ways you communicate throughout the day. You probably share a few conversations with several people, send texts and professional emails to friends or colleagues, read various articles from different sources, and even leave written notes at home, work, or school. If you think about it, a huge part of communication relies on writing, even more than you initially thought.
Writing is one of the most powerful ways to communicate. When we write, we formulate sentences, which then develop paragraphs that turn into essays, general reports, and other longer writings. However, it’s hard to write a proper sentence without learning about clauses first.
In its simplest form, a clause is a unit of grammar that consists of at least one predicate and a subject. The subject is the entity performing the action, while the predicate (verb) is the action the subject completes. There are different types of clauses that may be joined together to form a specific type of sentence. You may also see compound sentences – writing methods & examples.
We need clauses to express our thoughts, ideas, and feelings in such a way that is comprehensible. This allows us to express ourselves, and communicate that expression to others.
A clause comes in five general types: an independent clause, a subordinate clause, a relative clause, a noun clause, and an adverbial clause. To understand how they function in a sentence, let’s take a deeper look into each type:
An independent clause, along with a subject and a predicate, conveys a complete thought and can stand alone as a sensible statement. This is also know as the main clause of a sentence due to how it functions. Although an independent clause may classify as a simple sentence, two independent clauses may be joined together using coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet) or with the help of semicolons to express a detailed idea.
By adding a comma followed by a conjunction:
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By using a semicolon:
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By using a semicolon followed by a conjunctive adverb:
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Other conjunctive adverbs you could use include however, moreover, as a result, consequently, and nevertheless.
Unlike an independent clause, a subordinate clause cannot stand by itself. A subordinate clause, which is also referred to as a dependent clause, depends on something else in the sentence to express a complete idea. This is why subordinate clauses are often added to the main clause of a sentence using a subordinating conjunction to convey a full message. Otherwise, the clause by itself would be considered as a sentence fragment.
It’s easy to recognize a subordinate clause in a sentence because it typically starts with a subordinating conjunction. A subordinating conjunction is a word used to combine ideas together and show the relationship shared between these ideas. This may represent time, cause and effect, or contrast. Some common examples of subordinating conjunctions include the words because, although, where, and after. You might be interested in cumulative sentence examples.
The words that are italicized in these examples are the subordinate clauses, while those presented in regular text are main clause of the sentence.
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A relative clause functions as an adjective in a sentence, and it is introduced by a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (when, where, or why). This is also known as an adjective clause which is used to further describe the noun found in the sentence. You may also like the truth behind service contract checklists.
But if there’s one thing we need to take note of, it’s that a relative clause is merely a branch of a dependent clause, therefore it does not express a complete thought.
It’s easy to identify a relative clause by looking for these three main components: (1) it contains a subject and a verb, (2) it begins with a relative pronoun or a relative adverb, (3) and it functions as an adjective that answers any questions about the noun given.
The relative pronouns in the examples above are enclosed in a parenthesis because if we omit them from the sentence, it would still express a complete thought. You may also see balanced sentences — usage and examples.
Keep in mind that relative clauses are incomplete thoughts that need to be joined to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. Sometimes these clauses are necessary to express the thought delivered in the sentence, while other times they act as mere accessories for extra detail. If it’s essential to convey a thought, then the clause is likely to contain vital information. You may also like how to write short sentences.
Due to it’s function, you do not need to include any commas in the sentence. As for a nonessential relative clause, the statement would still make sense without the presence of the said clause. Since the clause is not necessary for the meaning of the sentence, then it does require the use of commas. You may also check out periodic sentence examples.
Knowing how to identify relative clauses can help you avoid this type of sentence fragment in writing. This will also teach you how to punctuate sentences correctly and avoid comma errors for better written communication. You might be interested in what is writing used for?
A noun clause is a type of dependent clause that functions as a noun in the sentence. A noun clause will always consist of a subject, which can also act as an object or a complement, and a verb.
Similar to a relative clause, a noun clause is usually introduced by a relative pronoun, but may also begin with a subordinating conjunction. Since it does not convey a complete thought, then the clause must be joined with the main clause to make perfect sense. You may also see formal writing examples.
Adverbial clauses are a dependent clause that act as an adverb in the sentence. The clause may modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb by indicating when, where, why, how, how much, and under what condition was the action performed. It contains a subject and a predicate, and is often introduced by a subordinating conjunction. You may also like writing examples in pdf.
Examples of these conjunctions include because, unless, if, when, and although. These conjunctions simply indicate that whatever clause follows them is unable to stand by itself.
A sentence may be classified into different types, depending on the number and types of clauses it contains. These are generally classified as simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. We can easily formulate these sentences by connecting clauses together using a coordinating or a subordinating conjunction. You may also see memo writing examples.
A simple sentence is a plain independent clause that does not contain a subordinate clause. It may also consist of compound elements such as a compound subject, verb, or object.
To put it simply, we can identify a simple sentence through three primary conditions: (1) it must have a subject and a verb, (2) it must convey a complete thought, (3) and it must only have one clause.
A compound sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses that are joined together with a coordinating conjunction, a comma, or a semicolon.
A complex sentence is usually comprised of an independent clause along with one or more subordinate clauses. This may either come before or after the main clause.
When a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, then a comma is then placed after the subordinate clause.
But if the main clause comes before the subordinate clause, you do not need to add any punctuation to combine the clauses together.
When used properly, complex sentences are fascinating components of the English language that can add depth to our writing. They make it easier to add in rich descriptions to our statements for a better delivery. Complex writing is one of the best ways to engage readers with compelling sentences that accurately convey a desired message. You may also see application writing examples.
A compound-complex sentence is just that—a combination of a compound sentence and complex sentence. Here, the sentence must contain at least two independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause for it to be classified as such.
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Since phrases and clauses are basic components of sentence writing, understanding the difference between the two can help us construct sentences correctly to improve our writing skills for better communication. When combined with other parts of speech and sentences, clauses and phrases help writers and speakers build an intricate system through which their words express meaning.
For starters, a phrase is a group of words that are joined together to relay a thought. Though there are many types of phrases (such as a gerund phrase, prepositional phrase, participle phrase, and infinitive phrase), not one of them may be considered as a sentence by itself. A phrase simply adds dimension to a sentence by providing further details about an idea. It can never stand alone in a sentence, but it can nestle itself into a clause as a part of simple speech.
However, you cannot identify a phrase by its words or its length, as most phrases consist of a combination of words, and there are instances when it can be quite long. But what makes a phrase different from a clause is the fact that it does not possess both a subject and a predicate. You may also like how to start a speech.
While they may have a noun or something that looks like a verb, they can never have both. Knowing this difference will help us avoid sentence fragments, which can be one of the major errors in writing.
On the other hand, a clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a working verb. So if it’s missing either one of the two, then it’s classified as a phrase. Even though a clause can act as a sentence, it’s not always a complete sentence on its own. Some clauses can stand alone, while others cannot. You may also see summary writing examples.
It is critical for us to recognize the difference between clauses and phrases to ensure that our sentences are communicated properly in terms of construction and context. Take note that phrases are sometimes into clauses, so it’s important for us to determine whether the group of words contain both a subject and a predicate, or not. You may also check out speech templates and examples.
The English language is diverse, complicated, and sometimes difficult to understand. The things we learn from school barely scratches the surface of what our language really is. One of the greatest wonders of the English language includes a collection of words that comprise a sentence: clauses. You may also see essay writing examples.
Clauses have their own value and importance in communication. Whether it’s general English or the use of the language in business communication, getting a better grasp of the specifics of sentence patterns, sentence structures, and the function of these clauses is beneficial in several ways. Not only does this lead to effective sentence creation, but it also helps us better convey our thoughts as both a writer and an average communicator. You may also like speech examples in doc.
But before anything else, it’s important that we know what clauses are. Although we naturally use different types of clauses knowingly and unknowingly when we communicate, recognizing how they function in a sentence will help us maintain effective communication. With the numerous possibilities to accurately convey a message, knowing how to formulate sentences efficiently can aid us in our quest to express our exact thoughts properly. You may also check out article writing examples.
The importance of using more than a single clause in a sentence lies in the fact that there are times when we may need to join clauses or sentences together to convey the desired message.
Say for instance, when an author wishes to tell a story in a detailed manner. Novels and storybooks are filled with paragraphs of sentences. But because an author has to be expressive with his or her thoughts, one’s approach to creative writing may be achieved with the help of different sentence types.
The overuse of small sentences (or simple sentences, for that matter) can impact the flow of your writing style. And since a sentence is comprised of a clause(s), then combining these clauses together allows us to convey the required message effectively to its recipients. You might be interested in how do you write a speech?
In addition, if you know how to join various clauses based on their specific function, you can develop a good flow of communication while expressing your thoughts, ideas, and feelings in an accurate way.
Understanding the various clauses in the English language enables us to formulate both active and passive sentences in an efficacious and logical manner. Thus, this would lead us to maintain an effective verbal and written communication for better comprehension. You may also see narrative writing examples.
Here are some examples of everyday expressions containing independent and subordinate clauses used in simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
To sum it up, a clause is basically a combination of a subject and a verb. The two primary types of clauses are the independent or main clause, and the subordinate or dependent clause. A subordinate clause may be divided into three different categories: a noun clause, a relative clause, and an adverbial clause. You may also see tips for writing an effective essay.
Clauses are the essential building blocks to creating proper sentence structures for quality writing.
If you want to teach or learn grammar the easy way, you need to understand the basic rules and elements of combining clauses and connecting them through conjunctions. This will serve as a foundation for you to turn simple sentences into descriptive statements, otherwise known as compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. You may also like presentation speech examples.
By understanding how clauses function in formulating sentences, putting together a sentence won’t be as complicated as you once thought!