Clauses

CLAUSES

CLAUSE

a group of words with a subject and a verb. 

TWO KINDS OF CLAUSES  :

INDEPEDEPENDENT CLAUSES

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE Has a subject and a verb Can stand by itself as a complete

sentence

EXAMPLE:The ice melted.

Mr. Smith arrived at the airport early this morning.

We must find a new strategy.

I play basketball.

•SOME SENTENCES CONTAIN TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES.

For example:Mr. Smith arrived early this morning, but I didn’t meet him.

We must find a new strategy, or we will lose our advantage.

I play basketball, George plays baseball, and Fred plays tennis.

DEPENDENT CLAUSES functions not as a sentence but as a

part of speech (a noun or an adjective or an adverb).  Therefore, it cannot stand alone as a sentence.

It is attached to some part of an INDEPENDENT clause.

THREE TYPES OF DEPENDENT CLAUSES: Noun clauses

Adjective clauses

Adverb Clauses

NOUN CLAUSES

act as simple nouns and identify persons, places, things, etc. 

THEY ARE INTRODUCED BY WORDS SUCH AS:

howif that what when

where whether

which who

whom whomeverwhose why

A NOUN CLAUSE AS THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE:

What he had to say to us was incredible.

Where we slept is not worth mentioning.

A NOUN CLAUSE AS THE OBJECT OF A SENTENCE:

I don't know which one is best

Tell me whose car you are driving.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES give information about nouns (people,

things, places, etc.) They appear after the noun or pronoun

they modify and usually begins with RELATIVE PRONOUNS such as:that, which, who, whom or whoseor sentences with a RELATIVE ADVERB such as:before, since, when, where, or why

As a Subject

e.g. Pavarotti, who sings at the

Metropolitan Opera, is a tenor.

As a Direct Object

e.g.Someone broke the window that I

recently fixed.

As an Object of a Prepositione.g.

This is my aunt of whom I have spoken.

As an Adjective

e.g.I have a friend whose witty remarks

amuse me.

ADVERB CLAUSES dependent clause that modify verb,

adjective, adverb or verbal.

It does this by pointing out where, when, in what manner, to what extent, under what condition, or why.

Modified Verb

We called because we were worried about you.Because Monna loved Michael, she refused to believe that he had deserted her.

Modified Adjective

Lee appeared confident as she took her exams.

Modified Adverb

The movie ended sooner than we expected.